Arsenal 0 – 0 Man Utd

A strict defensive display from a cautious United side earned an important away draw at the Emirates today. The goaltastic season didn’t live up to its expectations today with Clattenberg blowing the final whistle and the scores still unchanged.  Here are the stats and my observations from the game :

Moyes’ strategy this season has been confusing to say the least. The first few games when tactics were being changed as frequently as Messi scores most soccer analysts  were patient. It was a given,  he needed to try out different structures to find the right harmony for the best eleven.  A few injuries and results not going our way, Moyes immediately reverted to the offensive philosophy he knows best – overload the flanks and play it in for the striker.

An inspired performance from Liverpool mid-week exposing a weakness in Wenger’s men / boys must have prompted Moyes to change it up yet again today. The magic formula –  Go deep, intense pressure in the final defensive third  and attack with pace.

Defense : United defended deep, extremely deep in fact and in the process gave away quite a few freekicks around the box. The last line combined for a total of 7 blocked shots as well .  Although the team started with high intensity, the energy expending style of football soon cooled down at around the 20th minute mark.

Valencia provided good help to both Rafael and Smalling coming deep and forming the second bank of four with Carrick, Cleverley and Rooney / Mata. Learning from previous mistakes they provided absolutely no space for the gunners to play between the lines. It also must be acknowledged here that the team were great in making tackles near the flanks. They were intelligent in using the sideline to their advantage. Here are the tackles made today :

Arsenal were only getting clean looks from distance and very little penetration in possession was enjoyed. Most of the shots resulted in a deflection or a block. This created an intriguing chess match. Would Arsenal be able to afford their centre-mids to venture forward and make the run past Giroud ? Or was it too much of a risk to expose the defense to Rooney – Mata – RVP ? A man  advantage in either third would definitely change the dynamic of this tight tie instantaneously.

Wenger pinned Wilshere to stay put for the majority of the first half and allowed his offensive prowess to be on display much higher up the pitch more prominently during the second.  However it was a bit too late by then. United was going to take absolutely no risk and hung on for the draw.

On the defensive end of the field every box was ticked for the Red Devils.  Hardly anything could be done better against one of the most creative teams in the league.

Moving forward : Our biggest problem was when we needed to surge forward quickly with pace. Carrick and Cleverley’s performance highlights yet again the lack of a centre mid who can act as springboard for the team to attack. Carrick is the more deep lying of the two as the action areas below display :

Tom Cleverley is the one who essentially provides the impetus to transition from defense to offense :

A quick look at the teams on top of European football the aggressors in central midfield bring up the following names – Vidal / Pogba (Juventus), Ramires (Chelsea), Yaya Toure (Man City), Modric (Real Madrid).  We certainly don’t have anyone of that calibre. Cleverley is good and getting better every game especially on the defensive end but definitely needs to show more dynamism moving forward. Whether he’s afforded the time to develop that aspect of his game remains to be seen.

Carrick yet again had a fantastic game sitting right in front of the back four providing ample cover and reading the game to perfection. Carrick ends another important game with marvelous defensive stats of 5 interceptions and 2 tackles. The only area that could be asked for him to improve on would be a better final long ball to the attackers up front.

The impressive display by both teams to withdraw into a compact shape certainly made a nightmare for both Ozil and Mata. Both looked for space in all areas of the pitch but with limited success :

Juan Mata heat map :

With creativity in stalemate the standouts were most definitely the goalkeepers making incredible saves. De Gea looked composed and made two very good saves from Santi Cazorla. On the other end I almost started celebrating when I thought Van Persie would score only for the header to be deflected on to the bar.

Conclusion : Overall United fans should rejoice that over 180 minutes of football this season Arsenal were not able to break us down. 4 points from the two games is quite unprecedented given the circumstances. We should hope though that Moyes starts looking for a structure based on long term maneuvering for advantage rather than short term tactical adaptations.

 

 

Man Utd 2-2 Fulham

The overwhelming themes from this season could have not been epitomized better in today’s home fixture. United dropped two points unnecessarily. Given the opposition’s circumstances a win ought to have been a formality. Here are the stats and my observations :

A quick glance at the table above will give you all you need to know in case you missed the game.  75% possession with 31 chances created states the dominance exhibited by the Reds.

