Manchester United will kick off their 2021-22 Premier League season against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
The last time the two teams met in Manchester, United won 6-2 in a game that featured 43 shots on the two goals.
It was a thrilling 90 minutes, but when the two rivals met again four months later in April, Marcelo Bielsa appeared to have learned from his mistakes, as Leeds drew 0-0 in a game that was far less entertaining.
Despite having more possession of the ball, United only took 16 shots on the road, compared to 26 at home; Leeds showed a reluctance to attack in order to avoid a repeat of the previous meeting.
In the 0-0 draw, Bielsa’s team only had six shots, their second-lowest total of the season, but their defensive activity seemed to double.
Leeds are known for their aggressive approach without the ball, and in their 6-2 loss at Old Trafford, they made a total of 144 pressures. That all changed in the game at Elland Road, where Bielsa’s side racked up 276 pressures, a season high.
Leeds attacked less, kept more men behind the ball, gave United more possession, and put them under a lot more pressure than before, but Solskjaer’s team couldn’t win.
The availability of Jadon Sancho for the first game is unknown, but given his creative ability and dribbling ability, the new man could prove to be highly effective against such an approach.
Last season, the English forward finished sixth in the Bundesliga for key passes (a key pass is defined as one that leads directly to a shot) and second in the division for completed dribbles.
Sancho is deceptive enough to get out of tight situations, and he can provide a key to the door when his teammates are stuck, so if Bielsa sticks to the same strategy as last time, he could be the difference maker.
Solskjaer will be hoping that his main summer signing is able to play at least as a substitute on Saturday, as he could be crucial to United getting off to a winning start this season.