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Manchester United have gotten off to a poor start in the Premier League 2019-20 season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team won their first game emphatically against Chelsea by a four-goal margin. However, the club is currently undergoing a three-game streak without a win, after dropping points away at Molineux against Wolves, at home against Crystal Palace, and away at Southampton.
With only one win and five points from the first four games, there is huge pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side to win their next game. The task at hand for the Red Devils is not an easy one, as Leicester City will visit the Theatre of Dreams, still unbeaten and placed 3rd in the table.
Let us outline three things that the Red Devils must do to win against Leicester City.
#3 Paul Pogba should be deployed further up the pitch
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stuck with Paul Pogba as a part of his double pivot along with Scott McTominay. But it has to be said that the deeper role is not suiting the French midfielder.
Pogba has so far been unconvincing in his role in the double pivot. The defensive duties are not giving him the luxury to move into areas where he can be lethal and it is hurting the Red Devils. Pogba gets overwhelmed when pressed in deeper regions and loses the ball.
In the game against Crystal Palace, he lost possession while trying to progress the play from deep in the dying minutes as United conceded a late goal. Against Southampton also, he endured a tough time and lost possession rapidly towards the end of the first half.
However, if he is relieved of his defensive duties, Pogba can be a lethal player. With the luxury to move further up the pitch, into areas in and around the box of the opposition, he is a dangerous player to face. He is good at link-up plays, is confident taking opponents on and also a good shooter from distance.
Either it should be Nemanja Matic as a sole pivot, if there is a change in formation, or it can be Matic/Fred, alongside McTominay, with Pogba as a #10. Both are good options to utilize Pogba's threat in attacking areas of the pitch while maintaining a solid screen at the back.
#2 Cage James Maddison
If the #10 spot is a spot of bother for Manchester United, it is one of the brighter spots for Leicester City, thanks to English youngster James Maddison. Maddison has looked very solid for the Foxes in the new season. After all, there's a reason to be excited about this kid, as he had created more chances than any player in the Premier League last season.
Maddison is currently averaging 3 dribbles, 41 passes, 2.3 key passes, and 2 shots per game. He has also got two assists to his name. If he hadn't blasted a late chance over the bar against Chelsea he would have had a goal to his name too, and same goes for assists if Mason Mount hadn't intercepted his dangerous pull-back into the box.
United haven't faced a team depending on the creativity of a #10 this season, yet. They better have a plan ready for this player because he has been excellent working in the spaces, plenty of which are left in United's defense.
A man-mark on Maddison would be the go-to tactic and possibly a double pivot would help reduce the havoc that he causes, as the pressure is shared by two players instead of one. Fred, McTominay, Matic and maybe even Pogba would do well to strap up for a long day's work at Old Trafford.
#1 Play a fast-paced game and finish their chances in the final third
United played a sluggish game against Southampton and paid the price for it. They wasted as much time as possible, were very slow in their build-ups, passed around for the sake of wasting time - everything that slows down the tempo of the game. It was a bizarre tactic as it did no good in utilizing the pace that United enjoys in the wings.
A 4-2-3-1 formation is made to soak pressure up and break quickly, something which could have been done against Southampton given the wide-open spaces that were left by the Saints. Instead, United's build-up was slowish, allowing the defense to get compact and regroup.
A repeat of this tactic would be a big mistake against Leicester. United should look to play to their strengths, build-up and attack quickly rather than hold on for too long to possession and look to get Daniel James and Marcus Rashford more of the ball on the wings.
Although fairly obvious, it has to be emphasized, United did have chances to win the game against Southampton and Crystal Palace. There were five or six good sweeping balls into the box which barely needed a touch to get a goal. Jesse Lingard was extremely wasteful in both games and 2 clear opportunities went begging against Southampton.
The Red Devils better convert the chances they get with minimal fuss and show intent to win the second chance rebound ahead of the defense, jostle to get a touch on the cutbacks. Complacency isn't going to do them any good.
