THERE WAS A moment in the fourth minute of first-half injury time at Old Trafford yesterday that summed up just how much Brentford had frustrated Manchester United.
Or, to be more precise, Nathan Collins was absolutely wrecking Bruno Fernandes’ head.
United were knocking the ball around the back, not with any real purpose or intent, but doing just enough to keep the away side moving, shifting across and closing space.
It was the kind of passive passage of play that sides prepared to be patient don’t mind indulging in just to wait for the right moment to pounce and punish any lapse in concentration.
Fernandes, though, wasn’t impressed.
The United captain dropped deep to receive a pass near the centre circle in his own half and almost in a state of disgust decided to fizz a ball back to Andre Onana.
He turned to remonstrate with some of his teammates – Diogo Dalot looked to be the closest one to perhaps get an earful in their native tongue – and all of a sudden a din of groans and moans smothered Old Trafford.
Fernandes is capable of producing moments of incredible artistry – as he would later show with his assist for Rasmus Hojlund – but he still has the capability to bring the mood down.
Or, to look at it another way, capture a wider sense of frustration in the stands.
Fernandes probably expected Collins to be right behind him when he made that pass back to Onana, hassling and harrying or snapping at his ankles.
The Brentford and Republic of Ireland centre-back was on an ad-hoc man-marking job whenever the Portugal international drifted towards him but had licence to follow him too.
On four occasions in the first half alone Collins burst from his slot on the right side of centre back – although it was interesting to watch him and Ethan Pinnock alternate on a couple of occasions and Collins arrow a delightful 60-yard diagonal pass right onto the foot of Bryan Mbeumo on the right flank.
The furthest Collins went was as far as United’s own 18-yard box to pressure Fernandes.
“We always do that. It’s our gameplan. We want high pressure, it worked a little bit, they still got in control, but we defended a lot better,” Collins told The 42 after Brentford’s 2-1 defeat.
“Second half they probably stopped playing as much, they probably went a bit more direct and we didn’t collect enough second balls. We weren’t as good second half as we were first half.
“I think a lot of teams do that against us because it’s hard to play against our high press. It’s a normal thing. It’s not that we didn’t expect it but we probably could have dealt with it a bit better.
“It works a lot. We do it a lot. It’s tough to play against, a lot of teams struggle to play against it. They’re going to break through lines, it’s going to happen, that’s natural. It’s a thing we work on a lot and what we do.”
It worked in the first half but early in the second, when the midfield allowed Marcus Rashford space on the right to cross without pressure, Alejandro Garnacho punished them with a lovely cushioned volley.
Then, for the goal that won the game, it summed up the effect Fernandes has on this team with a delightfully delicate flick around Collins as he sprinted to close him down on the 18-yard box.
In an instant Hojlund was through on goal and United found the moment to turn the game on its head.
“Listen, in football that’s how good these boys are. I got tight as I could around him and he still done it. It’s hard. These boys are the best in the world and are going to create chances,” Collins added.
“We have boys that cover each other in situations like that so it’s annoying. I cover a lot, boys cover a lot.
“We defend really well as a unit so it’s annoying, but it’s things we know, especially in that game, that’s why it’s more frustration.
“That’s what the top teams do. They soak that pressure up first half, they stay in the game and don’t let the game get out of their touch and can turn it on as quick as that. That’s why it’s annoying that we didn’t start quickly enough, that we didn’t react to that.
“The second goal in we were playing a little bit better and got a bit more control in the game but they’re so good defensively, their low block is hard to score against.”
Brentford took the lead courtesy of a corner kick masterminded by Keith Andrews, the former Republic of Ireland coach during Stephen Kenny’s time in charge.
He is now set-piece coach under Thomas Frank and Collins explained how a week of work on the training pitch and analysis rooms following the international break paid off in that moment.
“I can’t fault Keith’s hard work. He grinds that to be fair to him. It’s a lot on the pitch and a lot in meeting rooms.
“Everything nowadays is meetings and on the pitch. Both as equal time-wise. He works very hard and shortens it down for us, of course. He’s been good for us.”
Collins, of course, has been handed the captain’s armband with Ireland in Seamus Coleman’s absence and, coming to Old Trafford on the back of a 2-1 win in Finland in which an error led to their goal, he explained the mentally required to deal with such setbacks. Especially as that defeat to Greece followed just a few days later.
“It’s hard to soak it all in. It’s just game after game after game. It’s constant, [onto] the next one. I don’t really have time to think on what happened last week,” Collins admitted.
“You just have to move on as quick as. Concentrate on this game and then we have another game next week. Look back at this, recap and put it behind to move on. I don’t have time to take it all in. My family do.
“It’s hard, I think it’s one of those things, people outside of football can’t register. It happens so quickly. One game happens and it’s gone, it’s over. You can’t play that game again.
“If I have a bad game I have to wait until next week to have a better game. If I have a good game I have to go and have a better one. It’s hard for people outside of football to register that.”
Franks likes what he sees and so, too, does Heimir Hallgrímsson given he made his captain following Coleman’s injury.
“He just said he likes what I do on the pitch and off the pitch. There was nothing for me to change, just continue what I’m doing and that’s what I’m trying to do. And with Ireland just try to be myself and lead the boys.”
Performances like yesterday show the calibre of the 23-year-old; one of tenacity and confidence but, ultimately, still wasn’t enough to get something from the game.
