Source: The Busby Babe
By Pauly Kwestel
Yes, this is just a tactical snapshot. I won't write a long article this week, but after reviewing the game, I noticed something and wanted to share it with you. Hope you like it.
Against Norwich, Lonnick chose to start exactly as he had before in his previous win over Crystal Palace, but United were not completely without changes.
In the match against Crystal Palace, Bruno was actually the one on the right in "Double 10", while Sancho on the left played the same role. The two players did get enough freedom to cruising around the pitch or even changing sides, but most of the time they still moved around the paper position.
By the time of the last game, the two swapped positions, with Sancho on the right and Bruno on the left. I'm sure Lonnick has his own reasons for doing this, and United fans are happy to see Sancho appear more on the right (we've seen it in Sancho's last two seasons with Dortmund, he can do it left and right, and there's no essential difference in creativity data. This season at Manchester United, Sancho's performances on the left and right are also similar).
In possession, Bruno and Sancho may not have much impact on the side, although Sancho will touch the ball less on the right, United's attacking left tilt remains unchanged, and more importantly, their performance in the no-ball stage.
As we all know, Rannick is a big fan of the 4-2-2-2 formation. He likes to push opponents up front and in order to do that, full-backs have to go up. As we saw in Manchester United's game against Crystal Palace, if the opponent tries to pull the edge of the striker and the backfield comes straight along the sideline to break the Manchester United's rush, then the Manchester United center-back has to follow the opposing striker to the side.
On this basis, the rest of the players in the team also have to make up for it. At this time, a centre-back is actually in the right-back position, and there will usually be a midfielder to fill the center-back position, allowing the team to continue to maintain the formation of four defenders. The No. 10 player on the same side has to be added to the midfield until the team has a chance to regroup.
There are also times when United don't push the opponent and the opponent pushes the ball into the Manchester United half, the centre-forward can pull the side to defend the side area.
When this happens, you'll usually see another centre-forward leaning over to fill the space left by his teammates, while a No. 10 will pull back to temporarily act as a centre-forward.
Of course, if they have that kind of make-up need up front, you'll see the same rotation.
The style of play of the midfielders will determine what situation they will be in. Fred is more likely to rush into the front and cause a loss of position, causing Scott McTominay to help him make up for it, and the Number 10 player on the right needs to withdraw to maintain the double midfield. Scott McTominay is more likely to leave where he should be in the game, so the No. 10 position on the right is prone to defensive problems.
Why is this issue worth paying attention to? First of all, Bruno is a no. 10 player who has had experience as a centre-back during his time at Sporting Portugal, sometimes in a three-midfield system and sometimes as one of two centre-backs. Sancho has always been an attacker.
In other words, when Bruno retreated into midfield, he was temporarily in the role he had played. If Sancho were to retreat, he would have to face a completely unfamiliar position. There are many nuances that he has not yet mastered, and mistakes are inevitable in the learning process.
This was seen in the first half of last Saturday. Norwich broke through the pre-emptive trap set by Fred and Tellys, leaving Fred in the front. McTominay made up for it, and Sancho retreated to midfield as required, but the inexperienced Sancho carried out the area defense and did not follow people. He never followed Lindelof's instructions to look at the no-ball player who was plugged into the box after the opposite side.
Lindelof thought his teammates would take over the player who was plugged in, so he continued to follow his goals. This was not the case, Rupp rushed into the box and left unattended, forced to change defenses Lindelof to the top, or a little slower.
Had it not been for Norwich, United would have been in a much worse position.
By the second half, the ball was still on the flanks and Fred was forced to cruise to the left side to support Telles. Despite United's partial numerical superiority, Scott McTominay leaned over... Anyway, he should have his own ideas, and it is difficult to say what exactly. Sancho retreated into midfield again, but this time he was completely isolated.
With a lot of space around him, Sancho (perhaps he realized it himself) again did not follow specific targets, but defended the area. Lindelof's header went straight to Rupp, and Sancho's position at this time was neither convenient for seeking defensive targets nor blocking the angle of the pass, of course, given that he had little experience in this position, such a scene could also be expected.
Norwich took advantage of the attack to get a decent shot on goal, and De Gea once again made a wonderful save to keep the goal.
Lonnick has only played two games since taking office, but we can already see that the No. 10 on the right will be slightly behind (probably because of more defensive tasks) and the No. 10 on the left will have more chances to hold the ball (and more times up front). This may be the reason why Sancho and Bruno switch sides, but the team must also be aware of the risks of doing so. Sancho alone didn't cause the problem, and if Greenwood were put on the bench, the same problem could arise.
We only have two games at the moment, but the key is for the coach to detect early, make the necessary adjustments and work with the players so that they know how to deal with such a situation. Everything takes time.
The issue didn't hurt United last weekend, but if the Red Devils were against a team stronger than Norwich, they could pay the price.