1) Crossing, Crossing and a bit more crossing : If you’ve been reading this blog you are well aware of my constant focus every game on the high number of ineffective crosses delivered. The 31 delivered against Chelsea felt pretty high to me; but today we took it to a whole new level — 81 in total with 46 in the first half. Only 18 made it to the target (22% accuracy).

Moyes so far has demonstrated his strict belief in an attacking philosophy with a heavy, heavy emphasis on overloading the wings. The team currently ranks #1 in crosses attempted in the league. Here’s a look at where the chances were created from :

Variety and the continuous search for attacking invention is what makes a team truly reach greatness. On the other end the struggling teams have a go-to sequence and try their utmost not to deviate from that formula. Think of relegation teams trying long balls to the target man.

Here are two situations where I am very confident a better ball over the top and a more direct run would have created a 1-1 with the keeper :

Both situations ended with Ashley Young coming out further wide and providing yet another cross.  The biggest advantage of playing with an inverted winger – a right footed left midfielder is the over the top ball – a famous Portuguese #7 exploited that for us and still continues to excel doing exactly that.

I couldn’t stress enough on the importance of transitional efficiency in today’s changing landscape of football tactics. The success of German teams with a focus of direct football is the prime example. Again I reiterate United ( a team known for quick counter attacks) have 0 goals on the counter this season.

2) The 6-2-2 Fulham formation : If we had a session scheduled specifically to practice breaking down teams that park the bus at Old Trafford, I believe we all should recommend it to be cancelled. The Red Devils had 90 mins of it today.  The action areas say it all :

52% in the final third is stat very new to me and under most circumstances it would have pleased the analytically inclined fans.  It was however a consequence of Fulham’s defensive structure.  Rene returned to his old home with a mission to try not concede and allow absolutely 0 middle penetration. Here’s a look at it :

In both theses situations You’ll find the wingers become wingbacks and the fullbacks tuck into the middle to provide no room through the last line – essentially becoming the 6. On top of that  the defensive mids (Sidwell and Kvist) come very deep – congesting the middle – and allowing no room for the attackers to exploit between the lines.  Add to that both Holty and Tankovic helped reduce the number of long range efforts from our central midfielders.

Meulensteen’s tactic worked incredibly well. His team formed a compact block in the middle and were prepared to deal with the inevitable crosses deploying 4 Centre backs.

3) Close Chances : The importance of luck sometimes is quite understated in football. United had a total of 7 chances from inside the 6 yard area. A ball being delivered an inch too far, Van Persie and Rooney being a millisecond too slow or fast to react, a shot hit straight to the keeper and the chances meant nothing.  Here are two clips showing exactly that :

Conclusion : Yet another disappointing result and Moyes was quick to admit that the problem is much bigger than his initial assessment. The pressure on the manager to deliver is getting to an all time high with a few in Old Trafford showing signs of frustration. Today’s game should give the backroom staff enough evidence of the theme this season – a lack of diversity in attacking tactics and poor transitional efficiency on both ends.

Players of the caliber that we possess should really be allowed to think for themselves. A basic set of tactical rules must only serve as a framework. Allowing the Rooneys, Van Persies and Matas the license to do as they please and thus developing a chemistry and instinct to know when to break rules. The freedom from sticking religiously to one single mode of offense can reestablish our prowess going forward.   Next up :  Arsenal.

Man Utd 2 – 0 Cardiff

Given the background of a transition period it was an impressive performance from the team today with an important Home win and a morale boosting clean sheet. RVP needed 5 mins on the pitch to show exactly how much the team missed him with a striker’s follow up. Ashley Young produced his best performance of the season so far. Here are the stats and my observations from the game :

1) The Mata Debut: United couldn’t wait to see how The Chosen Juan would fit in to the line-up. His debut left Old Trafford confident.

Although deployed today as a traditional #10, Mata roamed free across the pitch finding space between the lines and often dropping back to play a long ball forward. Here’s a look at his heat map :

Mata brings creativity where we lack it the most – Central Vertical Zone as previously mentioned on this article.  Today was no exception with the Spaniard creating 4 chances overall and all of them through the middle :

Mata at his brilliant best near the center of the pitch :

Mata completed his debut with an assist although Young deserves all the credit for the thunderous strike. Even though he didn’t play the full 90′ the ex-Chelsea man still managed to have the highest number of touches in the game.

