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After a disappointing defeat in the UEFA Europa League final against Villarreal on Wednesday, Manchester United will now turn their attention to the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Red Devils need to have a strong transfer window if they want to close the gap on Manchester City in the league and compete in the UEFA Champions League next season. United have been heavily linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho. Real Madrid's Raphael Varane is also said to be a target as United look to bolster their problematic backline.
While bolstering the squad has to be United's main focus over the summer, they should also consider making changes to their coaching staff. Bringing in a new set piece coach could go a long way in improving the team.
Manchester United have struggled to deal with set pieces this season and have conceded 14 goals from such positions in the Premier League this season. Set pieces account for 33% of the goals conceded by the Red Devils. Even the goal they conceded in the Europa League final came from a set piece.
Despite the aerial presence of Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba in the team, the Red Devils have failed to deal with set pieces in recent months. While the players have often taken up poor positions on the pitch, the majority of the blame has to lie with the coaching staff.
Analysing Manchester United's set piece defending system and why they struggle
During corners, Manchester United uses a hybrid system of man-marking and zonal-marking. While aerially dominant players mark zonally across the six-yard box, others in the team mark opposition players and keep track of their runners.
Harry Maguire is usually is deployed at the centre of the six-yard box to make first contact the ball and clear it. However, trouble arises when Manchester United are unable to make first contact with the ball in the box.
The Red Devils don't react quickly enough when a ball is flicked to the near post or drops inside the six-yard box and they usually end up conceding a goal. Even when they manage to get the ball out of the box, their failure to get back into shape quickly enough gets them into trouble.
During free-kick situations, Manchester United players usually like to play a high line in defence to force the opposition as far away from their box as possible. However, a ball over the defensive line towards the far post usually gets them in trouble. The goal they conceded against Villereal in the Europa League final is a prime example of that.
Manchester United have had trouble dealing with corners and set-pieces for almost two seasons now. It is evident they need to make a change this summer and appoint a new set piece coach with new ideas to improve at the back.
