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It was never going to be easy to replace a 38 trophy-hauling legend and face most of your top rivals in your first five games in charge. David Moyes is now coming to understand the full implication of that statement after Manchester United‘s 1-0 loss at Anfield.
United claimed 57% possession and did not let Liverpool have any big chance apart from the goal. Still, United only looked as threatening to the opposition goal as they did in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea. The reasons are down to the tactical decisions employed by Moyes.
Manchester United Manager David Moyes looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on September 01, 2013 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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Moyes has always been a firm believer of organization and keeping it tight at the back. But he is tactically very rigid. He has his set notion of his starting XI and formation, which he plays week in and week out. Such a tactic will help you win easy games and get you draws in the marquee games. At Everton that was lauded. At Manchester United, that won’t be tolerated.
If Moyes needs to win every match, as the fans and management expect him to do so, he will need to envision how his team will attack. Simply selecting players according to pecking order and expecting them to perform won’t work all the time.
It worked against Swansea but against Chelsea and Liverpool, no one knew where the goals were going to come from. He should be able to predict what will happen when you play a 40 year old left winger on the right, a 20 year old striker who relies on pace in the hole and a right-footed winger just back from injury on the left. Even at their best, Ashley Young and Giggs could not have pulled off the inverted winger strategy that Bayern and Madrid successfully employ.
With Welbeck unable to dictate proceedings and Carrick pushed back by a dogged Liverpool midfield display, Van Persie was left frustrated. Even getting on Nani and Chicharito after a long injury lay-off in such a crucial big-match situation was not a smart move. By the time they were able to control simple passes and settle into the pace of the match, the final whistle had blown. Giving an opportunity to the in-form Januzaj or Lingard could have surprised the Liverpool defence. But they were not even on the bench, which reflects Moyes’ cautious approach to the big game.
Team selection needs to be re-thought. Amongst the front six, other than Van Persie, Carrick and maybe Rooney (if he continues his Chelsea match form), no one is brilliant enough to merit a starting position against all oppositions. Moyes has many good options to choose from, but he needs think about how each one will fare in different situations. He needs to analyse the opposition’s weakness and choose his formation and players accordingly.
Right now his rigid 4-4-1-1 and insistence on playing Welbeck and Giggs no matter where, is not helping. Sir Alex would always have at least one surprise change from the ‘usual’ line-up to counter the opposition or give his own team an edge. Moyes is no Sir Alex, but it won’t do him harm to rotate players to get the best out of them and give himself a tactical advantage.
Firstly, he needs to play traditional crossing wingers. This means Valencia/Young should start on the right and Giggs on the left whenever any of these three are involved. But considering Evra’s forays into the attacking third and Fellaini’s added defensive advantage as he can cover for the left-back’s runs, playing Welbeck or Kagawa on the left and asking them to drift inwards when Evra bombs forward is a good tactic.
Both players can also enjoy some time in the hole by occasionally swapping for the free-roaming Rooney, who needs to start every match behind the striker to continue his rediscovery of form. Moyes should also look to borrow SAF’s tactic of playing three in the centre against teams where getting overrun in midfield is a concern.
Jones should be utilized as a potential play-breaker for big matches given his performance against Madrid last season. With the physically dominating Fellaini coming in, the 3-man midfield combination could really free up Carrick and defensively can stop teams who like to deploy technically-gifted players in the space between defence and midfield, like Barcelona, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
The best way to learn is to fall, and if a loss to the club’s bitter rivals makes Moyes tactically more aware and flexible, then the rest of the season can still be a very profitable one. The new United manager now has the central midfielder the club has been aching for a few years now.
His team is well balanced in terms of quality and experience. But getting the best out of the older players like Giggs, Valencia and Ferdinand, and the proper development of youngsters like Jones, Welbeck, Kagawa and Zaha, should be his top priority. If he is able to do that and get his tactics right, there is no doubt he can compete on all three fronts like how Manchester United are used to.