2) Valencia with another poor performance: The former no. 7 was looking as though he played in a compartment of his own rather than in a symbiotic fusion with the rest of the team. Valencia twice was quite easily dispossessed opening up a chance for rare Cardiff attacks and was unable to put away a simple one-on-one situation with the keeper. Although he completed 1 of his 2 attempted crosses he wasn’t able to make his presence felt during a majority of the game.

Here his first touch lets him down and his inability with his left foot makes it a bit predictable :

3) Attacking down the left : United this season have been primarily dependent on the right wing to create chances. Mata’s left foot definitely had a say in the development today, distributing mostly to towards Evra and Young.  Here’s a look :

A comparison between the two fullbacks give an even better idea of how the team was able to change its focal point :

Evra was the stand out performer of the day. The Frenchman able to influence proceedings on both ends of the pitch. Ashley Young drifting inside allowed him to hug the touchline and make the overlaps he’s known for.

This clip from the 90th minute exemplifies our chosen side of attack :

Conclusion: Many of the questions from my preview  on Can They Score have definitely been affirmatively answered. The Red Devils with 17 shots in total out did their below potential average of 13.  Moyes did indicate that Mata would probably be deployed on the left wing – albeit with a license to drift inside. Having both Rooney and Mata with the ability to turn provider is a good problem to have rather than a major issue. The performance today will hopefully serve as a springboard for bigger and greater things to come. Next up : Stoke away !!

Man Utd 2 – 1 Sunderland*

An epic finale to a well contested game saw United crash out of the competition in the semi-finals today.  It probably was Moyes’ best chance of silverware this season. At the end of 120 minutes of football penalties were required to decide the tie and the men in Red just didn’t show the confidence from the spot missing all but one.

 

Here are the stats and my observations from the game :

 

 

1) The All Important Start : The Reds didn’t come out of the tunnel with the same enthusiasm and determination as they did last Sunday against Chelsea. An early goal was crucial to set the overall tone for the game. For the first twenty minutes however we really didn’t show purpose and lacked the killer instinct to level the aggregate score. The only standout moment for me, giving false hope was when Smalling turned libero and brought the ball up at the very beginning of the game :

 

 

2) Crossing let us down AGAIN ! : One of the characteristics of Moyes’ footballing identity is similar to previous eras at United – playing through the wings. A total of 31 crosses were attempted today. A bit higher from the 26 against Chelsea. My analysis of the crosses from that game would be the exact same today.Of the 31 only 4 were on target. And ALL 4 were by the same player – Adnan Januzaj.  Adnan yet again was the silver lining and the 18 year old had another exceptional game. He really could become one of the top players in the game consistently displaying attacking invention and an inexhaustible box of tricks.

 

 

3) Shinji substitution : The decision to take Shinji Kagawa out of the game on the hour mark baffled me quite a bit (Unless he’s not fit enough to go further). He was playing with a great deal of confidence and the second half uptempo transition game was exactly what suits him best. Throughout the first half Shinji was quite the handful and was effective in coming deep,  distributing the ball to start an attack.

 

 

4) Wasted Transition Opportunities : United historically have been great in their transitional efficiency. From defense to attack in a few seconds and the result would quite often be the ball at the back of the net. Unfortunately this season we are still to register a goal from a counter. Here are 5, yes 5 different chances we had on the break that we managed not to take advantage of  :

 

 

5) Maybe it was just luck : For all the analysis and all the stats sometimes it just comes down to factors that are beyond the control of the players – A deflection leading to a goal. Chelsea’s first goal last weekend was from a deflection of Micheal Carrick. Januzaj had the exact same shot from almost exactly the same spot and a deflection of a similar kind resulting in the ball going just wide for a corner. The first half miss from Darren Fletcher hitting the upright was quite unfortunate as well. And the only shot on target from the opposition was uncharacteristically missed by a keeper who’s been in superb form all season.

