Opinion: Why Victor Lindelof is the most integral unit of Manchester United's spine?
It's not unusual to be gripped by a sense of disbelief while watching Victor Lindelof's portentous, and in most cases, reposeful assuredness for Manchester United of late.
Cast your memory back a bit and you"ll recall that the peculiar idiosyncrasy which was instrumental in burning down Jose Mourinho's house at United was his incessant, and, as had become the case for most United fans, often aggravating complaints of not getting the players he'd asked for.
Granted, the summer transfer window at Old Trafford was nothing short of a penny-pinching, birdbrained failure. Besides riling Mourinho up to insurmountable levels, it also exposed a plethora of problems and the oft-maligned streak of impotence which is prevalent in the upper echelons at Old Trafford. Notwithstanding the circus that was United’s transfer window, there was always an alternate path which the Portuguese could have walked. Instead of working and at least trying to make what he had at his disposal click, Mourinho funneled his energy into something more toxic - a concerted effort to try and make the United fan-base believe that what he had wasn't up to scratch.
And, he was right to an extent. Envisage a side who are preparing to put up a serious tilt for the title, and then take into consideration the center-back's which United have on their roster. The largely mediocre and inconsistent trio of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, and Marcos Rojo aren't going to get you anywhere near the requisite number of clean sheets a title winning side needs to rack up.
Eric Bailly oozes potential but his brashness and loss of form due to his fractured relationship with Mourinho had pretty much derailed his current campaign. Famous in the dressing room and largely appreciated by the Old Trafford faithful who recognize the ceiling he possesses, Bailly could still be a success story at United, provided he cuts out the unnecessary brashness which many people mistake for the "bite" a center-back must possess, from his game.
Arriving for what is now considered a modest sum of £30million from Benfica last summer, Lindelof's addition to the team provided a sense of calm to United supporters. For a club which has seen the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Jaap Stam, and Nemanja Vidic marshal their back-line, the sheer tomfoolery and sense of trepidation which the pre-existing group of defenders transmitted had become, quite frankly, exhausting, and in parts, embarrassing too. Naturally, the Swede's arrival was like a blithesome detour from the usual idiocy. His past performances for Benfica were suggestive of the fact that in Lindelof, United have gotten themselves - as Ole Gunnar Solksjaer himself put after the Newcastle victory - a cultured European center-back with some solid Champions League experience under his belt.
Of course, the naivety of attaching massive expectations to his name was a practice United supporters refrained from. The excitement-laden breaths which could prove to be the trigger for delusive expectations were tempered. Everybody was aware of how crucial an acclimatization period will be for a player who will be playing in a league which is far more intense, pacy and physical than the one he's just come from.
Widely criticized initially courtesy of his horror debut at Huddersfield, Lindelof's initial months as a United player were - to put it mildly - pretty shabby. As the season wore on though, there were flashes of promise which were suggestive of the fact that there is a real player in there. Be it his crunching tackle against Brighton or his authoritative display against the big boys of the league later on in the season - a turning point was around the corner for Lindelof. A stellar World Cup campaign for Sweden ensued and having gone through the rough and tumble of the Premier League for an entire season, Lindelof returned to Carrington in the summer in a better state of mind and preparedness.
Having cognizance of your shortcomings is a virtue which, if utilized in the correct manner, can help you prepare for potentially tricky situations a whole lot better. Lindelof doesn't have the bulky frame which Kalidou Koulibaly or Liverpool cornerstone Virgil Van Dijk has. The Swede, for all intents and purposes, realizes this and therefore bases his game on intelligence and preempting a forwards movement whilst mad-dogging him.
Against Newcastle United at St James' Park, Lindelof was tasked with containing the muscular nuisance of Solomon Rondon. Physically, there's no doubt about who'd emerge as the winner from this clash. Fortunately, this was a game of football and not wrestling. Lindelof won every aerial duel against the Venezuelan, checked each and every run of his whilst denying him any inch whatsoever to maneuver or flourish in. As has often been the case with the Swede, the probability of high-velocity collisions was thwarted by a cogitate analysis of the adversary.
Reassuringly though, Lindelof's surgical domination of his opponents, in general, has been one of the more encouraging theme's of a rather moribund season for United. Unknowingly advocating the advantages of playing with confidence and spirit of freedom, Lindelof's superb one-two with Marcus Rashford - which ended in him sprinting all the way into Cardiff's box, was another indication of the potent yet hidden apparatus he possesses in his locker. Against Juventus at both Old Trafford and the Allianz Stadium, the former Benfica man held his own against the elite attacking trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, and Mario Mandzukic.
The theme which the nights in Manchester and Turin followed were - right place, right time and more often than not, a right decision. Marshaling the entire back-line with striking authority, Lindelof couldn't put a foot wrong on both occasions even if he intended to. Last-ditch lunges were replaced by neat and timely interceptions and impetuous clearances had been taken over by confident and assured forward surges with the ball at his feet. This is the thing though - the sense of calm which Lindelof transmits throughout the back-line is absolutely priceless and so refreshing to see.
Helping him, even more, is his composure with the ball at his feet and the ability to rip-open a defense with a perfectly weighted diagonal ball or a superbly placed defense-splitting pass along the ground. His intelligence helps him read the game better than most which help him stay one step ahead of his opponent at all times. This aids a cracking sense of positioning which helps him eliminate a sense of temerity from his game. A usually reckless tackle is replaced by a well-timed interference to win the ball back in a position of potential danger.
United's defensive record this season has been abysmal and a trigger-happy Mourinho used 16 different defensive combinations before being dumped. The Old Trafford outfit isn't going to win the title this season but it's unimaginable to think that a club of United's stature won't be looking to have their grip on the trophy next season.
And if they have any plans of doing so, they need to build the spine of this team around Lindelof and his fearlessness, discerning nature and composure. Still only 24, the Swede can prove to be the cornerstone of United's defense for years to come and if his performances this season are anything to go by, it finally seems as though, after years of hunting, United might have finally gotten their hands on a worthy heir to Ferdinand's throne.