The new look Manchester United: A Tactical Overview

Manchester United fans have many reasons to be optimistic about this season. Robin van Persie introduced himself to the Old Trafford faithful with a sumptuous goal against Fulham. Shinji Kagawa seems to be settling in extremely well and his quick, clever link up play is a joy to behold.

Rooney’s injury may have been considered catastrophic last season, but with the attacking options Ferguson has at his disposal now, it is merely an inconvenience.

Robin van Persie scoring against Fulham at Old Trafford

But with this new found (or rather, newly recovered) attacking flair, comes a need for pragmatism. As was the case in the excellent start last season, United seem susceptible to counter attacks and seem to be lacking muscle in midfield. Tom Cleverley, while the most promising player to come out of the United setup since the famous Class of 92, is not strong defensively. He is often bypassed easily and lacks positional awareness at this early stage in his career. Another parallel from the early weeks of last season is the absence of Carrick from central midfield. United fans must hope for a swift return to fitness for either Ferdinand or Evans, because the stability Carrick provides to the United midfield is being sorely missed at the present juncture.

Let’s have a look at the United team which started the loss against Everton.

It is only after the signing of Kagawa that Manchester United have started employing a 4-2-3-1 system. Scholes and Cleverley formed the double pivot against Everton, with Welbeck and Nani out wide and Rooney up front, in an extremely attacking setup. Assuming that Carrick would eventually move forward into midfield after United’s defensive woes ease up, this leaves United with a potential front six of Rooney, Kagawa, Nani, Welbeck, Cleverley and Carrick.

The beauty of the 4-2-3-1 formation is that the presence of two deep lying midfielders allows the other four players to express themselves without abandon. Let us have a look at the 4-2-3-1 employed week in, week out by Real Madrid.

The front four of Benzema/Higuain, Ronaldo, Di Maria and Ozil can rest easy in the knowledge that they don’t need to track back as Alonso and Khedira are there, covering for them. It is not uncommon to see the two of them moving towards the wing if the need arises. Compare this with the Manchester United front six (including Carrick), and there is an obvious lack of a player like Khedira and hence, Manchester United run the risk of being overrun in this area. Cleverley, for the reasons mentioned above, is not an ideal candidate.

This is where Manchester United have missed Darren Fletcher. His tackling, work rate and determination have seen him turn in some very impressive performances for United over the past few years. He possesses the necessary discipline and drive to excel in the role that Khedira plays so efficiently for Real Madrid. Although firmly on the road to recovery, he is reported to have lost quite a bit of weight over the past year. Such a serious illness takes a huge toll on a person’s body, and since his game revolves so much around his physicality, it remains to be seen whether he can achieve the heights of 2008.

Another player who could fill this role is Anderson. So much was expected of him when he moved to United in the summer of 2007, but he has so far failed to live up to his potential. He has shown glimpses of the player he can be, but his time at United has been interrupted by a series of niggling injuries. If he can keep himself fit and nail down a place in the starting XI, he could form the ideal double pivot along with Carrick.

An alternate option would be to push the wide players back. This would allow Cleverley the freedom to be more involved in the build up play, and play the incisive first touch passing game he is so good at, higher up the pitch. But this represents a problem for Ferguson. Nani is not a player known for his tracking back qualities and players like Welbeck and Rooney might be eager enough to track back, but it is not their natural tendency and they’re not entirely comfortable doing so. Besides, there exists an argument that it is a waste of their talent to play them in that position, and it should be done only when absolutely necessary.

It is possible that Ferguson realized this after the Everton game and therefore, started with more conventional wide players in Valencia and Young. The line up against Fulham resembled a 4-4-1-1 (rather than a 4-2-3-1), with Valencia and Young helping out the full backs, as and when necessary.

One of the biggest challenges Ferguson is now facing is to build a team in which Rooney, Kagawa, van Persie and Cleverley can flourish at the same time, while allowing for a defensive solidity which will be extremely necessary against the big sides, especially when European football comes calling.

To play a 4-2-3-1 resembling that of Real Madrid or the German national side, a more combative foil for Carrick is needed. On the other hand, playing Cleverley as a deep lying midfielder would mean benching either Rooney or van Persie. Neither is a particularly attractive option, but if someone can come up with a way to make it work, it is Ferguson.

Alternatively, a 3-man defense or a midfield diamond could be looked at to accommodate all four.

This 3-5-2 formation is similar to the one Italy used to great success in the Euros. Although Balotelli ended up hogging the headlines (and the internet verse), it was Pirlo who was the star of the show. He sat in front of the back four, instigating attacks from a deep position and generally showing a quality of distribution that has rarely been seen in major tournaments. It could be argued that the 3-5-2 brings the best out of deep lying playmakers (like Pirlo and Xabi Alonso) and such a system could transform the perennially underrated Michael Carrick from an intelligent and efficient player into a world beater.

The down side of this system is that the role of the wide players is somewhat diminished. A similar drawback exists with the midfield diamond. Ferguson’s teams have historically had great wingers and marauding full backs, and are generally very strong down the wings. This strength is something he would be loath to give up.

Rooney’s injury may have made matters ‘easier’ for Ferguson in the short term, but this problem will rear its not-so-ugly head again next month.