 

 

Conclusion : It was setup perfectly for what I can only describe as a United moment . A goal down from the first leg and the team taking the game to the very last second with a lot of drama. However the result was one that’s becoming a bit too familiar this season. Moyes displays great versatility in how the attacking players are used with an emphasis on overloading the wings but the team lack the belief that success brings. The Manchester United teams I’ve grown up with would risk losing the game but at the end become legends winning it at the very last second.

Chelsea 3-1 Man Utd

The 7th defeat of the season leaves the Red Devils with 14 points behind the top of the table and 6 points behind the crucial, well contested 4th spot. Here are my observations and stats from the game:

United were efficient keeping the ball 52% of the game; were playing attractive football with 84% passing rate, creating chances through the middle and doing their best to also put in 26 crosses into the box.

Along with the fact that they were the dominant side in the first ten minutes of the game they pretty much followed all the points mentioned in my keys to the game (Attack early, Dominate possession and play good football, defense being compact and organized, put crosses into the box).

The Attack :

Attack Early : During the first 10 mins : 1) Possession : 64% 2) Crosses delivered : 8 3) Passing completion 91% .

Crosses into the box : The only area where Chelsea lacked defensive efficiency was not blocking the crosses before they came into the danger zone. My example in the previous article was that of Hull putting in 26 crosses at the Bridge and to my astonishment United matched them with 26 of our own.

They weren’t all bad crosses either. I edited 7 different crosses from the game :

Crosses 2,7 were wayyy too deep to cause any danger at all. Rather putting the ball closer to the central striker would have caused more of a headache for Terry, Cahill and Cech. However, on that note for all of Danny Wellbecks scoring in the previous games (6 in 6) he isn’t in the mould of a Ruud Van Nistelrooy to be a goal poacher. That becomes very evident with the missed chances shown in the next video :

It was an intriguing chess match between the Chelsea CBs and Danny Wellbeck and the defenders definitely came out on top today.  Chicarito on the other hand is your typical fox in the box. If you put in a few good deliveries he’ll more likely than not try to get on the end of them. As he did while scoring our first goal at Stamford Bridge this year :

The Defense :

The first goal we conceded was a bit of bad defending and a lot of bad luck. Phil Jones definitely shouldn’t be beat so easily with the drop of a shoulder and for all the places to go the ball ended up in the far corner.

The second as well as the third were a lack of discipline in terms of covering dangerous areas right after a set piece. Especially the second where Eto’o finds himself alone for a simple finish. Eto’o gambles and reaches the ball before the defender and finishes off the play. Exactly what we were lacking on the other end.

However to take something positive out of the defensive performance we were able to form a compact block and didn’t commit out of structure for the likes of Oscar and Hazard to cause trouble running into space between the lines. Jones and especially Carrick were always in close proximity to the back four and restricted passing lanes causing 10 interceptions and 5 tackles between them. The dangerous top scorer on the opposition Hazard getting only a single shot the whole game.

The final third on both ends of the pitch were the issue today and everything leading up to the penalty boxes looked good. Its of course a bad result but there is significant improvement and I’m confident the progress will lead to good things if we are patient.

Chelsea Vs Man Utd – Preview

One of the most important games of the season for United as the Reds travel to Stamford Bridge. 11 points behind the leaders this maybe a crucial away game for our champions league spot and its no surprise Moyes was trying his utmost to have both Rooney and Robin Van Persie play in this game. Here are some interesting details about the tie :

(If you want to avoid the statistical preview go down to Keys to the game)

1) Home Form : Chelsea are in a great run of form winning their last 4 and undefeated in the last 6. They’ve also won their last 4 home games and haven’t lost at the Bridge this season. Based on home games alone Chelsea are ranked 2nd and have earned only two points less than City who rank 1 in the category. Here’s the Home only points table :

Chelsea conceded 8 times in their ten games so far.  They’ve also trailed only 11.3 min in their home games equalizing every single time they’ve been behind. Only once have they let the opponents lead at half time. Good news : They’ve given the lead to the opponent 4 times.

2) Away Form : United are better away this season than at home by the proverbial country mile. Based on away games alone we rank 3rd behind Arsenal and Tottenham. We are undefeated in our last 7 away matches and are currently in a 3 game winning streak. We also won 60% of our away fixtures. Here’s the Away points table :

United have scored 8 times to give us the lead away from home and 9 times to increase our lead or decrease the opponents lead.  Only twice have we allowed the home team to equalize.

