Defending is the responsibility of the collective, not any individual. You hear about the attacker who single-handedly beat an entire defence but never about the defender who single-handedly repelled an entire attack. And yet defenders are often judged on moments when they are separated from the rest of the herd, isolated one-against-one and the last thing standing in the way of a clear-cut chance or a certain goal.
Harry Maguire faced two such situations early on in Manchester United’s win over West Ham at the weekend. If he had misjudged either of them, the afternoon could have taken a very different turn.
