Premier League: Man Utd could solve defensive dilemma by following Manchester City example

It was staggering to see just how much better Manchester City were than Man Utd on Tuesday night.

A commanding attacking display coupled with a tactical master-stroke reaped the rewards for City as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his side utterly outclassed at Old Trafford. Football fans from around the world can purchase Premier League Football Tickets online to enjoy its stunning performances.

In the defense of Manchester United, the result came without their two best midfielders and their best center back but that took little away from the footballing lesson which was taught in midweek.

Manchester City's superiority was summed up by Kevin de Bruyne's world-class creativity in midfield which saw him burst at the Stretford End leave Phil Jones on his backside and force the ball over the line via the unfortunate Andreas Pereira.

Yet the glaring issue for Man Utd was not that their defense necessarily played badly against Manchester City but the fact the personnel just simply are not good enough to compete with Pep Guardiola's side.

An unfortunate injury to Harry Maguire left Solskjaer with an unenviable position to fill and it is not his fault that Jones became the only viable option for the derby day defeat.

Injuries have ravaged the Manchester United squad this season and it is unfortunate that Tuanzebe, Bailly and even Fosu-Mensah are yet to return to match fitness when the door is open for any of them to prosper.

The nature of Manchester United's perpetual injury concerns do raise questions about the overall conditioning at the club but improving the squad fitness was integral to Solskjaer's first pre-season in charge.

Tuanzebe or Bailly recall to Man Utd

In an ideal world Tuanzebe or Bailly would be recalled, but after long injury absences throwing them straight back into Premier League action might cause more problems than it solves.

Hosting the Premier League's basement side this weekend should give supporters some glimmer of hope after a week of despair and in fairness, Solskjaer's side absolutely blitzed Norwich earlier in the season.

Not only should the game see a return to winning ways but it could provide the perfect time for Solskjaer to experiment with his Man Utd defense and try out a new option.

A run out for Tuanzebe or Bailly would, of course, be preferred but it could be an opportunity for the Manchester United manager to either introduce youth in the shape of Di'Shon Bernard or opt with experience with a positional switch for Nemanja Matic.

Bernard deserves another opportunity at some point even after his unfortunate debut own goal against Astana last year while Matic showcased in midweek the experience and stability so clearly missing from the first-team as of late.

The Serbian International is now set to stay at Man Utd despite being open to a January exit and in recent weeks has re-established himself as a vital player under Solskjaer.

Decent cameos against Burnley and Arsenal demonstrated the limited but effective, contribution he can still offer in midfield while his leadership abilities might currently be better suited to the center of defense.

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