 United’s Keys to the game :

 1) Score early !! An early goal always changes the game. Especially for United. United are one of two teams who haven’t lost when we’ve scored first this season. The other team is Aston Villa.

2) Try to play good football. United not only are visually great when they play with high intensity and are passing the ball well while dominating possession in the opponents half but we generally create much more chances when we do so.

3) Defense needs to be compact and organized as was the case with Swansea. Our Central Midfielders especially the old school tough Fletcher and wings (specifically the right) need to drop deep and make a second bank of four forming a compact block to stop Hazard (9 goals) and Oscar (6 goals) from causing havoc and creating chances through individual effort.

Basically let’s try to be the team in the picture on top :

Chelsea do try to score from afar and if our midfielders and defenders make it congested it’ll be very difficult for the home team to score :

 

4) Counter pressing and take advantage of Chelsea’s individual errors . Transitional efficiency needs to be a priority for us.  United uncharacteristically haven’t scored a single goal through counter attacks this season. A change in that statistic would be greatly appreciated when you have a look at 4 out of the 8 home goals conceded by Chelsea at home. Two are by the Central Midfielders being rushed to make bad back passes. If a team in this kind of form make mistakes – a loose touch, an under weighted pass or a player trying to dribble through in a congested area we definitely need to take advantage. The Aguero goal although not a counter comes from a swift play to quickly bring the ball out from the back and play an early through ball. And last and most importantly the Chamakh goal came from good counterpressing from Crystal Palace and winning the ball back in the opponents half. Here are the clips :

5) They allow a lot of crosses – Make it count. Amazingly enough Chelsea are not afraid of conceding crosses into the box at all, when you have mountains for Center Backs who are imperious in the air and can outmuscle and outposition most strikers in the league the strategy seems to be working. United on the other hand love to overload the flanks with the overlapping fullbacks, the wingers, the Centre mids moving to the flank and creating 3V2 situations. This statistically looks like a good fit for our offense to be at our devastating best. But if you aren’t being efficient and applying the finishing touch the crosses will mean very little. Here’s Chelsea allowing Hull to put in a total of 26 crosses :

We were able to show glimpses of good overlapping from our fullbacks to put in decent crosses into the area. This clip shows both fullbacks being influential with the wide mids dragging everyone inside :

Conclusion : By no means are we the favorites in this game but if we stick to a good strategy and with the hopeful return of both Rooney and Robin Van Persie there’s definitely a possibility that United can pull off an upset. The attacking invention on show from both sides will make it a great game to watch, however it could just be down to good managerial tactics and a few key battlegrounds. Can’t wait till Sunday to find out !!

Micheal Carrick and the United midfield :

After the analysis of the last game I realized the lack of offensive contribution and general attacking invention from the center of the field. Let’s have a more detailed look at the performance so far in the season for the players deployed in that position.

Here’s an overall view of the Central Midfielders :

	Tackles + Interceptions	Key Passes
Anderson	2.1	1
Darren Fletcher	1.8	0.5
Marouane Fellaini	3.8	0.1
Michael Carrick	5.2	1
Phil Jones	5	0.4
Ryan Giggs	1.8	0.8
Tom Cleverley	3.8	0.4

A good CM should be able to A)Read the play, Intercept the ball before the defense has to face a threat B) Quickly get back into a compact defensive shape and make the necessary tackle C) Consistently threaten the Central Vertical zone with an incisive pass and contribute to the attack.

As its evident from the chart above the only one coming through on both parts of the field is the 32 year Micheal Carrick. Defensively Phil Jones has matched Carrick’s contribution but isn’t really known for his vision or offensive mindset. Darren Fletcher with just 4 appearances this season is still not a 100% and I am more than certain will have better stats by the end of the season. Tom Cleverley surprising has been much better in defense this year as compared to last season but again his contributions in attack are minimal. Please don’t allow me to talk about Fellaini.

Next, Lets look at ball distribution and overall passing contribution :

And again we have Micheal Carrick. He averages more passes than everyone else as well as averaging 5.6 Long Balls a game having successfully completed 78/104 Long balls this season. Cleverley averages 4.4 Long Balls a game and around 58 passes.

