Man Utd have tightened up against Big Six rivals but has it cost them in attack?

Published on: 19 January 2021

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has learned plenty since being thrust into the Manchester United hotseat a little over two years ago, but perhaps his most important lesson came against Tottenham last October.

Leading 1-0 inside two minutes at Old Trafford, United quickly found themselves 2-1 down. Then it was 3-1, then 4-1, then 5-1 and, finally, six.

There was a mitigating factor on that chastening afternoon, however, with Anthony Martial sent off in the 28th minute for slapping Erik Lamela. Spurs went on to score four of their goals against United's 10 men.

It would have been easy to blame his side's humiliating capitulation on Martial's moment of madness, but Solskjaer seems to have taken more from his side's display than anyone could have anticipated.

In four Premier League games against their traditional Big Six rivals since, United have conceded just once - a penalty against Arsenal - and kept three clean sheets, the latest of which came against Liverpool on Sunday.

While suffering defeat at home to a talented Spurs side led by pumped-up former United boss Jose Mourinho was understandable with 10 men, the openness with which his side continued to play - and the defensive mistakes they made - were unacceptable to Solskjaer.

'It's very embarrassing, it hurt all the players,' the Norwegian admitted after the final whistle. 'It hurts me as the manager. It's my worst day ever.

'I'll hold my hands up, I'm responsible for this. I've lost 5-0 with United and we've lost 6-1. We've lost big results before and always bounced back.

'I promise we'll do everything we can to turn this around. We know how good they can be but today all our mistakes came almost like Christmas everything at once and if you make too many mistakes against a good team and you'll be punished.'

Avoiding another embarrassment like that and, more importantly, just staying in the game has taken on a far greater importance for Solskjaer in the wake of that result.

Three weeks after the Tottenham debacle, United battled to a 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea, who at the time were in the middle of what would end up being a 17-game unbeaten run.

A week after that, there was a 1-0 defeat by Arsenal at Old Trafford, although the Gunners failed to find a breakthrough in open play and needed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's penalty to seal a narrow win at Old Trafford.

In December, Solskjaer's side ground out another draw against a potential title rival as they nullified noisy neighbours City in another 0-0 at home.

And it was the same story on Sunday at Anfield, with Harry Maguire and Co keeping out the champions with relative ease to earn another clean sheet and what could prove to be an important point.

It is no coincidence that United have played more cautiously and defended deeper in games against teams they expect to be battling with for either the title - or at least a Champions League spot - come the end of the season.

In contrast to those clean sheets against City and Co are the goals they have conceded to teams towards the wrong end of the table since the defeat by Spurs.

Rock-bottom Sheffield United and 12th-placed Leeds both managed to score twice against the Red Devils in December, while Newcastle, West Ham, Aston Villa and Everton have also found the back of the net during defeats by United.

This pattern encapsulates how United have generally approached the big - and not-so-big - games since Harry Kane and Spurs ran riot at Old Trafford.

Against teams they expect to beat, Solskjaer encourages his side to get on the ball and dominate possession. He wants Maguire and his central defensive partner, usually Victor Lindelof but more recently Eric Bailly, to push forward and play a higher line.

He knows that in Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood and Martial he has some of the most dangerous attacking players in the division, particularly with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba pulling the strings behind them.

There is often less wariness in his midfield selections, too. While defensive-minded duo Scott McTominay and Fred are virtually the first names on the team-sheet when playing one of the Big Six, against other sides Solskjaer plays with more freedom.

Pogba and Fernandes are much more likely to be found in the same midfield against a side in the bottom half, while the likes of Juan Mata and Daniel James increasingly get their minutes against sides who pose less of an attacking threat.

Those tactics have resulted in more goals being scored, but also conceded, in games against sides who are unlikely to be finishing towards the top of the table.

An exception to the rule came in Boxing Day's 2-2 draw with high-flying Leicester, with United having marginally less possession but twice as many shots on target as their opponents in what was a surprisingly open game between two title rivals.

The two goals Solskjaer's side scored that day at the King Power Stadium remains double their total in league games against their Big Six rivals this season, however, leading to questions over the former Molde boss' methods.

Is sitting back, soaking up pressure and trying to play on the counter attack really the United way? And is it even working properly against the top teams?

In terms of goals, the answer is most definitely no. Fernandes' early penalty against Spurs in October remains the only time United have struck against the Big Six in six games this season, including a Carabao Cup semi-final against City.

And despite forcing Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson into two excellent saves on Sunday afternoon, Solskjaer admitted frustration over his side's lack of killer instinct.

'They are a good side and they have some injury problems but we didn't pounce on that,' he said following the 0-0 at Anfield.

'I felt we grew into the game and got stronger and stronger and were closer to winning.

'We were a bit disappointed in the performance, not just the result. We didn't do well enough to cause them problems in the first half but we defended well and they didn't create too many chances.

'But I think everyone was a bit disappointed with the way we started the game but that is a good feeling to have - that we were disappointed in the performance.'

While Solskjaer's post-match quotes suggest his side didn't perform exactly how he wanted during the opening period, it seemed obvious that they were trying to play on the break, using Rashford's pace to get through Liverpool's high line.

It may have worked too, if only the England striker had kept himself onside more often, while United fashioned the best chances after the break despite Jurgen Klopp's men continuing to dominate possession.

Former United defender Gary Neville, speaking in his role as a commentator for Sky Sports, kept urging his old side to get on the ball and build attacks from the back, claiming the hosts were 'there for the taking'.

And while that may not have not been completely true, there can be no denying that United's attacking threat has suffered because they commit fewer men forward and take fewer risks in the big games, instead relying on a quick breakaway to score.

Many saw Sunday's game with Liverpool as a must-not-lose, rather than must-win for United - and they achieved that to keep their place at the top of the table.

But if Solskjaer wants to take his side to the next level, clean sheets alone may not be enough in the biggest of games.

Source: m.allfootballapp.com

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