Talking Tactics: Manchester United’s wing-play conundrum

Defensive Woes: The Impact.

With the wide men hugging the touchline, the 2 men in the middle become outnumbered against most of the opposition. With Carrick and Cleverley/Anderson/Fellaini not renowned for bombing forward the gap between the midfield and attack becomes huge which results in Wayne Rooney dropping much deeper than required to collect the ball and influence games.

The Solution (4-2-3-1): Allow the wide men to come infield to support the midfield and the forwards:

Nani looked a breath of fresh air when he came on against Liverpool and there is always a hint of unpredictability about him. He performs 4.3 successful dribbles, 1.3 successful crosses, 2.3 shots and 1.7 key passes per game which makes him United’s best winger. He may get dispossessed more often than the others but that is majorly due to the fact that he is a risk taker and wants to make something happen.

Januzaj who scored a brace on his debut against Sunderland certainly looks to have a goal in him. He is more of a false winger as he loves to drift infield and have a go at goal. He may not have provided the crosses from the left flank but he allows Evra to bomb forward by coming infield and providing the link between the midfield and the attack.

Nani vs West Brom:

Starting from wide right, Nani has license to roam into spaces infield to provide the required creative spark. He had 8 successful take ons and 2 key passes against West Brom. Based on his heat map we can conclude that he spent equal amount of time out wide on the right and in the number 10 position.

Januzaj vs Sunderland:

Januzaj completed 32 of his 38 passes against Sunderland performing 5 successful take ons in the process. He drifted infield when ever given the opportunity and linked up with the front men and helped Manchester United outnumber Sunderland in the center of the park.

As we can clearly see, both Nani and Januzaj provide fluidity to United’s attacking play. They along with Rooney who starts as a Number 10 are capable of interchanging positions.

With the wingers drifting infield it allows the fullbacks to push on to provide the width and also prevents Manchester United’s midfield duo from getting outnumbered in the middle of the park.