**Michael Carrick’s Man Utd bounced back in style to get their first three points of the season, but he has a Youri Tielemans question to answer. **
It was a second consecutive start for Youri Tielemans in the Premier League, and it was a game of two halves for him.
In the first, he was bypassed easily, got caught on the ball, and was lucky to be down just 1-0 at one point as he was in a daze.
The second was confident, calm, and composed, as he grew into the game, leaving one question for Michael Carrick.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
On paper, Tielemans is United’s most experienced midfielder with the best pedigree, so he should provide the calmness to his partner’s exuberance.
However, it’s clear after two games that Tielemans is far from a crucial asset when it comes to his game off the ball.
Tielemans was bypassed far too easily in the first half when Ipswich piled on the pressure, and it became a common sight to see Mainoo running around trying to plug the gaps.
That is what United would have thought would not happen when they replaced Casemiro, whose role had to be simplified by Carrick to cover less space.
Instead, Tielemans has puzzlingly stuck to the Casemiro role of bombing forward, only this time, the space for him to cover is larger.
It results in a tactical mess where Tielemans looks like a liability off the ball, and Mainoo has to cover for two midfielders at once.
Casemiro has left United, but the answer is not to give his role directly to Tielemans. Adaptation is required, because they are extremely different profiles of players.
The Belgian isn’t threatening enough in the final third as Casemiro was in his final season, and Casemiro wasn’t as good on the ball as Tielemans is.
To have him bomb forward instead of sit deep and dictate possession is a waste of his abilities. Thankfully, Carrick realised this in the second half.
In the second half, United pushed up as a whole, playing closer to the opponent’s box, and Tielemans came alive.
He was at his best with the ball and relished counter-pressing when he could win the ball back high up.
There were no huffing and puffing sprints towards his own goal after being bypassed, because United camped near the Ipswich box.
Tielemans needs to be a lock-picker from deep who helps with ball progression, allowing Bruno Fernandes to stay further forward.
He cannot be a straight replacement for Casemiro. He is far better than being shoehorned into that role.