Here are the rest of the numbers :

	Long Ball	Ave Passes/Game
Anderson	2.5	29.5
Darren Fletcher	2.8	38.5
Marouane Fellaini	2.8	44.4
Michael Carrick	5.6	68.1
Phil Jones	2.2	43
Ryan Giggs	0.7	24.8
Tom Cleverley	4.4	57.9

Interestingly enough Carrick also happens to be providing most of the key passes (total : 14) from the area we as a team lack chances created from. The Center of the field :

Conclusion : Carrick has been exceptional and thus leads the midfield crew in every department but definitely needs a more able partner to work with and form the piston (one goes up, the other comes down and covers). Fletcher is more than capable and if healthy can be the missing link we require. Elsewhere Tom Cleverley and Fellaini need to improve in attack and Phil Jones needs to go back to the center of defense where he feels most comfortable.

Man Utd 2 – 0 Swansea

The Reds returned to Premier League action and we welcomed Swansea at the Theater of Dreams. A superb overall performance with the team instructed to do exactly what was required to achieve what would be a comfortable victory at the end. Here are some observations from the game :

1) Good defensive structure : One of my biggest complains from the Sunderland game was the disjointed pressing (as described best by Jamie Adams) or what I prefer to call headless chicken running. This is usually a result of forwards trying to run at Centrebacks without any real triggers (e.g. a heavy touch, a bad pass) trying to force a mistake. What it does and what happened in the previous game was a lot of space for the opposition midfielders to cause damage. This however was not the case today. United played compact with great structure and allowed very little space between the  lines. Both our CentreMids – were deep when required and interchanged in attack with one dropping back providing balance and cover.

Space between defense and midfield :

Carrick stays just in front of the defense :

Counterpressing at its very best :

Good structure to win the ball in the opposition’s half :

Using the sideline :

Incredibly we kept it up all game.

2.) Playing through the middle : A concern on the offensive end was the inability of our side to play through the middle. Although penetration through the middle was never our greatest strength we always offered enough threat for the opposition to try to congest the middle and thus leaving enough room for the famous united wing play. Here’s a comparison of a few PL teams in terms of pitch area where chances have been created from :

If you add up the right most two blocks we are at 44.1% for this season :

City : 53.8%, Liverpool : 58.2% Chelsea : 54.4%, Everton : 47.5% Arsenal: 66.2%

Well maybe its just not out style. How was it last season :

Last season : 56.1% a difference of : 12% (that’s a huge drop-off)

Now lets have a look at today’s game :

Today : 63.7%

Statistically it seems beneficial to attack through the middle and the expected goals from chances created through the middle are much higher than anywhere else. On the football pitch, the more creative players you have in these areas the more goals you usually get. And as previously mentioned it also gives a lot of room for crosses to be put in from the wings as well.

Let’s be honest it looks good too :

Shinji enjoying the style of play :

And here’s a chance being opened up in the wing for a cross :

We need more of the same moving forward.

3.) Serbian? maybe, Croatian? maybe, Turkish? maybe, Albanian? could be, English or Belgian? possibly. Amazing ? DEFINITELY !!. The kid definitely has the potential to be one the finest footballers we’ve seen. He can pass, he can dribble, he’s got decent pace and a lethal left foot. A friend of mine, unfortunately an Arsenal fan, having a glimpse at his volleyed left footed goal once made the comment “OH wow , that looked like RVP!!”. I was just happy I wasn’t being biased in my observation. When asked once about how he chooses the winners at a young age Sir Alex said “I look for the kids who want to do it all, take the corner, take the freekick and control the game. That’s your winner” 

Let’s start with a freekick :

Now the pass :

The build up to the goal :

Here’s what the fans want to see :

Conclusion : There’s absolutely no doubt that we played much better than the last few games. A higher tempo definitely suited the team and we corrected our mistakes. However, was this counterpressing a tactical decision for this game alone ? or is it something we plan to pursue ? So far Moyes has been changing up our tactics depending on the opponent. You could say that’s great, we never really had a set strategy for the last two decades. The difference I say is that Sir Alex played with the strategy that suited the personnel (proactive) e.g. no real no. 9 when playing CR7, Rooney and Tevez up front. With Moyes it seems more reactive….it depends on what the opponent is able to do. Today we let them have possession , 61% of it but mostly in ineffectual areas resulting in 2 shots on target. What’s important though is to stand by the manager at this point and give him the time that’s required. Man Utd to me is more than establishing a brand of football – we aren’t known for tika taka, not for counter attacking, not for long balls to the big number 9 . Its more than that. Its about the ethos of the manager being reflected in the team – The heart, the passion, the grit, the determination and to never ever give up.

