Before the battle against Tottenham, Manchester United had drawn 1 and lost 3 in the last 4 rounds of the league. The 5-0 defeat to Liverpool in the last round also put Solskjaer in a deep crisis. Fortunately, in a desperate situation, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally changed! He abandoned the 4231 he had been holding on to instead of 3 centre-backs, 3412. Varane's timely comeback also makes this change logical.
After the start of the new season, Manchester United mainly played offensive football and strengthened pass control, but it did not take shape, the offensive efficiency was not high, and it was easy to concede goals in the front. However, the effect of high-level pressing is not good, and it is frequently counter-attacked by opponents, easily passing through the midfield and directly threatening the back line. Before Varane was injured, United's defensive line was able to overcome dangers repeatedly. Although there are very few clean sheets, the league average conceded only 1 goal per game, which is still within the acceptable range.
However, after Varane was injured, Lindelof returned to the starting lineup, and Harry Maguire had just recovered from injury and was still in a period of adjustment, so the overall ability of the defensive line declined, there were repeated low-level mistakes, staring at people was not tight, the running position was chaotic, and overlapping. In their last three games, United have conceded 11 goals, averaging 3.7 goals per game!
As a result, after losing to Liverpool, Conte became the biggest favorite for The new Manchester United manager. The Italian coach is a master of 3 centre-backs, and once he joins Manchester United, he will definitely switch to 3 centre-backs, which is required by the situation and personality. Now, Conte is not coming for a while, but the effect of the 3 centre-backs is on display in this game of strong dialogue (rookie pecking each other).
With three centre-backs at the back, United's two wing-backs can confidently and boldly press high up front. Even if they fail to steal the ball, United's midfield still has a second line of defence, and today United's two backs have clearly played harder. The foul of the foul, the understep of the foot, especially The Scott McTominay, sent 4 steals, 2 clearances, 1 interception, 3 passes, and the pass success rate was as high as 92%. Even if Spurs pass through midfield, there is still the last line of defence led by Varane behind them.
Although Lindelof and Maguire are not stable enough, Varane is as reassuring as ever. As long as Varane comes to defend a lot of attacks, It's basically difficult for Spurs to get half a bargain. At the end of the game, Varane freed the siege 6 times, the highest in the whole game. In addition, there was 1 steal and 1 interception, 28 passes and 25 in place. A good centre-back can also improve the level of his partner, with Varane at his side, and Maguire is obviously much more stable in this game. He sent out five long passes and became the main attacking starting point at the back.
It is no exaggeration to say that United's backline is afraid of opponents fighting back. If they are allowed to stand still and wait for their opponents to attack, they are not afraid of any line of attack. If in the last round against Liverpool, Manchester United put on 3 centre-backs, honestly played counter-attacks, and gave up the high-level pressing of the fight. Even if it is a Bailey, it will not lose 0-5.
With the defence secured, United's goal will come sooner or later, as it is Cristiano Ronaldo and Cavani standing in front. Spurs can't attack for a long time and will inevitably eat back the back line. B fee 10 passes can be converted into goals as long as 1 is successful. In this game that no one can lose, Solskjaer finally chose to change the team and conjured up hope.
Through this game we can see that the idea of changing Conte is right, manchester United has the configuration to play 3 centre-backs. But it is also right not to change Conte, because his personality is too strong, and his ambitions will sooner or later contradict the top. If Solskjaer can learn his lesson, add more changes in tactics and don't stay the same, the real Red Devils fans still want him to lead The United revival. Just like Arteta, it is necessary to constantly reflect, adjust in time, find the best configuration, the most suitable way to play. After all, the team's lineup is there, the tactics are right, the record will certainly not be bad, not to mention that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still popular, and there is no backlog of contradictions in the dressing room.
There are two more tough battles to come, Atalanta and Manchester City. After 3-0 clean sheets for Tottenham, the crisis of the so-and-so-so has temporarily eased, if you can take Down Atalanta or even Manchester City, the position is basically stable again, GGMU!