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Manchester United lost to PSG in midweek in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie. The Premier League giants let in two goals and now face a herculean task in the away leg.
However, before he embarks on the trip to Paris at the start of March for the return leg, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be extremely worried about the two games up ahead right now. Apart from the loss on Tuesday night, 2 separate incidents in the first half of the game might define United's season at present.
Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard both picked up injuries in the first half of the game against PSG and had to be replaced. Their departure, in a way, crippled Manchester United, who lost their potency in attack. Now, Solskjaer has confirmed that the two men will miss as much as 3 weeks due to injury and the timing of the injuries will have Solskjaer shaking his head in disbelief.
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Manchester United face Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday, before they welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford next Sunday. Solskjaer would have liked his preferred front three to be available for both those games, but the Norwegian's luck seems to be eluding him right now.
Without Martial and Lingard, United have struggled to adapt to Solskjaer's tactics. However, now that neither of them will be available for two crucial games against tough opposition, the Norwegian will have to adapt and improvise to get the results. As such, today, we take a look at the 5 ways Solskjaer could set United up in the absence of Martial and Lingard.
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#5 Change in Formation
Solskjaer has always opted for the attacking 4-3-3, which was heavily dependent on a fluid front three. Martial, Lingard and Rashford worked very well together and had built a fantastic understanding of each other's movements. As such, in the absence of Martial and Lingard, the Norwegian could opt for a change in formation and this could actually work for him.
Against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Manchester United will rely on their counter-attacking speed to break down a Chelsea side who have a point to prove. Solskjaer could very well opt for a 3 man defense, with 2 wingbacks. Dalot and Shaw have already shown that they have the abilities to cause the opposing defense a lot of headaches and they could be used in tandem by the Norwegian.
Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic could anchor the midfield, while Pogba continues in his free role. Up front, Lukaku's power combined with Rashford's speed could trouble Chelsea's shaky defense.
#4 Bringing in the young blood
Solskjaer has already confirmed that he had teenage striker Mason Greenwood in his mind for the tie, but the youngster will miss the game due to injury. Greenwood has already scored 26 goals from 24 games so far in the junior teams, and is in blistering form this season.
The Norwegian does have a few more options from the academy. Teenage sensations Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong have been with the first team for the past few weeks and have also trained with the big boys. Gomes had a run out against Huddersfield in December, playing from the left side for 9 minutes at the end of the game. Chong came on in the 77th minute in the game against Reading in the FA Cup.
As such, Solskjaer could opt for a very young forward line, with either of Gomes or Chong partnering Rashford in attack, however, the selection of the teenagers in such crunch games does have a degree of risk. On the other hand, the move could also turn out to be a Solskjaer masterstroke.
#3 Pushing Pogba forward
There is no denying that Paul Pogba will be a huge miss in the return leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie at Paris. The Frenchman received his marching orders after picking up his second yellow of the night and is suspended for the game in early March. He is the heartbeat of this team and as such, in midst of an injury crisis, Solskjaer could ask his talisman to shoulder added responsibilities.
With no Martial or Lingard in the team, Paul Pogba could be pushed forward by his manager, to play either in the No. 10 role with Lukaku and Rashford ahead of him, or as a wide striker on either side of Rashford. Ideally, the Frenchman has the abilities to carry out both roles with ease, but without him in the middle, Manchester United will need another creative outlet.
Juan Mata or Andreas Pereira both have the creative eye to pick a pass, and if Pogba does move forward, Solskjaer could opt for one of those two to carry out the Pogba role. The Norwegian could also go for McTominay or Fred to play alongside Matic and give Herrera a little more creative license. However, it would be a huge risk against both Chelsea and Liverpool's speed of play.
#2 False 9
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has used the false 9 brilliantly in his short tenure as the Manchester United manager. Jesse Lingard was put in the middle as the central striker with Rashford and Martial either side of him.
However, as the game progressed, it was seen that Lingard had withdrawn into almost an attacking midfielder role and Martial and Rashford had narrowed inside to create a dual attacking outlet. But with both Martial and Lingard injured, carrying out this formation will be a little tough.
Sanchez has been tried out wide on quite a few occasions and has failed to impress. Solskjaer could instead opt for him through the middle, with Rashford and Lukaku running the flanks. The Chilean's workrate would be vital in the role and his speed in the counter would work extremely well.
However, Sanchez's poor form and tendency to lose the ball could hurt United, who would require their No. 7 to initiate the counters and feed Lukaku and Rashford continuously.
#1 Attacking 4-3-3 with Lukaku and Sanchez
Perhaps Solskjaer's safest bet would be continuing his same formation, with an enforced change in personnel. He would, thus, continue with the same attacking 4-3-3 formation that has brought him astonishing success so far, however, he will need the replacements to click perfectly to break down two of the best teams in the Premier League.
Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku are the Norwegian's best alternatives to carry out the duties of his missing men, yet neither of them has looked too comfortable in the wide roles. Moving the in-form Marcus Rashford away from the central role is out of the question too and as such, Solskjaer will have to improvise and give his men strict instructions to carry out a well-defined plan.
It is surprising that Alexis Sanchez has not been better in Solskjaer's offensive system, but the Chilean is guilty of trying too hard. Lukaku, on the other hand, has the small problem of an awkward first touch. Yet, with the correct organization and training, the two men could prove to be Solskjaer's masterstrokes in the coming weeks.