Sunderland 2 – 1 Man U

What’s with United teams and the first legs of League Cups ? We’ve always had bad results and that seems to be the only tradition carrying on. A fair result considering the lack of opportunities we created in the final third. Depending mostly on Januzaj and Giggs to create something the team ended up making only 4 shots on target. We still have the second leg and hopefully , hopefully , we “come back from behind” . A cliche I’d much rather be using. Overall a half decent performance from a depleted squad. Here are some interesting talking points from the game :

1) Trying to play a high pressure game? : As much as I love the idea of pressuring the centrebacks and fullbacks into making mistakes we really didn’t have the personnel to carry that out. Instead it led to Sunderland having numbers in the midfield and creating chances. Here are two such instances :

Giggs and Wellbeck here put pressure on the defensive line without any support from midfield :

Leads to Ki having acres of space in front of our deep Central Midfield :

And almost delivers a perfect ball over the top to the right :

Here’s the GIF :

That was scary, cause a few minutes later Ki found his man on the left side of midfield leading to a cross that almost found Fletcher on the back post.

Moyes for all the lack of results to back him up does have a great understanding of the game and is able to make subtle changes. I was hoping he’d realize trying to press with a 40yr old Giggs and a not so tactically aware Januzaj wasn’t the best idea. But no ; this continued :

Here Cleverley thinks its beneficial to leave space behind him, aid his friend Danny and go after the ball. By the way, Carrick is near the half way line at this point and the only midfielder in front of our defense.

One pass from the centreback who has ample time to pick out a player up front leads to a lay off from Fletcher to Ki  :

Ki brings the ball up all the way with Carrick and Valencia trying to narrow down the several short options Ki had at that point . All our players rushing back.  It was a 3 V 2 at that point :

 

Here’s the gif :

The whole move for Sunderland culminated with a cross from the left hand side, a clearance, a long shot blocked by Evra. Eventually we were given space to breathe when Borini fouls Evra.

Not sure what we were trying to achieve with that kind of pressing. Here’s a look at pressing at the elite level (No we are not there right now). Dortmund with their geggenpressing :

I can only imagine if Klopp were on the sidelines watching the United side try to press he’d have a clinched fist shouting “AS ONE” in German !!!

2) Tom Cleverley’s performance : Cleverley definitely has potential. Yet sometimes watching him seems as though he’s playing with a massive weight on his shoulders. The complete opposite when you watch Januzaj. Cleverley tries a long ball for Januzaj in the 50th second of the game and when it misses the target he starts shaking his head in disappointment. From then on he tried exactly two long balls as opposed to Carrick who had a game high 6 out of 8 tries.  Here’s an interesting look at the passing comparison for both Cleverley (top) and Carrick (bottom)  in the Premier League :

Cleverley : In 16 appearances – 561 forward passes (62.4%)

Carrick : In 13 appearances 660 forward passes (74.8%)

Cleverley definitely is missing confidence and I hope conceding the penalty doesn’t add to it in the following games.

3) Micheal Carrick returns : Enough cannot be said about Carrick’s performance against Sunderland. With him dropping deep collecting the ball and starting the attack the defense feels secure. We lacked his presence and his ability to read the game, shadow players and create interceptions. He ended the day with 5 interceptions in total. Completed 107 passes at a success rate of 91%.  Offensively he had a team high of 3 Key Passes as well.

Its football and every team can have a bad run of form but a team of United’s caliber shouldn’t be making the mistakes we are making at the moment.  Our next game is Swansea at home and this time around in the Premier League I really hope we don’t have to “come back from behind”.

