Manchester United 1-0 Inter Milan: 3 tactics Solskjaer used as United win again

Manchester United delivered another convincing performance against Inter Milan during their pre-season tour, beating the Italian giants 1-0 on the afternoon. Mason Greenwood scored the winning goal off the substitutes' bench for the Red Devils.

In the first-half, United showed great intensity and were dominating Inter in terms of both possession and chances created. Daniel James and Anthony Martial were guilty of missing easy opportunities, while Marcus Rashford was also very wasteful in the final third as they struggled to find the defining touch in the first-half.

After the break, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made 12 substitutions and Greenwood was the one to break the deadlock with a brilliant turn-and-finish. Tahith Chong picked up a knock and was replaced by fellow youngster Angel Gomes. It was a good workout in the end for Solskjaer's side against decent opposition and in this slideshow, we take a look at three tactics the Norwegian utilised that were visible throughout their win:

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#3 Formation: A fluid 4-2-3-1

Greenwood was an inspired substitute and scored the winner

Before pre-season began, most United supporters thought Solskjaer would prefer playing a traditional 4-3-3 but in their first three games, they have played in a fluid 4-2-3-1 system with a proper number ten and a winger either side.

The four in attack were very fluid, interchanging positions frequently throughout the match. In addition, the midfield pair have contrasting roles - while Paul Pogba was found creating further upfield, Nemanja Matic was disciplined in holding his position, sitting in-front of the two defenders.

In addition, both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw were bombing forward at every opportunity they got. So thus far, Ole has shown a willingness to set up an attacking unit rather than a conservative one.

#2 Pressing from the front and quick transitions

Pogba in action against Inter during their International Champions Cup win

The most visible change in United's playing style has been their pressing. Last season, it appeared disjointed and lacked cohesion. However in pre-season to date, that lack of cohesion is nowhere to be seen: they didn't allow Inter an opportunity to settle into the game, particularly in midfield battles.

Whenever Antonio Conte's men attempted to pass their way out of the back, United were all over them and forced them into relinquishing possession often in dangerous areas. Also, whenever United themselves lost the ball, they refused to drop off and invite pressure.

Instead, they were all pressing to win the ball back and caught Inter off-guard. Another thing that you can see is their quick transitions from defence to attack. The pace in that United attacking setup is frightening and whenever they won possession in their defensive third, the swarming red shirts were bombing forward in numbers to cause all sorts of problems for the Inter backline.

#1 A high defensive line and necessary tactical fouls

Victor Lindelof (left) in action battling for possession

Again, a big difference we are seeing in United's playing style is their high line. As previously mentioned, both fullbacks were essentially in the opposition box wherever possible in possession, allowing centre-back pairing Victor Lindelof and Axel Tuanzebe to lead a high line.

Whenever Inter got past the United press, Lindelof and Tuanzebe often committed cynical but clever fouls which allowed their teammates an opportunity to regain shape and form out of possession. This meant there was minimal space, if at all, for Inter to work with and naturally they struggled to get their attackers into the game.

Solskjaer doesn't want to allow opposition to dictate play, instead wanting his team to never let them off the hook. So far, players have done so brilliantly and their individual displays have been fairly impressive too.