Sofian Amrabat made his first start for Manchester United, playing as a left-back rather than a midfielder.
Manchester United won 3-0 against Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the 2023-24 English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) held at Old Trafford in Manchester, England at 4 a.m. on the 27th (Korean time). With this victory, Manchester United advanced to the round of 16.
Amrabat started. Amrabat is a defensive midfielder who has performed well for Fiorentina and the Moroccan national team. He attracted attention because of his good physique, excellent passing ability, and high activity level. Manchester United, who needed a midfielder option, made the signing. With Casemiro on the decline, recruiting Amrabat seemed important.
As soon as he arrived, he was unable to play due to injury and made his Manchester United debut as a substitute in the last match against Region. He started as a starter that day, marking his first time as a starter since coming to Manchester United. It was expected that he would form the midfield with Casemiro, but Amrabat was positioned at left fullback.
Left fullback is a position of great concern for Manchester United. Taryl Malacia was injured and Luke Shaw was out due to injury, leaving the team without a player. He brought in Sergio Reguilon, and he was the only one there. Diogo Dalot could have been used as a left fullback, but with Aaron Wan-Bissaka injured, right back resources were reduced and he could not be used as a left fullback.
This was the reason why Amrabat played as left fullback. It was an unfamiliar position, but Amrabat showed surprising performance. He didn’t just play defense on the left. As for Arm Rabat, when Manchester United had the ball, he came into the center and developed a build-up at the back with Casemiru. With Mason Mount coming down to support the build-up, Manchester United increased possession and put pressure on Palace.
The Palace attack had enormous difficulty penetrating Amrabat. Amrabat took the initiative by inducing a foul and instantly launched an attack with his tremendous long passing ability. At the start of the second half, Mount left and Victor Lindelof came in. With Lindelof’s arrival, a back three was formed and Amrabat moved to the center. Even in midfield, Amrabat’s presence was enormous.스포츠토토
Manchester United, who maintained a clean sheet during Amrabat’s performance, won 3-0 with a goal from Anthony Martial and a goal from Casemiro. Amrabat played only 16 minutes in the second half. The UK’s Manchester Evening News highlighted this by saying, “Amrabat played left-back and midfielder.” On this day, Amrabat recorded a pass success rate of 96%, a tackle success rate of 100%, 5 successful long passes (6 attempts), and 5 duel wins (6 attempts).
Speaking after the match, Amrabat said: “It was a perfect night. We played really well. The important thing is that we won 3-0. I feel like I’ve been playing for this moment since I was a kid. It’s amazing to play at Old Trafford. Ten Haag “The coach said he needed me. If I can help the team, I can play as a goalkeeper. Today, I was a left-back and a midfielder. It was a great game,” he said.
He continued, “I like to have the ball. I tried to give strength to the team by moving mainly on the left side, which was good. I will play where the manager and the team need me to play. If I’m a left-back, I’ll play as a left-back, and if I’m a midfielder, I’ll play as a midfielder.” “It’s not normal yet, but I’m doing my best. I’ve tried to be 100% for two weeks. I think I’ll get better as I play,” he said.