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Manchester United travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich City in the second of their four back-to-back away games. The Red Devils started the run of games away from home with a grinding win against Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League in midweek, securing their first away win since March of this year.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking to continue that good form. A win will be vital for the the Red Devils, as it will help them climb up the table. However, it will not be an easy task.
The Canaries might be 19th in the table, but they gave Liverpool a run for their money in the very first game of the new season. Even though Daniel Farke's men lost the game, they gave a good account of themselves in the process.
Norwich then went on to defeat Manchester City in mid-September, but since then, they have been going through a wretched run form. Norwich are winless in their last four games since that victory against City, a period where they have lost three games and let in nine goals!
However, Solskjaer will be aware that Farke has the ability to cause Manchester United a lot of trouble on Sunday. The Norwegian will have to get his tactics and team selection right to secure the full three points at Carrow Road.
Here, we take a look at 3 things that Manchester United need to do to defeat Norwich City.
#3 Continue with a 3-4-1-2 formation
At the start of the season, Solskjaer shifted from his tried and tested 4-3-3 formation to a 4-2-3-1 formation. United got off to a flyer against Chelsea but failed to make the most out of the tactical change and slowly dropped down the league table, because of a string of poor results.
Against Liverpool, owing to a lack of options in midfield and a desire to stop the Reds' lethal front three, Solskjaer shifted to a 3-4-1-2 formation. And even though United did concede a late goal in the game, the defense looked stronger and more composed.
Against Partizan Belgrade in midweek, the Norwegian continued with the same formation and earned his first away win of the season.
Solskjaer must stick with the same shape against Norwich too, and there are quite a few reasons why. First, the defense looks tighter; the switch in shape at the back has significantly improved the defenders' performance.
The formation also allows for good wing play, as both wing-backs can venture forward with the assurance of an extra defender behind them. And last but not least, it allows United to attend to their lack of midfield options, thus playing to the club's strengths.
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#2 Play counter-attacking football
Against Liverpool and Partizan Belgrade, United relied on fast breaks and counter-attacking football to catch the opposition off guard. In the Liverpool game especially, United were very impressive in the first half; only a lack of precision stopped them from scoring more.
Against Norwich too, Solskjaer must continue with the same tactics.
Because Norwich like to play open, attacking football, they leave a lot of open spaces behind that the opposition can exploit on the counter. Aston Villa made good use of those spaces to score five against the Canaries.
United should also aim to catch Norwich on the break and rely on counter-attacking football to win the game. The Red Devils have a fast front line, which enables them to make the lightning-quick transition from back to front. And if used properly, it could cause Norwich a lot of problems.
The Canaries have conceded the most number of goals in the league so far - 21 - and 11 of those have come at home. If Manchester United can take advantage of the opposition's hapless defense, they could come away with all three points.
#1 Play Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Daniel James together
In the past, Sir Alex Ferguson did everything necessary to fit in all his important players on the pitch. Solskjaer needs to do something similar against Norwich - he needs to ensure Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Daniel James all start the game.
Martial announced his return to the starting lineup by scoring the only goal in the midweek Europa League win. To say Manchester United have missed him would be an understatement because United have struggled to find goals in his absence.
With the Frenchman back in the team, Rashford and Daniel James can play their natural football and Martial can spearhead the goalscoring responsibilities. Rashford and Martial have not started together since August, but Solskjaer could use them as a two-pointed attack against Norwich.
In addition, James could start in the No. 10 role, where he could find a lot of joy between the lines.
Alternatively, the Norwegian could also use the three of them as a front three. When they start together, Manchester United have blistering pace on the counter, which should be enough to secure three points against the Canaries.
