Manchester United: The Pressing Problem

As the dust settled on Manchester United’s disastrous European sojourn last March and they unceremoniously exited the Europa League at the hands of an effervescent Bilbao side, many United fans and neutral observers wondered what this meant in the larger context for United. Did it show an organic deficiency in the side which had led to the consistent ineffectiveness on the European stage over 6 months or was it just a one-off shock season?

The answers have not yet been provided with finality this season, because of the easily negotiable group stage. But as the spectre looms large over United’s first real European test of the season, the blockbuster match against none other than Real Madrid, there are one or two indicators that may have been provided by Mauricio Pochettino and his team when Southampton visited Old Trafford on the 30th of January. This match is a cause of concern not because Southampton’s quality is close to European competition, but because their style is reflective of the pressing and quick passing game which troubled United last season.

It is to be noted that Pochettino is a protégée of Marcelo Bielsa, the eccentric but brilliant coach of the Athletic Bilbao side who dismantled United with such devastating effect. Immediately after taking charge of the club, in a continuation of his ideology at Espanyol, he has set them out in a high-pressing, energetic style which reaped immediate dividends against Everton, as they harried the in-form Merseysiders to a goalless draw.

Despite the opening goal against them coming right in the 3^rd minute of the match, United controlled the ball and the match for the first 30 minutes, the fluid and interchangeable combinations of Kagawa, Rooney and Van Persie pinning the Saints back and exploiting their leaky defence to score 2 goals to give United a seemingly comfortable lead. But the 2^nd half was to be a completely different story, as substitutions by the So’ton coach turned the game on its head.

All of a sudden, hordes of yellow and blue were all over the United players, snapping at their heels to get the ball back. Lowly Southampton were given the freedom of the Old Trafford pitch and they proceeded to retain possession comfortably, fashioning a few chances and were unfortunate not to get a point from the game. Such was Ferguson’s discomfort that he was forced to bring on Ferdinand, who came on as a substitute for only the 4^th time in his 11 year United career, and move Jones into central midfield in place of the ineffectual Anderson.

The uncomfortable comparisons to last season’s European debacles come not so much from United’s sloppy possession play in this game, which is a lesser worry considering the club’s generally high standards of ball retention. Even in the first half hour, they stitched together some good passing moves and some of the attacking play was simply beautiful to watch. The unbalanced wings in this match necessitated by the poor form and injuries to the wingers, especially on the right with Welbeck continually dropping inside, meant that there was often no outlet on the wings when bringing the ball out from the back and passing moves broke down regularly on that flank.

Kagawa, although impressive from an inside left position, switched to the right in the second half and was anonymous. It is imperative that the wingers, especially Valencia, get back their form and fitness so that balance is restored to the team. Southampton also rightly realized the influence of Carrick this season in dictating play from deep and got really close to him in the second period, resulting in unusual sloppiness on his part.

The main worry is the team’s inability, especially when in the lead, to press the opposition constantly without the ball and work to get the ball back. Anderson was virtually invisible, the ball being passed around him with ease. Although he has been effective with the ball at his feet this season, the rate of his interceptions and successful tackles has been poor. Michael Carrick, it must be said, has been one of United’s best players this season, but a lack of power to bully attackers hinders him, a problem which affects Cleverley as well.

This problem has been well documented, but teams without much physical power still make an impact by closing down spaces and options quickly, a tactic which sides like Dortmund and Shakthar Donetsk have applied to great effect this season. There has been a general tendency in the defence to sit too far back without possession, increasing open spaces for teams to run into or get shots away from.

There have been quite a few instances in recent weeks when United have sat on their leads and have not tried enough or been incapable of changing the tide once it begins to turn against them, as reflected by the inexplicable ending to the Liverpool match, conceding the advantage to West Ham in the first leg of the FA Cup and most notably at White Hart Lane, when 2 points were lost in the final minute of the game amid a second half onslaught on United’s goal. What this shows is a lack of killer instinct to finish teams off, but worryingly also a lack of force and power in the centre of midfield to bully teams into submission, a weakness which has been overlooked by the manager in successive transfer windows.

Looking forward to the encounter against Madrid, Real seemed to have turned a corner recently, with respect to their on-field performances, with a drubbing of Getafe followed by a good performance against Barcelona in the Copa Del Ray, in which they exhibited the energetic pressing game, play-breaking ability and good passing so missing in United’s last home game.

But predicting which Madrid is going to turn up in the La Liga has become akin to predicting the weather on a sunny September morning in Colombo, as demonstrated by their abjectness against Granada this weekend. Even though it is clear that Madrid are treating the La Liga as an optional training session, the Champions League will be their last chance to salvage something from this season, so we can expect to see the side which swept all before it to win the La Liga last season. The tactical master that is Mourinho will not have failed to notice United’s weaknesses and will definitely look to exploit them.

This is not to say that all is bleak and ominous for the Red Devils. All said and done, United lead the table by nine points with a staggering points tally for this stage of the season, have a lot to play for in the FA Cup and have qualified top of their group in the Champions League. They have a unique resilience in coming back from behind or securing wins, which is their greatest strength. The quality and menace which this United attack holds is evident and the strike force led by the talismanic Van Persie is definitely among the best on the continent.

Wayne Rooney is in one of his typical goal bursts, which cannot have come at a better time. There have been signs of an effective axis forming in midfield between Carrick and Cleverley or Anderson. The full backs Rafael and Evra have defended competently and provided a cutting edge in attack. The defensive blunders or in Ferguson’s words, “Cartoon Cavalcade”, have also reduced considerably in recent games. But the question raised is about United’s ability off the ball, their inability to take a firm grip of games and dictate play consistently, which may go unpunished in the Premier League, but will be ruthlessly exposed by the top sides in Europe.

Judgement on how far United have come since last season will have to wait till the clash against Madrid. Their explosive ability in attack should keep them in the hunt, but the vulnerability shown against the Saints and other teams this season is indicative of some fragility. If United are able to maintain their intensity and shape higher up the pitch over the 180 minutes against Madrid, we might get to see the cracking and entertaining contest that everyone expects and is waiting to see.