This summer, pre-season work will be mainly about tactical tweaks for Ole...
LAST summer was very different to this one, for plenty of reasons.
For a start, United enjoyed a full pre-season, complete with the usual friendlies played in far-off locations, giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a chance to try various combinations.
The Reds were keen to emphasise the work they had done improving fitness levels in their squad, which was borne out in some of the games against Tottenham, Inter Milan and AC Milan.
Yet this summer, all of the preparation work will have to be done on the training ground, in a much shorter time frame. It should not mean United are undercooked, though, just that their priorities are different.
Instead of wholesale changes to their fitness work, it may well be about tactical tweaks instead. United primarily used 4-2-3-1 last season, a rather rigid system that was only changed for the games against ‘big teams’, when Solskjaer switched to five across the back. So here are the three alternative systems they could try this season...
DIAMOND MIDFIELD
MANY fans have been calling to see Solskjaer use a diamond midfield formation for some time, as it would allow him to accommodate four of his quintet of excellent central options in Fred, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes. It was seen briefly in United’s draw with Everton before football’s March shutdown.
Pogba on the left, Matic sitting deep and Fernandes in the pocket ahead, with either Fred or McTominay on the right of the diamond. It promises to be a very solid midfield, potentially offering more control in games when
they need to dominate possession. The only downside is that one of Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial would have to sit on the bench, with the other two forming a genuine strike partnership. It may also leave little room for Jadon Sancho, should he sign for United.
■ 4-3-3
SOLSKJAER appeared to be favouring a 4-3-3 when he first arrived. Once upon a time it was universally agreed this was the best formation for Pogba, playing on the left of the midfield trio with licence to roam.
France’s 2018 World Cup win and United’s good form after the restart showed he can play in other ways, as a deeper midfield player. But whether he and Fernandes could play as dual playmaking No.8s would have to be tested in a 4-3-3, or a 4-1-4-1 depending on your definition. The other way in which United could play 4-3-3 would be if Fernandes switched to either the right or left and Pogba lined up centrally alongside, say, Fred and Matic. It should certainly be another option for Solskjaer.
■ ALL OUT ATTACK
UNDER Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, you would often hear the strains of ‘attack, attack, attack’ chanted from the Stretford End. It has not been heard anywhere near as much under Solskjaer, who as a former striker is keen to see his team break defensive lines and play enterprising football.
Yet every team and manager must have a Plan B or C to use when a goal is desperately needed. For United, it could be a 4-2-2-2, or 4-2-4 with Pogba and Fernandes as the dual pivot and four attacking runners ahead of them.
It sounds gung-ho but if Old Trafford was full again and demanding a goal, it would be the logical go-to formation.