A cross-examination of Manchester Uniteds tactical approach

A cross-examination of Manchester Uniteds tactical approach

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The modern football observer has acce s to a wealth of statistical data, on which to analyse the performance of both players and teams. Thanks to the incredible acce sibility of such figures, nearly everyone with an affliction for the beautiful game even those who didnt watch the match will know that Manchester United succeeded with just 18 of their whopping 82 attempted cro ses in drawing 2-2 at home to Fulham on Sunday. With all United do is cro s it becoming the new Arsenal always try and walk it in, David Moyes has two options; stick with his current approach and improve his sides efficiency in carrying it out or change his tack.The struggling Scots loyalty to cro sing from wide areas has been maligned for most of the season, and the criticism has greatly intensified following Sundays draw with Fulham. However, such a tactic can be very effective, but if Moyes wishes to persevere with it he must improve literally every aspect of its execution by his new charges.First of all, Moyes must take steps to improve the quality of the delivery from wide areas. One of the main criticisms of United following Sundays match was that they set over so many aerial balls (15 of which were cleared by the head of 6ft 7in Dan Burn) but setting that aside momentarily, the Old Trafford side simply need to ensure more cro ses land in dangerous areas. A failure to produce consistently dangerous deliveries often the same match, nearly always from match to match has undermined Moyes approach all season long.On matchdays, Moyes looks desperate to change his sides fortunes; apoplectic gesticulations have become almost commonplace in the United dug-out. However, if his current approach is to succeed, his real work must be done on the training ground. The Scot oversaw the development of a succe sful cro sing-based strategy at Everton, where the most consistent delivery came from the left-boot of Leighton Baines. The fact that Moyes new ranks dont currently contain a provider anywhere near as cultured as the Liverpudlian suggests the introduction of regular cro sing practice should be his first step if United are to perfect their cro sing-based game, as Everton did.It seems absurd to suggest such a simple remedy, and obviously there is no way to prove that United dont work on cro sing every single day. However, their delivery from the flanks has yet to improve, and Moyes seems to have taken the view that once his strongest players return to the side, Uniteds fortunes will transform. It has been said that cro sing is a lottery for which David Moyes is wrong to buy a ticket, but a consistent failure Bryan Mone Jersey to put the ball into dangerous areas within the width of the goal-posts means that too often United dont even get to the shops.Returning to the i sue of 21-year-old Burns succe s on Sunday, which lead him to tell the BBC he hadnt headed that many balls since the Conference, United must change the positions from which they cro s the ball. While Me srs van Persie, Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez are by no means poor in the air, Old Trafford does not host a striker of truly Poona Ford Jersey frightening aerial prowe s. Therefore, to maximise the capabilities of his front-men, Moyes must find a way to get in behind opposition defences; getting his wingers and full-backs to the by-line on a more regular basis, to cut the ball back low into the box.Returning the lottery analogy, the odds are stacked in defenders such as Burns favour when competing for a floated aerial ball, but Uniteds dynamic strikers would fancy their chances of outmaneuvering him to slot home a fizzed low cro s around the penalty spot.However, Uniteds failure to consistently get their wide players into such positions has numerous roots. The Red Devils are ponderous during the transition between defence and attack, during which they could exploit the ever-increasing space modern full-backs leave behind when they push on. The speed of Uniteds build-up play is laboured, and visiting sides now have more time than ever to get into shape and close up the gaps through which a killer through ball could be threaded.However, its debatable whether (with the exception of Michael Carrick) United po se s a player capable of playing such a pa s. In such a case, the wide players themselves would have to beat their man and make the space for themselves, but the predictable Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia have shown precious little inspiration this season. All these failings have led to the skepticism regarding Moyes clear belief that Uniteds most effective attacking approach should be built on wide-play.Despite all the current criticism, a more dynamic midfield, coupled with the recruitment of reliable wingers who are stronger in 1v1 situations could see Moyes cro sing-based strategy supply some of the leagues sharpest strikers with the nece sary ammunition to fire United back up the league. However, such major surgery is obviously only po sible in the summer, and the Scot has already spent 37million on Juan Mata, who, as United legend Gary Neville immediately identified, isnt well suited to the current approach. Therefore, as many observers are suggesting, it might be best for Moyes to abandon this strategy, and explore other options.Upon his arrival at Old Trafford, it was suggested by many (including myself) that Juan Mata would line-up alongside in-form Adnan Januzaj and the returning Wayne Rooney, with the trio interchanging at will and creating chances for Robin van Persie. If you were to place this line up on a diagram, the Spaniards name would almost certainly be on a flank, but the intention would be to give him freedom to roam inside, with Rafael or Patrice Evra charged with providing the sides width.The former Chelsea man is most effective when roaming free, able to pick up the ball and run at the heart of defences, but has surprisingly found himself isolated in a wide area for much of his early United career, his majestic left-foot predominantly being used to supply high cro ses. Giving Mata much more license to move inside, as well as a recall for the bafflingly ousted Adnan Januzaj, would see United overwhelm opponents in central areas.Given this foundation, Steve Largent Jersey the Reds full-backs could marauder forward into acres of space, Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck or Chicharito would find themselves able to capitalise on more through-balls, while whoever is deployed at centre-back would have more pa sing options when they look to start attacks.Granting total attacking freedom to the three number tens, would nece sitate Uniteds stagnant central midfielders to occupy the deeper positions they appear more comfortable in; especially if both full-backs bomb forward. While the need for a dynamic midfielder, who can link the defence and attack is still pre sing, simplifying the attacking roles of the central pairing would certainly be beneficial. Merely being charged with supplying Mata, Januzaj and Rooney short pa ses would ease the burden on the men who are currently operating in the area of the pitch receiving the most scrutiny, as well as allowing them to provide better protection for a currently vulnerable defence.Such an approach would also suit Shinji Kagawa and even Welbeck if he were to be deployed in a deeper role, given the pairs clever movement and link-up play, meaning that the new approach need not be defined by the presence of the aforementioned creative trio on the pitch. The change would represent a major diversion from the traditional United philosophy outlined by G-Nev on a number of occasions, but would return an air of unpredictability to the Red Devils attacking unit, and rectify some of their current i sues.Whichever of his options he selects, David Moyes must act quickly if he is to realise the faint hopes he still has of salvaging a degree of succe s from his debut season in the Old Trafford dug-out. While his employers have made all the right noises with regards his job security, the Scot must surely show signs of how he intends to rebuild the Manchester United empire between now and May, if he is to be granted the nece sary time to do so. And, despite the barrage of criticism he has faced following Sundays emergence of that damning 18 out of 82 statistic, in all likelyhood, he will rely on a strategy based on wing-play to achieve this aim. Dynasties can be built on the flanks think David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, 1999 and all that but David Moyes must bring improve the quality and change the angle of Uniteds deliveries if his is to be another.
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