1. Marcos Rojo’s nightmare performance
IF THERE IS one positive that Man United will take from this season, it will surely be their defence.
The Red Devils have conceded just 31 goals in the 2015-16 campaign — of all the teams in the Premier League, only Tottenham have a superior record.
Yet on Sunday against Leicester at Old Trafford, Louis van Gaal’s side looked unusually shaky at the back.
Marcos Rojo epitomised the Red Devils’ defensive ineptitude, particularly at set pieces. The Argentine international — bought by Van Gaal for €20 million back in August 2014 — lost Wes Morgan on at least three occasions amid dangerous deliveries into the box, including for the Leicester captain’s headed equaliser.
Rojo was also extremely fortunate not to concede a penalty for a rash challenge in the first half on Riyad Mahrez, as it soon became apparent that he was enduring a nightmare performance.
Many of Man United’s big-money signings have disappointed since joining the club — Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian and Morgan Schneiderlin were all left out of Sunday’s starting XI in what was a crucial, must-win fixture — and Rojo is surely another player who needs to up his game in order to avoid being offloaded by the club sooner rather than later.
2. Shane Long must start at the Euros
Shane Long scored his 13th goal of the season and fourth in five matches on Sunday, as Southampton convincingly beat a lacklustre Man City side 4-2 at St Mary’s.
But the Tipperary native did far more than simply score with an opportunistic finish — he constantly pressurised the visitors’ backline with his energy and intelligent running, setting the tempo for a Saints side that ultimately easily overpowered their tepid opponents.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was particularly impressed after the game, naming Long as his man-of-the-match.
And the Irish striker is surely in the best form of his career. In the past, there has been some debate over whether he should start for the Boys in Green — in fact, he rarely does so in competitive matches for his country, featuring just twice from the beginning in the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
Yet Long is playing at a much higher level than any other Irish striker at the moment, and has added goals to his game — the one big criticism he has faced in the past has been his inability to take chances — therefore it is surely a no-brainer for Ireland to break from tradition and pick him from the beginning at the Euros this summer.
3. Five more chances for Leicester to win the league
While Leicester may have dropped points against Man United on Sunday, they are still virtual certainties to win the Premier League.
To put it simply, the Foxes have five more chances to claim a historic first-ever title.
Even if they fail to win their final two games against Everton and Chelsea, Tottenham would need to triumph in all their remaining matches — against Chelsea, Southampton and Newcastle — to secure an unlikely success.
In truth, at this stage, Spurs players are probably more concerned with sealing second-place — after beating Norwich yesterday, Arsenal trail their North London rivals by just two points.
4. Liverpool had their minds elsewhere
It seems fair to suggest that Liverpool had their minds elsewhere, as they were comfortably beaten 3-1 by Swansea in Sunday’s early kick-off.
With a crucial Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal happening later this week, Klopp fielded a largely second-string team at the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea — who now sit in 13th spot in the Premier League table — had little to play for themselves, but were good value for their two-goal winning margin.
Yet Liverpool, with no hope of qualifying for the Champions League via the domestic route, are definitely right to put all their eggs into the Europa League basket at this point.
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