Premier League 2019-20: 3 tactics from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that cost Manchester United the game against Newcastle

#2 Switching Axel Tuanzebe to the right-back position

Newcastle United v Manchester United - Premier League

Axel Tuanzebe started the game as Harry Maguire’s partner in the heart of the United defense and immediately caught the eye with his stellar performance. The Englishman was strong and alert and continuously attempted long balls from the deep to catch the runs of his forward players.

Tuanzebe was easily United’s best player on the pitch, and he complemented Maguire very well at the back.

However, things fell apart when Diogo Dalot picked up a groin injury and had to be replaced. Solskjaer brought in Marcos Rojo and then made an unnecessary change – he shifted Tuanzebe to the right-back role, while the Argentinean joined Maguire at the center of the backline.

The move injected chaos in the United defense, as Rojo and Maguire got in each other's way at times.

Perhaps the Norwegian should have shifted Ashley Young to right-back and opted for Rojo as the left-back instead. That would have helped United remain compact at the back, while also allowing Solskjaer to use Rojo’s crossing ability to unsettle the Newcastle defense.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written close to 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Musab Abid