Man U 1 – 2 Swansea

Seventh in the league, 11 points behind the leaders United’s best chance for silverware was definitely the FA Cup. Swansea at home sounded very promising to me especially after the unfortunate result against Tottenham. United. I thought we would come back stronger and produce an attacking display reestablishing The Theater of Dreams as the impenetrable fortress. Alas, a good display from Swansea, a few errors both tactical and individual, a harsh red card and we are out of the tournament. Here are some interesting talking points from the game :

1) Swansea’s 1st goal : An amazing finish from Man of the Match Wayne Routledge saw us concede the first goal in the 12th minute. What was fascinating to see was the build up play and how well Bony, Routledge and Pozuelo were doing in dragging our defenders out of position. Laudrup’s team not only leads the league in possession (59.6%) and pass completion (86.5%) rates but are  also easy on the eye. This goal is a perfect example. Bony, a strong, physical, out and out number 9 came a bit deeper dragging Rio Ferdinand out of position and created a lot of space in behind , between Evans and Smalling, for Routledge to run it. All the play needed was an accurate lobbed through ball from the impressive Pozuelo. Although no where in the same league the move was Barca – esque – a false nine dropping deep and the inside forwards moving into the space behind. Here’s a look :

This was big tactical problem I noticed throughout the game – Swansea was able to play between the lines a lot more than we prefer. Fletcher and Cleverley were deployed much higher up than was required in this game. Here’s another situation in the second half that shows exact same problem :

If we compare the average position for Fletcher on the left(the more defensive of the two Central Mids) against Swansea to that of Phil Jones against Arsenal on the right we clearly notice the difference :

Against a team that like to keep possession of the ball its great to have someone play “The Makelele Role”.

2) You’re most vulnerable when you’ve just scored : And you’re a bit more vulnerable if the opposition is Man United. The fighting spirit of United teams is much talked about and with good reason. This team too shows it in bits and pieces. Similar to Danny Wellbeck against Tottenham united hit back immediately after conceding. A nice long pass from Fletcher to Kagawa who drifted in from the left opened up a lot of room for the United’s best player of the game Buttner. The 24 year Dutch Left Back put in a fantastic near post cross from deep and all Chicarito had to was keep the ball down. I can see why Baines would be a great addition given the fact that most of our wingers on the left are inverted hence allowing the left back to go up more frequently and deliver crosses. Here’s a look at the deep crossing position from Buttner :

3) Overlapping Fullbacks : A feature of United that I loved while watching them during the time I started following the game was the ability of the fullbacks to go up and deliver a cross. Just like the one from Buttner for the goal or the 10 other crosses that he bravely attempted during the game. However with 47% of our attacks coming from the right I was unimpressed with just two attempted crosses from Smalling. We needed to utilize the space left by Valencia when he uncharacteristically drifted in. Smalling at 24 has been playing both Centre Back and Right Back for United for the past few seasons. I remember a coach once saying “let him play, don’t burden him with tactics yet”. Unfortunately at this level of the game and requirements at United both Smalling and Jones have had to share the burden of tactics in multiple positions and I hope it doesn’t hold them back to fulfill their potential. Here’s a rare run from Smalling which ended with a decent cross early in the game :

4) The outlet ball from the middle : Although the picture above shows Fletcher passing the ball to the right, his greatest strength isn’t the incisive ball to create a goal threatening situation. Fletcher’s performance was admirable with 10 out of 13 Long Balls being accurate but we miss vision and range from the middle. United have been heavily dependent on Rooney to drop deep and provide those passes but that takes away a lot of opportunities to link up on the final third of the pitch.

5) The RED card : Mike Dean definitely changed the last 10 minutes of the game with a fair yet harsh RED to Fabio. With a man down United were unable to control the game at all. Chicarito was completely isolated up front and it was upsetting to see him try to dribble past three Swansea defenders en route to goal.  Wellbeck and Januzaj tried their utmost at the end yet there wasn’t much to offer from United’s point of view. Swansea used the man advantage well and were duly rewarded with that man again Wayne Routledge providing a floated cross for Wilfried Bony to finish with a terrific near post header.

Overall a terrific game until the RED card and a sad result crashing us out of the Cup. Well we still have the Champions League and winning the whole thing could very well be the only way to get back into the competition next year.The home form must improve with Reds losing four of the last six at Old Trafford.  Its still not a train wreck, its still not all over. Let’s hope for a come back when we meet Swansea again in the league next weekend !!!