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When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sent out his team at Old Trafford to face Chelsea on Sunday, he had a lot going on in his mind. His old adversary Frank Lampard was in the opposition dugout, but that was the least of his worries. The Norwegian had invested heavily in his defense in the summer and had a new-look back four playing for the first time together.
He had also lost Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan and had not replaced the Belgian, preferring instead to believe in the players at his disposal. And the fact that the Red Devils had not replaced the departed Ander Herrera had fans questioning the effectiveness of the midfield. Solskjaer knew that 3 points could ease all the doubts and he named his first team accordingly.
The Norwegian opted for David de Gea in goal, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw making up the back four. The midfield consisted of Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay, while Andreas Pereira was stationed as the No. 10. In attack, he opted for Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford either side of Anthony Martial.
Despite being on the back foot in the opening stages of the game, United took the lead when Marcus Rashford scored from the spot in the 18th minute. In the second half, the home team upped the tempo and hit an even higher gear. Anthony Martial doubled the lead in the 65th minute before Rashford made it 3-0 in the 67th minute. Young Daniel James came off the bench to make it 4-0 in the 81st minute, to round up a stellar opening night for the Red Devils.
While the players took all the plaudits, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves all the credit for masterminding a brilliant win. Here are 5 tactics from the Norwegian that got United all 3 points.
#5 Weathering the initial storm
Manchester United were caught on the wrong foot at the start of the game. Chelsea were brighter, proactive on the ball and had intent in their stride that was missing from the Red Devils on the pitch. This pushed the home side back and United were lucky not to concede early in the game. Solskjaer watched from the bench as Frank Lampard’s wards stretched the United team and created a lot more in the final third.
The Norwegian could have been tempted to change his tactics and react to Chelsea’s pressure. However, Solskjaer decided to weather the storm instead, trusting in his players and knowing that if United played their natural game, things would soon fall into place. It was a plan that worked like a charm, as the home side regained their composure and took the lead in the 18th minute.
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#4 Pressing football
One of the most important aspects of Solskjaer’s style of play has been off the ball pressure. When he took over the caretaker role in December, this was an instant hit with the club. The opposition was not used to Manchester United pressing so high up and it helped Solskjaer enjoy a hugely successful opening three months.
However, it soon became clear that United did not have the legs to continue Solskjaer’s tactics. When reality struck the Norwegian, it was a steep fall for United, which ended the season on a sorry note. However, Solskjaer was adamant that it was the right way forward, which is why he designed a ruthless regime in preseason to improve his squad’s fitness. The result was visible against Chelsea.
United did start the game slow and for whatever reason, their pressing lacked a bit of heart in the first half. However, a pep talk at the break was all it took because the Red Devils vastly improved in the second half and did not allow Chelsea much time on the ball. Every player closed down with intent and strived to win back the ball. And this enabled United to finally win the game.
#3 Fluid front three
Another feature of Solskjaer’s signature style from last season was the fluid front three. It is an ideology that sidelined Romelu Lukaku and ultimately cost him a place in the team and the club. Against Chelsea, it was clear why the Norwegian insisted on a fast and fluid front three.
Solskjaer selected Marcus Rashford in the left forward role and Jesse Lingard on the right forward role, while Anthony Martial led the line through the middle. However, it was soon evident that none of the three were static at their positions.
Rashford and Martial switched places continuously, while Lingard often popped through the middle himself. Andreas Pereira started in the No. 10 role, but the Brazilian could be found on the right-wing on numerous occasions. This caused a lot of confusion in the Chelsea defense and opened up the opposition. Rashford won the penalty while driving through the middle on the counter-attack.
For Martial’s goal, Andreas Pereira sent in a delightful cross from the right-wing, while the Frenchman himself arrived into the box from the left-wing. And it was Rashford’s running through the middle that helped him score United’s third goal.
The fluid front line of Solskjaer was quite effective last season and against Chelsea, the Norwegian’s tactics struck gold once again.
#2 Trusting his new-look defense
Last season, Solskjaer almost always opted for a defensive anchor in his team, a shield in front of a wobbly defense in order to shut out the goals. Unfortunately, it failed to work in the latter stages as United could not stop the leak at the back. This prompted Solskjaer to invest in the summer and spend around £130m on two defenders – Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire.
However, even with the two in his team, it would still have been understandable had the Norwegian opted for two defensive midfielders against Chelsea. Instead, he decided to be adventurous instead, playing Scott McTominay alongside Pogba in a double pivot that lacked the defensive solidity of Nemanja Matic. The Norwegian opted to trust his defenders and his trust was repaid in full.
The back four was impressive on the night and both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof were on top form, with the Englishman looking like the defensive leader United have been missing for a while. Aaron Wan-Bissaka also caught the eye with his defensive display. Solskjaer’s risk paid off, helping United field an attacking lineup, which aided his tactics and helped United win the game.
#1 Counter-attacking football
Since taking charge at United, Solskjaer has stressed the importance of speed in his team, and it was a requirement that was in line with the club’s ideology. Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United had the ability to swiftly move the ball across the park and catch the opposition off guard.
It was a style that the Norwegian hoped to emulate himself, which is why he put his trust in fast players to lead the line in his team. On Sunday, Chelsea were undone by the counter-attacking speed of Solskjaer’s United.
Each goal was a result of a swift counter-attack, where the emphasis was to transfer the ball to the final third as early as possible. United relied on their defensive shape to soak the pressure and whenever they had the ball, they broke away in numbers.
Chelsea had control of the midfield for much of the game, but the away side were powerless to stop the United onslaught whenever the home side went on a counter.
On a night where Solskjaer started on the back foot, his brand of counter-attacking football ultimately won United the game.
