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Manchester United travel to Paris to face Paris Saint-Germain in a game on Wednesday that could define their season. The task at hand is not simple - an away win by 2 goals or more. Nothing less than that or else, United will be out of Champions League. The fact that they have to score those two goals against a side as lethal as the French Champions makes matters quite complicated.
United lost the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie 2-0 at home. It was an uninspired performance form the home team, and by the final whistle, Pogba's red card made matters a lot worse. The Frenchman, arguably United's talisman since Solskjaer took over, is now suspended for the match, and his absence could cost United.
To make matter worse, injuries to key players - Martial, Lingard, Herrera and Matic means that United will be without 5 of their first team players. While the combination of injuries and suspension will hurt United, Solskjaer is not someone who backs away from a new challenge.
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The Norwegian has grown up steeped in the never say die attitude of Sir Alex Ferguson and as such, he will have a plan with the men at his disposal. Today, we look at 5 tactics that Solskjaer could use to churn up another comeback for United this season.
#5 Switching to a back 3
In the home game, the United defense failed to deal with the pace and power of the PSG attack. Di Maria and Mbappe ran riot, while United also had to pay for loss of concentration during set pieces. Solskjaer must have duly noted this and will have a plan to counter this on Wednesday. The first step towards that could be a back 3.
Against Southampton over the weekend, Solskjaer shifted to a back three of Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof in the second half. It opened up the game and helped United stage a fantastic comeback. It could be a sign of things to come from Ole in midweek, because a back three could help United counter PSG's tactics.
Tuchel used the same tactics to unsettle a very fast and fluid United side and there's no reason why Ole cannot give his opponents a taste of their own medicine. The extra man in defense will help bring a calm against a very fast attacking force, while Victor Lindelof's ball playing abilities could be key to breaking down the PSG defense.
#4 Wing Play
Amid all the injuries that have reduced Manchester United to a mini hospital, the emergence of young Diogo Dalot has been a source of optimism. The Portuguese was key to the fabulous come back against Southampton on Saturday, charging up United as soon as he stepped on the field. What caught everyone's attention was his movement and performance on the right, an area that has been United's bane this season. If he can repeat his performance against PSG, it could do wonders for the Red Devils.
Dalot's speed and crossing ability through the right could trouble PSG and with Luke Shaw to the fray will probably make things pretty interesting. Manchester United's two young full-backs could be key to United getting back into the tie at Paris. Shaw has been fantastic of late and he has mixed defensive solidity with his attacking prowess exceedingly well. If he and Dalot find a little rhythm and manage to run at the PSG defence, United could find a breakthrough easier than they envision.
#3 Adapting in the midfield
Solskjaer lost the midfield battle against PSG and in doing so, the team lost the game. Pogba was marked out during the game, while Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic had their hands full trying to cope up with the attacking threat of the French Champions. The Norwegian must have learnt a big lesson on the night and it remains to be seen how he reacts at Paris.
He would know that he could not afford to lose another midfield battle, but the injuries to Herrera and Matic and Pogba's suspension almost closes the door. However, Solskjaer is not the one to cry over split milk and as such, he will have a plan.
Since taking over, he has successfully implemented a midfield diamond system and also a false 9, both of which have been effective against stronger oppositions. The absence of key personnel does jeopardize his plans, but not all hope is lost. The Norwegian still has the men who can pull it off.
Perhaps the most probable midfield team which will play would be the trio of McTominay, Pereira and Fred. While McTominay and Fred could sit deep, Pereira could operate as the false 9 or at the tip of a modified Diamond. Pereira's strong passing and finishing abilities, coupled with the speed of the front men and wingbacks ahead of him, could cause the PSG defence quite a few problems.
#2 Counter Attacking Football
Against PSG, Manchester United's departure from a pressing, counter-attacking brand of football had cost them the game. United failed to keep up the initial tempo and rarely caused PSG any problems in the final third. Solskjaer will be desperate to change this at Paris in midweek.
When United implement a fast, fluid style of play built on counter attacks, they look unstoppable. Much of the success Solskjaer has achieved in his short time at United has been because he stayed true to the style that is perhaps rooted in United's history. It is this brand of exciting football that needs to make a comeback on Wednesday.
Solskjaer could set his team up to counter-attack, and with the speed in his team right now, despite the injuries, he could still hurt PSG. He will look to close down the French Champions every time they have the ball and will instruct his players to deny them any space or time with the ball.
United have found a lot of joy away against big teams in the Premier League as well as the FA Cup ever since Solskjaer took over, by following these tactics. If the Red Devils stay true to their pressing, counter-attacking football, PSG could be in for some trouble.
#1 Lukaku as the Focal point of attack
Romelu Lukaku is in scintillating form right now. Everything he touches turns to gold and this is the reason why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as well as every United fan, deserves to be optimistic.
The Belgian has a fantastic combination of speed and power that can unsettle even the best of defense. Putting his physique in the mix makes things very interesting, but of late, Lukaku has fiercely improved his finishing abilities and has displayed a knack for goals that has won him a million more fans.
The United No. 9 is coming into this game on the back of two morale boosting goal scoring exploits. Lukaku scored four goals in his last two games - a brace each against Crystal Palace and Southampton. In both these games, he was the prime source of inspiration for his team and as such, he has to start through the middle against PSG.
A two point attack of Lukaku and Rashford could also work well. If United want to win this game, they need to put pressure on the PSG backline to the point of breakdown and Lukaku is perhaps their safest bet at that.
