Manchester United adopt FIFA tactic to stop Swansea free-kick and fail miserably

TV screengrab showing Ander Herrera deserting his post guarding duties against Swansea City

What’s the story?

Manchester United succumbed to yet another draw over the weekend as Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson bent a free-kick over the wall and just inside David de Gea’s post to put the Swans on par, further denting United’s chances of making it to the Premier League top four.

Before the free-kick was taken, Manchester United’s Ander Herrera was seen doing something bizarre. The midfielder ran to de Gea’s outer post in an attempt to unnerve Sigurdsson and then for some unexplainable reason, ran back to rejoin the wall, allowing the Icelander to place the free-kick right on the spot Herrera was protecting just a few seconds ago.

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In case you didn’t know...

Manchester United are unbeaten in the Premier League since October but that is not visible in their position on the league table as they are still struggling to make it to the Champions League spots.

The Red Devils endured yet another frustrating day at the office as Swansea became the latest team to dent their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League by holding them to a 1-1 draw.

The heart of the matter

In a tactic that is the source of a lot of frustration on FIFA, a man is placed on the goalkeeper’s far post in order to dissuade the free-kick taker from aiming for that post. As soon as the dead ball specialist starts his run up, the man guarding the post is brought forward in an attempt to block what could be a shot after a layoff.

In the game against Swansea, Herrera was guilty of trying such a trick and would have, in all likelihood, received plaudits for this move had he been successful in putting the Icelander off. However, Sigurdsson, who remained unfazed, stepped up and curled one in past de Gea.

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Author’s Take

Herrera’s attempt to outsmart Sigurdsson was perhaps a little too cute considering that the seasoned pro that Sigurdson is, would have seen such tactics in the past. That said, it was an admirable attempt that showed proactive thinking and would’ve garnered plaudits had it been fruitful.

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