MARCUS RASHFORD’S bid to revive his career took a big leap forward with his first Aston Villa start… against the toughest of opponents.
The loanee striker from Manchester United played 67 minutes of Wednesday’s 2-2 home draw with Prem leaders Liverpool.
Marcus Rashford played his part in a thrilling Prem drawGetty
GettyRashford looked ecstatic after Youri Tielemans levelled for Villa[/caption]
The 60-cap Englishman, 27, has much to prove – not just to reignite his club career but also to impress new Three Lions’ boss Thomas Tuchel.
Here’s how Rashford fared in a thrilling clash at Villa Park.
PACE AND STAMINA
The first thing that stood out was his speed of thought.
He almost caught Liverpool out early on with a clever 1-2 with Marco Asensio.
But when he did get the chance to stretch his legs that old electric pace was evident again.
One particular run caught the eye when he scorched across the turf to close down Trent Alexander-Arnold and pressure the usually cool ball-player into gifting possession back to Villa.
Crucially, his excellent close control allows him to remain super-speedy when running at defenders.
ReutersBoss Unai Emery watched on as Rashford showed his commitment[/caption]
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As far as stamina goes he was probably running on empty when he was replaced by Jacob Ramsey after 67 minutes by Emery.
Perhaps that’s why he never made those crucial 10 yards up to track Alexander-Arnold’s run when he scored.
But that’s being super critical because he possibly thought Morgan Rogers was responsible for that.
EFFORT
Spot on. He couldn’t be faulted for his commitment to the cause – in sharp contrast to his final days in a United shirt.
Without fuss or fanfare he succeeded in snuffing out the very real attacking threat of Alexander-Arnold …. almost!
For the first hour, his pace on the break kept TAA honest in his defensive duties, as the full-back was wary of wandering too far from his former England teammate.
And he performed the less glamorous side of the game well too, chasing back and keeping Villa’s shape to seal off most of TAA’s passing channels.
If I was being extremely picky I’d suggest he might look back with regret at his failure to track Alexander-Arnold’s run for his equaliser.
He certainly put his hands on his knees and looked gutted afterwards as if he felt he might have done more.
But I’d say that was a good sign of someone who clearly cares.
APThe transfer-window recruit caused problems for Liverpool keeper Alisson[/caption]
USE OF BALL
Generally tidy.
Sure, there were some tell-tale signs of ring-rust when he sent one left-foot cross harmlessly out of the park after half an hour.
In general though he linked well and looks to be getting to grips with his new teammates movement and passing patterns.
He was cocky and confident enough to nutmeg Alexis Mac Allister to win the free kick which led to Villa’s equaliser.
He then whipped in the inswinging free kick which caused panic in Liverpool’s defence and led to Youri Tielemans‘ opener.
Not every attempted pass came off – sometimes he seemed one step ahead of his teammates – but the understanding will develop given more game time.
GettyRashford whipped in a cross under pressure from Ryan Gravenberch[/caption]
SCORING THREAT
Came close to creating an opener for Villa after 17 minutes when he played a rapid 1-2 with Marco Asensio and fired in a wicked delivery which Virgil van Dijk diverted into his own net.
However the Reds defence had stepped up expertly to catch Rashford in their offside trap. Close but no cigar!
He came even closer early in the second half when his blistering pace saw him beat Allison to a through ball.
With the keeper stranded outside his box Rashford curled in a cute chip which was heading for the net until Ibrahima Konate got back to desperately head clear.
From the resulting corner he curled his delivery in and the ball was heading in at the far post until Alisson frantically clawed it clear.
He failed to score here but did more than enough to suggest the goals will flow in time.
TACTICAL AWARENESS
Rashford was disciplined and followed Unai Emery‘s instructions religiously.
Out of possession he tracked Trent Alexander-Arnold and dropped into a mid-block centrally.
EPARashford had an impressive first full game[/caption]
In possession he pushed high on the inside left channel to try and entice Konate out of his comfort zone in the middle.
And though few Villa fans will have noticed it, he had a huge hand in Villa’s second goal too.
Whether it was a direct instruction from Emery, or his own initiative, Rashford started drifting into the centre forward position just before half-time.
That created room for Lucas Digne to exploit the space Rashford had vacated, allowing the full-back the time and space he needed to pick out Ollie Watkins with his brilliant cross.
He has the game intelligence Emery will love.
VERDICT
If Ruben Amorim really does believe he’d rather give his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach a seat on the bench than use Rashford – Jorge Vital better dust his boots off!
Because all the early signs are Rashford looks as if he will turn out to be an astute signing by Emery.
And if Vital can do better than this then he should be in line to START for United this week!
Rashford looks to have the bit between his teeth and is ready to re-ignite his stellar career at Villa Park.
He won the free kick which led to Villa’s opening goal with a cute nutmeg on Mac Allister.
He then delivered the wicked cross which caused chaos in Liverpool’s defence and led to Tielemans’ opener.
He also created the space Lucas Digne needed to create Villa’s second for Ollie Watkins.
He skinned Alisson for pace in a straight sprint and had a shot cleared off the line by Konate.
That’s not a bad shift for someone who hadn’t started a game since December.
Rashford will get better the more game time he gets for Emery who could have a bargain on his hands if he chooses to trigger his £40million option to buy this summer.
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