Deceived or tricked. Manchester United supporters criticized a “peculiar” strategy that squandered Marcus Rashford.
Even the experienced analyst Ally McCoist struggled to comprehend the concept.
Rashford, aged 26, started the match at his preferred position on the left flank as the Red Devils faced Wigan in the third round of the FA Cup.
From that position, the England star set up Diogo Dalot’s well-executed first goal.
Before that, spectators were perplexed by the instructions provided to the striker during corner kicks in the FA Cup match.
At the beginning of the game, United obtained a sequence of corners and Bruno Fernandes assumed responsibility for taking them.
Instead of positioning himself inside the penalty area to increase his chances of scoring against the League One defenders, Rashford chose to stand in an unconventional position just beyond the sideline, around 10 yards away from the ball.
In two out of the three set pieces, Fernandes disregarded his teammate and swiftly delivered the ball directly into the penalty area, however, he did choose a short pass during the Three Lions international match.
McCoist, who was commentating on the game at the DW Stadium with Sam Matterface, expressed his dissatisfaction and claimed that Rashford’s potential was not being fully used.
The Scottish icon expressed dissatisfaction, stating that if the team does not go for a short corner kick, Rashford should position himself inside the penalty area. You will not achieve a goal in that particular situation.
Furthermore, several fans were similarly dissatisfied.
One individual agreed with McCoist’s viewpoint, questioning the rationale for using Rashford for short corners just to subsequently pass the ball back to Bruno. If this is the chosen technique, it would be more prudent to assign someone else for this role and position Rashford in a position where he can pose a significant danger.
Another individual inquired: “Why does Rashford position himself off the field next to the player taking the corner when Manchester United is in possession?” Each forward must be positioned inside the penalty area Unusual.
Another individual inquired: “Can someone explain as to why Rashford is not positioned within the penalty area for the corner kick?!” What is the rationale for this?
A fourth individual said that Marcus Rashford is likely the tallest player in their team, yet his brother often positions himself beyond the penalty area during corner kicks for Manchester United.
Nevertheless, supporters were thrilled with Rashford’s entire performance against Wigan, as he forced a brilliant save from Sam Tickle and then assisted Dalot in elegantly curling the ball into the bottom corner from the outside of the box.
Manchester United were victorious in the match, securing a 2-0 victory, with Bruno Fernandes successfully converting a penalty kick.
United will now go to either Newport from League Two or Eastleigh from the non-league in the fourth round, while Tottenham will meet Manchester City in the most notable match.
