Is this Fergie's new European formation?

The biggest criticism of the Manchester United team of Sir Alex Ferguson in the last three years, has been the absence of a combative, driving force in midfield. The criticism that began with United’s 2009 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final, gained force with every subsequent United loss in which the team failed to get control of the midfield. Among these defeats were the 2011 Champions League final against Barcelona, losses home and away to Manchester City in the 2011-12 Premier League season, and the draws and the defeat that led to United’s exit from the Champions League at the group stage last season. In a previous article, I had examined the changing roles of United’s central midfielders. In this article, the attempt is to examine if Ferguson is turning to a new formation and new tactics to solve the conundrum of how to dominate the midfield, especially in Europe.

The Cluj Game

Manchester United’s starting lineup vs CFR Cluj, 2 October 2012

Let us start with the team that Ferguson opted for in the last Champions League game versus CFR Cluj. In this game, Ferguson opted for the diamond formation with Wayne Rooney at the attacking tip, and Darren Fletcher at the base. Tom Cleverley and Anderson were the other two midfielders on the side of the diamond. The most interesting consequence of this choice was the lack of wingers, and the resulting lack of width in United’s play. This was a departure from the last 25 years of Ferguson’s tactics at United, where attacking and aggressive wing play has been a huge part of the team’s success.

The Positives: Control, Defense through the middle

It is a well-known fact that Ferguson craves control in European games, and the midfield is the biggest factor behind any team’s ability to control possession in football. In United’s run to the final in 2010-11, United enjoyed more possession of the ball in 9 out of their 13 games (the exceptions being the away game to Chelsea, and the games against Valencia and Barcelona). Except for the final against Barcelona where they had merely 32% possession, they did not have less than 45% of the ball in any other game. Obviously, Ferguson (and the rest of footballing community) equates more possession to the opportunity to create more goal-scoring chances, and United’s set up in this game allowed them to keep the ball well in midfield. This was further demonstrated by their 73% possession in the game, and the fact that they completed 784 out of 849 attempted passes. All three central midfielders attempted more than 100 passes, indicating that they were involved in much of the play. In addition, Wayne Rooney in his role at the attacking tip of the diamond, was more involved in the build-up play, as he enjoyed a free role on the pitch.

The play of Cleverley, Anderson, and Fletcher enabled the following three things for United: First, it allowed Rooney to be our playmaker, without him having to worry about his defensive duties. Fletcher sat right in front of the centre-back pairing, providing them protection, and ensuring that none of Cluj’s attacks came through the middle. His deep position also saved United from being exposed to pacy counter-attacks through the middle, like the ones seen in the game against Tottenham. Fletcher’s presence also allowed Cleverley and Anderson to make forward runs to link up with the attack when necessary. This meant United had the bodies in the attacking third to play around the two deep banks of four that Cluj presented.

In short, the diamond in midfield, as well as the presence of two mobile midfielders in Cleverley and Anderson, allowed United to control the game and also provide support to the attack, without compromising the midfield’s defensive role. At their best, the combination which played against Cluj, could prove invaluable against opposition with strong, skilled midfields – the likes of which are more commonly seen in Europe.

The Negatives: Lack of penetration, Exposed full-backs

On the flip side, the limitations of the diamond were also brought to the fore in this game. This was never more apparent than the first half hour of the match, when Cluj posed a greater offensive threat from the wing. The absence of wingers, and the narrowness of the midfield meant that the United fullbacks were too often isolated against the Cluj wingers. This isolation exposed the deficiencies in our fullback’s positioning, especially that of Evra on the left wing. It was no surprise then that Cluj scored their opener through a cross from Evra’s side. In addition, the lack of width seemed alien to most United players in the beginning, and this led to a rather disjointed display as they struggled to break down the Cluj defense through the middle. Things changed after 23 minutes of the match, as the dangerous Sougou went off due to injury. This limited the offensive threat Cluj posed, and allowed the United fullbacks to make forward runs to support the attack and provide width. In addition, both Chicharito and van Persie, who were strangely muted in the first third of the game, began making wide runs into the channel, which allowed United to stretch the game further.

However, the better performance in the last sixty minutes still does not address the obvious limitations of the diamond. Especially against better teams, there will always be the issue of providing protection to the fullbacks. There would also be a heavy dependence on the fullbacks to provide the team with width – a not-so-comfortable notion considering the form that the most experienced fullback in the team (Evra) has shown.

Reading Too Much into a Forced Change?

Of course, there is always the possibility that Sir Alex was forced into the change because of the personnel he had at his disposal. Maybe he thought that Fletcher does not have the legs to play in a two-man midfield yet. In addition, Nani’s form has been pretty iffy, and he might not have had enough faith to play him. Also, since it was an away European game in an unknown place, it is possible he wanted solidity more than attacking flair. All these are possibilities, and it will be interesting to see if Fergie plays the same formation in future European games as well, especially against stronger teams that United might find themselves pitted against in the latter stages.