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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's arrival has pumped in fresh air into the lungs of Manchester United fans all over the world. For starters, his appointment raised hopes for a return to the exciting, attacking football that was synonymous with Manchester United during the playing days of the Norwegian. Everyone expects Manchester United to go back to Sir Alex's ideologies and tactics, however, Solskjaer's style of setting up his team is slightly different from his manager in one area.
The Legendary Scot almost always liked to base his team on two flying wingers on both sides of the pitch. The 4-4-2 was his most preferred playing style, even though he had moved to the 4-3-3 on numerous occasions to meet the demands of the game. However, Solskjaer mostly likes to set his team up in a 4-3-3, so one can expect him to carry on that formation at Manchester United. This would also benefit the players in two ways - first, United do not have the personnel for an effective 4-2-2 and second, the players are already used to a 4-3-3.
Solskjaer has openly declared his admiration of Paul Pogba before and as such, it is safe to assume that the Frenchman will be an integral part of his team. Whether he can get the best out of his star man will define the rest of United's season.
As a manager, Solskjaer has shown a preference for a fast, attacking set up, with a quick transition from defence to offence and relentless waves of attack even with the relatively lesser talent at hand at Molde FK. With a pool of attacking players to chose from at Old Trafford, one can expect Solskjaer to go all out and take that risk that was missing from United's game so far. Right now, let us look at the 3 ways that Manchester United could line up under their new Boss.
4-2-1-3
Even though he admires Pogba, Solskjaer might be tempted to use the Frenchman's passing abilities from the deep to unleash the runners in his team. As such, the Norwegian could opt for a slight modification to the 4-3-3, a 4-2-1-3, with Juan Mata in his preferred No. 10 role.
De Gea will almost always start in goal, and Smalling and Lindelof, right now, look like the best bet, as both are comfortable on the ball. Dalot's speed and youth will appeal to Solskjaer, while Shaw should return to the left side once fit.
In the middle, Pogba would pull the string from deep, with Herrera doing the dirty work. Martial, Lukaku and Rashford make up the front three, but in this formation, Juan Mata is perhaps the most important player.
The Spaniard will be tasked with connecting the defence with attack and tracking the late runs of Pogba, to set him up for the kill. He will be threading those final balls that he is so good at and will also have his eye out for goal.
4-2-3-1
Alternatively, Solskjaer could also set up Manchester United in another modification of the 4-3-3, a 4-2-3-1, with Pogba in the No. 10 role. This would result in a few more tweaks to the line up to make the team quite interesting.
Ashley Young could come in at right back, because of the added security in the midfield, but other than that, the defence remains the same. In the middle, Matic brings the no-nonsense steel that the team might require against tougher opponents, which Andreas Pereira works as a deep-lying playmaker, who also shares the defensive responsibilities with Matic.
Upfront, Mata makes way for Pogba to work in tandem with Martial and Rashford, with Lukaku the target man. The main advantage of this formation is that it allows Pogba to be in a free role and affect the game from higher up on the pitch. He can put his intricate skills, his passing abilities and his finishing to good use. The use of Rashford in the right does have a few concerns, but Solskjaer could also use one of Mata, Lingard or Sanchez (when fit) in the youngster's place.
4-3-3 Attacking
Perhaps the one formation Solskjaer will be comfortable with is the attacking 4-3-3. With De Gea in goal, Shaw, Smalling, Lindelof and Dalot will make up the back four, but it is in the midfield that things will be interesting. Matic will be the holding midfielder and Pogba and Herrera will be either side of him. This formation shall ask a little more from the Frenchman, who will be the creative hub of the team, while also tracking back and defending when required. It will be similar to the role he played at Juventus and it should see him regain his confidence and form.
Ander Herrera will resume his "mad dog" duties, as his energy and intensity will appeal to Solskjaer. As an alternative, Fred could play this role to good effect. Even though Matic is the holding midfielder, Andreas Pereira could be a great option against opponents who sit deep.
The front three largely remains the same, because they are the best in offer at Old Trafford right now. However, Mata, Lingard and even Alexis Sanchez will be knocking at the door.
