Manchester United going forward: A new formation or reliant on wing-play?

David Moyes: Does he need to tinker with formation?

There can be nothing worse than the job of being Manchester United manager right now for David Moyes. As opposed to King Midas whose touch turned everything into gold, things have been going from bad to worse for Moyes, one after another. So, what are the reasons behind Moyes’ clear failure so far as the United manager? No experience of managing such a big club, a tactical inability to organize the team and to change the outcome of games through substitutions or simply, sub-standard players?

I would like to focus on one key aspect that I feel has contributed to Manchester United’s downfall this season, and it is their over-reliance on United’s traditional style of attacking from the wings. United have been blessed with quality wide players like Kanchelskis, Beckham, Giggs, Ronaldo throughout the Premiership era and the 4-4-2 was put to good use by Sir Alex. It was well complemented by combination of tenacity and craft in the middle of the park from the likes of Scholes, Keane, Butt and others.

United this season have played the 4-4-2 or a slightly modified version of the 4-4-2 under David Moyes. Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young and Adnan Januzaj are the players who have slotted into the wide midfield roles on most occasions. There are two key aspects to this formation with regards to this season – A) is it the best formation for United? B) Have the best players we have in those positions played enough games?

Taking up the second aspect first, let’s start with Antonio Valencia-the man who was brought in after Ronaldo’s departure and did fairly well in his first season. But as of now, his zero ability to use the left leg, not even just to have a swing at the ball and a complete incapability to find the right ball into the box are the stand out aspects of his game. 423 of the 533 crosses that United had made into the box till January 3rd had not found a United player’s head or foot, and I dare say, quite a few of them were from the right wing, coming off Valencia’s lack lustre boot.

On careful thought, Valencia’s high defensive work rate could be one reason why he has managed to keep his starting place while Nani’s lengthy absence due to injury this season might be another small reason. All said and done, I feel that Valencia has been a failure on the right wing and should not have kept his place in the starting line-up beyond a point.

Now, rewind to the pre-season tour, and we remember three players who created the most impact – Adnan Januzaj, Wilfried Zaha and Jesse Lingard. We all know what has happened with Januzaj since. As for Lingard, he was loaned out, did exceedingly well and was later called back to be a part of the United squad. Interestingly, he hasn’t played any part since coming back.

Zaha, on the other hand was kept at United and Moyes insisted that he would be of use at some point. However, despite repeated poor performances from Valencia and Young, Zaha was not given his chance. Funnily enough, he has now been loaned out to Cardiff City and he created an immediate impact for them, coming off the bench and turning around a 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 victory against Norwich. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer is upbeat about Zaha’s future, and to be honest, most people are, except Moyes presumably, who never thought of giving him a chance despite a dire need of fresh faces in the wide positions.

I am of the opinion that Zaha and Lingard, playing wide right and wide left respectively, would have been good options along with Januzaj to take over from some disastrous wing play we have seen from Valencia and Young.

Now, having discussed whether the right personnel have been deployed in wide areas by Moyes, the other question we are looking at is – If United have been so unsuccessful in attacking down the wings, why have they stuck to it, and is there an alternative option that would work better? Yes, with the kind of players than Man United have in the team right now and keeping in mind their preferred positions, there is a custom version of a 4-3-3 that would work like a charm.

The team above is a customized version of a normal 4-3-3 formation. Concentrating only on the front six, it is a team with balance and ability to unlock any kind of defense, while maintaining a good shape to defend against opposition attacks. The ideal front three in this formation is of Rooney, RVP and Mata, all three technically brilliant players with ability to play intricate passes as well as an eye for goal. United’s current style of play ensures that there are players wide, who cut in on occasions.

With this formation, the players behind the main striker remain tucked in most of the time and can go wide when needed, or leave the space for the full backs to bomb forward and ensure there are at least three players in the box to target from crosses.

The ideal three midfielders in my team would be Fletcher, Carrick and Fellaini. Fletcher and Carrick with their game reading abilities will shield the defenders from opposition attacks and at the same time, supply the ball to the three front-men using their incisive and wide-ranged passing abilities. Fellaini has been pretty unsuccessful in his brief stint with United so far, but a 3 man midfield will bring out the best of the man from Belgium.

That is the system he has excelled in while at Everton and has made him such a key player for the Belgian national team. Freshly back from injury, a tenacious and fit Fellaini back into the team in such a formation is exactly what Man United needs right now.

This system will also ensure better utilization of the likes of Shinji Kagawa who might have a chance at re-inventing his United career through such a formation. The record signing Juan Mata will also be much happier with this style of gameplay than being deployed wide right or wide left. We have also seen that Tom Cleverley can do best when he plays quick one-twos with players close around him, rather than when he is playing with one midfield partner and is disjointed from the attackers.

All in all, most of the players at United will be happier to play in this kind of a formation, than in a 4-4-2. Whether or not Moyes changes to this or another formation different from a 4-4-2 remains to be seen, but this decision will go a long way in determining how United fare in the remainder of the season. The traditional style is clearly not going to work with the wingers currently at United.