Manchester United Tactical Analysis: Not good, but not bad

There have been plenty of causes to be nervous heading into Manchester United’s match towards West Bromwich Albion. Injury issues to some key gamers, questions over who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would choose in midfield, the truth that United hadn’t gained a match at Old Trafford since July, and the truth that they have an inclination to wrestle in these kinds of matches. But most of all, as a result of United gained their final match towards Everton and haven’t been in the least constant this season.

Personally, my fears have been alleviated the second I noticed West Brom emerge from the tunnel sporting their gold and inexperienced change strip and looking out precisely like Norwich City. That needed to be a superb omen proper? After all, the one crew that has by no means triggered Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United issues is Norwich City.

That calmness lasted all of about two minutes up till United gained a free kick and this occurred.

This wasn’t a nice likelihood but I instantly realized what was taking place. If you didn’t notice it then, about 20 minutes later it was all but confirmed when West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone did this.

We have been in for certainly one of these video games.

You simply knew United academy product Sam Johnstone could be including his title to the likes of Nick Pope, Artur Boruc, Tom Heaton, and Lee Grant among the many goalkeepers for crap groups who’ve come to Old Trafford and stood on their heads.

Johnstone delivered precisely that form of efficiency which made for a really irritating night. But don’t mistake irritating for “bad.” Other than the ending (which was a mixture of United being poor and Johnstone being good), United weren’t really bad, they simply weren’t good both.

There’s a center floor in there and that’s the place the Red Devils have been Saturday evening and regardless of not being “good” there have been plenty of positives to take.

United have been a crew utterly off form this yr. That’s been at each degree, from the supervisor all the way down to the gamers. Even once they’ve been doing the correct issues – reminiscent of towards Brighton – their passing and every part else have all simply been off. There are varied causes for this but none are extra true than this: it is a distinctive season the place United didn’t have a preseason.

Even when United received a couple of video games beneath their belt they didn’t have their full first alternative crew obtainable till Anthony Martial returned from suspension towards Everton. They have been by no means going to search out their kind in a single day, it was all the time going to take a while to develop that consistency.

The optimistic factor right here is throughout the first two months of the season, when United weren’t on their recreation, they have been BAD. On Saturday they weren’t on but they weren’t bad. They weren’t making errors, they weren’t leaving anybody uncovered, they simply weren’t pulling off the issues they have been attempting.

And attempting issues was very a lot what they have been doing. This was evident early on when Alex Telles tried an bold cross discipline change of play.

Later he would attempt one other lengthy ball down the left facet.

Neither of those performs come off but it’s a superb signal to see them being tried. These are the issues you should do to beat a crew that’s sitting deep. You have to make cross discipline switches. You have to ship some early lengthy balls in behind.

Juan Mata is phenomenal at making intelligent runs and transferring defenses round. The drawback was that solely Bruno Fernandes would have the ability to spot the go together with Mata’s run,

On Saturday Nemanja Matić was getting in on the act as properly.

Whether it’s attempting to string the needle on a by way of ball or in search of the large dwelling run…

It’s necessary to play these balls even when they aren’t working. It prevents you from turning into one dimensional and retains the protection on their toes. Eventually certainly one of them will work and that’s all you want. Typically that ball hasn’t been performed, and when the ball is constantly not performed the forwards cease making these runs. This is a brand new dimension that Alex Telles brings to the squad.

Matić particularly is a participant to be highlighted. Brent, our Busby Babe editor, identified on Monday how Matic is the residing embodiment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United and that couldn’t be extra true on Saturday. He wasn’t actively bad, as in, he wasn’t making errors that have been hurting United, but he wasn’t on the highest of his recreation both. He was lacking passes that he’s able to making. You know he’s higher than this.

Matić tried 90 passes on Saturday, 67 of which have been ahead. United’s midfield has been far too passive this season. On Saturday each time Matić received the ball it appeared like he needed to go ahead with it. That mentality is necessary as a result of finally the gamers will spherical into kind and their passing will stand up to the anticipated degree. These are the passes you need them making.

Matić’s ahead passing was contagious as even Fred was getting in on the act.

Matić’s kind is paramount to United, particularly relating to beating groups like West Brom. His 0.48 xG Buildup per 90 leads the crew and is miles forward of any of United’s different central midfielders (McTominay 0.22, Pogba 0.18, Fred 0.18). In different phrases, when Matić is concerned possessions are ending in pictures much more typically than any of United’s different midfielders.

As good as Matić appeared, he’s not fairly there but defensively. As evidenced right here.

Why the hell are you (nonetheless) urgent so excessive up the pitch? This wasn’t the one time Matić ventured that top but why are you even up there? That’s not the place you need to be.

When he will get the defensive facet of his recreation in line, United might be extra comfortably in a position to slot in a extra attacking participant like Paul Pogba or Donny van de Beek subsequent to him to make them much more attacking.

The greatest optimistic from this recreation although was the truth that they gained it. United had 64 p.c of the possession. Look at the place this recreation was performed.

Nearly the complete recreation is performed in West Brom’s finish. A yr in the past this was a recreation that United dropped factors in. This yr they discovered a solution to take all three.

And don’t overlook Sam Johnstone. I’m positive that record of goalkeepers names originally of the article made you shudder as you remembered an entire bunch of video games that United dominated just for it to finish 1-1 or 0-0. Johnstone did precisely that on Saturday. United’s publish shot anticipated targets was 3.1! But they discovered a solution to win.

United did get bailed out by a positive penalty resolution (once more) but it wasn’t like they weren’t due. Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over United have averaged a penalty as soon as each three and a half video games in all competitions. Their final penalty got here on the finish of the RB Leipzig match, three video games and 56 minutes earlier than the penalty towards West Brom. You can’t get a lot nearer to 3 and a half video games than that.

I’d be mendacity if I mentioned it wasn’t a priority that United as soon as once more wanted a penalty to win, but on the entire that efficiency was good. Strip the penalty out and United nonetheless managed 16 pictures with an xG of 1.67. That’s their greatest non-penalty xG output in a match with out Paul Pogba because the Manchester Derby again in March.

They created plenty of good probabilities, they simply did this.

And this…

Overall? It’s not bad! They performed the best way Solskjaer desires them to play: organized on the again, fast ahead passes, all the time seeking to assault, and had their highest artistic output of the season regardless of having a crew comprised of gamers who’re all at a person degree off form. If they’re doing this once they’re not on it, simply think about what they’ll do when they’re.

Repeat that efficiency a number of instances and also you’re more likely to win much more typically than you gained’t.

Coming off a world break, the place the crew didn’t actually have a full coaching session with the complete squad that’s not one thing to scoff at. It’s a optimistic that may be constructed on.