After six years of waiting, United are once again on the podium of the title. Ten Hag beat Eddie Howe in terms of opening arrangements and on-the-spot adjustments, and won a tactical victory to allow the team to win the final smoothly.
There are a lot of players in this Manchester United team to boast about, but the most important thing is that the team does not play around one person, this is 11-man football.
01. Tactical game: Ten Hag's defensive details are exactly the strong point of Newcastle
A. Casemiro and Fred transposition is a brilliant move
From previous matches, Casemiro was more in a left-sided back position, with Fred on the right. However, Manchester United let Casemiro come to the left in order to limit the point of St. Maximin.
At the same time, Fred collected the middle of the road, B fee to protect Luke Shaw's side, in terms of details, Ten Hag took a lot of effort.
There were certain problems with the use of Dalot at the starting right-back, so the half-time replacement of Wan-Bissaka was also a timely self-correction by Ten Hag.
Casemiro's biggest contribution at the back is really not a direct tackle, he is important in the choice of defensive positions and card lines, always making Saint-Maximin lose the possibility of cutting inside.
Fred is not the point to withstand strong side attacks, it will be much better for him to swim, after all, he has a certain flexibility and hard work.
Casemiro stuck in the ribs, Saint-Maximeche's dribble was a bit of a mistake and barely passed the ball, but Fred stuck in position and did not allow Guimaraes to get a shot from behind.
Newcastle's attack relies heavily on the ball at the attacking speed point (Almiron, Saint-Maximin, and Isaac, who came on in the second half).
Manchester United's full-backs even decisively retracted when defending, making up for the space left by the midfield line before they had time to retreat. This time Dalot fouled St. Maximin very decisively, and it was left-back Luke Shaw who filled in the back position behind him.
If Dalot's introduction with the opposite St. Maximin is due to point-to-point duty, then Luke Shaw in the back position is the result of the coach's tactical arrangement.
b. Manchester United's biggest problem defending in the first half: Dalot was a bit tight
In terms of attacking opportunities, it was Newcastle who had more opportunities in the first half, and they created a more threatening positional attack.
However, Manchester United had all five shots on target, and the striker's good feeling was a bit surprising.
As mentioned above, Manchester United's defensive logic is mainly Casemiro protecting on the right. Fred gains some freedom to alleviate the problems caused by his poor placement options.
At the same time, after Luke Shaw came out, the retreat of B fee was very important. Despite the player's average defensive skills, his running efficiency and sense of responsibility are good, and this time he switched directly to a left-back, which is also an example.
Newcastle's good chances almost all came from crosses from the right (led by Trippier). This time, B fee followed the ribs of the box, so the quality of Longstaff's cross can only be said to be average.
The key is that after St. Maximin took the ball, they could tease Dalot so easily, and if it weren't for De Gea's bravery, Manchester United would not have been able to do it.
02. Suddenly 2-goal lead! A bit of a surprise, but also the result of the lives of the three armies
Manchester United's goals: Many have a certain suddenness
As you can see from the heat map, Manchester United's disadvantage is obvious, and De Gea's busyness is also clear.
Manchester United's goal came a little without warning, Casemiro used his personal ability to grab a header and score, allowing Manchester United fans to feel Real Madrid's "reversed" winning mode.
The second goal that followed, after a mistake in the centre circle, was followed by Westhorst pushing forward with the ball to give Marcus Rashford's speed advantage.
Portman accidentally rubbed his way, leaving Karius helpless, and United instantly established a 2-0 lead.
This Manchester United team has always been able to score first in the disadvantage recently, on the one hand, the defensive load-bearing ability is strong, it is not easy to lose the ball casually, and naturally can wait for the magic stroke of the striker.
On the other hand, it is also the result of the team's high morale, and if you have the confidence to win, you will enter a virtuous circle.
b. Victory comes from the triumvirate: this is the 11-man Red Devils team
You must know that one minute before Manchester United scored their second goal, it was precisely the central striker Westhorst who retreated into his own penalty area, limiting the Newcastle player's shooting opportunities.
This Manchester United squad is very hard, so it is not easy for the opponent to score goals, and it is not so surprising that this side can seize some seemingly accidental chances.
Of course, under the overall efficient operation, it is naturally inseparable from the excellent performance of individual star players.
Casemiro didn't just contribute the crucial goal to break the deadlock, he was as important to this Manchester United team as Marcus Rashford.
This was supposed to be Newcastle's counter-attacking chance, but Casemiro and Lima switched positions beautifully, leaving the other side without the possibility of moving forward.
Casemiro then destroyed the ball twice in a row, turning Newcastle's counter-attack into a positional battle.
Let's look at this wave of offensive and defensive conversions, after Anthony broke the ball, Casemiro launched a counterattack.
Westhorst, who had the ball up front, dribbled the ball into the heart of the opponent and the Dutchman fired a direct blast after Marcus Rashford's movement drew the defensive attention.
Although saved by Karius, Manchester United's counter-attack this wave was of high quality. From the one-man defense to the straight plug of the offensive and defensive conversion, to the mobile cover of the no-ball man on the front line, it has played a high overall level.
03. See the tricks! Newcastle's counter-attack was nipped in the bud
A. Manchester United's defence was more successful in the second half: Newcastle were hard to do
Replacing Wan-Bissaka at half-time was really important, and he contributed seven tackles, one interception and two clearances at half-time.
Looking at B Fei and Westhorst, both have 3 steals and 1 interception, it is not surprising that Newcastle can't break through Manchester United's defense.
After Isaac came on, Newcastle had a number of people who could take the ball at speed. He and St. Maximin took turns taking the ball, just to relay the ball forward (a bit of rugby propulsion).
However, Saint-Maximin is obviously less confident in the defense against Wan-Bissaka, and coupled with Casemiro's repeated visits to fill in the position, his number of mistakes is also increasing.
This time it is the same reason, Wan-Bissaka can keep up with St. Maximin at his feet, and is not as easy to be passed by Dalot. When Casemiro leaned in again, the Newcastle winger was very uncomfortable.
His passing itself is not very good, and the frequent mistakes have made United's defence a lot easier.
b. Should Ronaldo be awarded a gold medal? This is Manchester United with 11 men
The last time United won the trophy was the minor treble of the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield won by Jose Mourinho in charge in 2016-17.
Before they knew it, six years had passed and they had finally regained their 11-man team efficiency and once again reached the championship podium.
Because there are still three more gold medals for the English League Cup winner, Manchester United have the right to decide whether to issue one to Cristiano Ronaldo.
After all, on the way to the championship, the latter still gave the team a lot of help.
Conclusion:
For a losing team, there will always be all kinds of troubles. On the road to success, there are always traces of work that need to be done well.
From fighting alone to today's 11-a-side team football, Manchester United's progress is simple to say, but it is not easy for Ten Hag to do it.