Newcastle United 3-0 Manchester United: Newcastle combine high pressure and long balls
The starting line-ups
Newcastle gave an excellent performance to overpower Manchester United, and inflict their second straight defeat.
Alan Pardew gave Shola Ameobi a start upfront, which hinted that Newcastle would play more direct than usual. He also used Ryan Taylor in an unusual narrow right-sided midfield role, with Davide Santon at left-back.
Sir Alex Ferguson went with Dimitar Berbatov after his good run of form, with Wayne Rooney restored to the side. Antonio Valencia was at right-back, and the midfield partnership was Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick, the combination which Ferguson used during the Champions League knockout stages last year.
This was essentially a very simple game – two fairly standard 4-4-2s doing battle. Manchester United’s problems in the centre of midfield can be considered on a wider scale, but this match primarily came down to two factors.
High press
In his post-match interview, Pardew was clear on why he thought Newcastle succeeded. “We won today because we controlled the game in terms of what we wanted to do. We wouldn’t let them play, I thought we took a bit of a gamble in terms of a high press on them, and then physically and aerially we had an advantage, and we capitalised on that.”
It’s as succinct and accurate a summary as you’ll ever get from a manager, and Pardew should take much of the credit for this display. Manchester United made individual mistakes in the defeat to Blackburn, but here they were thoroughly outplayed.
Starting with the high press, there were two reasons why this worked well for Newcastle. First, it meant the midfield battle was frantic, fast-paced and scrappy. This doesn’t suit Ferguson’s side – when they play two ‘passers’ in the centre, rather than a more energetic player like Anderson or Darren Fletcher, they need the game to be calm, slow and thoughtful, rather than a warzone. The most obvious example of this was in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season. In the first half they controlled the tempo and were 1-0 up, but when Chelsea hit them with force, Carrick and Paul Scholes couldn’t cope.
That game was also similar in terms of being 4-4-2 v 4-4-2, and the formations, whilst not a crucial factor, were of importance – it meant Newcastle could close down United in midfield without fear of being passed around. It’s far easier to press 2 v 2 than 2 v 3. A lot of balls were won in standard defensive midfield positions, but there was also a willingness to press higher up.
United attackers
On that note, the positioning of Rooney must be questioned. He seemed to stay high up the pitch and expect service, whereas dropping deeper would have been much more promising – potentially drawing a defender out from the back, or getting himself free in space. That said, Newcastle did well to remain compact, with the defence pushing much higher up the pitch than they’ve been used to this season.
Most impressively, they were brave enough to hold a high line even when Ferguson introduced the pace of Javier Hernandez – the back four worked excellently as a unit and caught Hernandez offside three times in his 25 minute spell – he only completed two passes.
Long balls
The second key tactic was Newcastle’s use of long balls – quite obviously, this contributed to the first goal (finished superbly by Demba Ba) and the third (turned into his own net by Phil Jones).
Without Nemanja Vidic, United are vulnerable at the back in a different way. With the Serb in the side, they dropped very deep and were prone to shots from distance. With a more mobile player like Jones (or Chris Smalling), they can play higher up the pitch, but are less secure in the air. Pardew recognised that and exploited it well.
Tim Krul kicked the ball long almost every time he had it, whilst Ameobi played as a simple battering ram, winning balls in the air and attempting to flick them on towards Ba. Jones tried to stay very tight to Ameobi, leaving Rio Ferdinand behind covering, and picking up Ba. It was often incredible how deep Ferdinand played, meaning the distance between the centre-backs was huge.
It was also surprising that Jones was so poor in the air. He’s very inexperienced, of course, but this is a player who was brilliant on his Blackburn debut by getting the better of Didier Drogba when it came to aerial battles. If you can cope with Drogba, you should be able to cope with Ameobi. The wind clearly didn’t help, and Jones deserves more chances at the back.
Conclusion
It seems patronising to propose that the reason Newcastle won was about “being physical”, but as Pardew acknowledged, it was a key factor. The away side didn’t have enough strength in the centre of the pitch, and were also weak at the back.
An equally important factor was the bravery of Newcastle’s positioning without the ball – they pressed up high and pushed Manchester United back – Rooney and Berbatov were barely involved and were both removed, and Hernandez had little impact. It was a particularly admirable tactic because Newcastle are usually much more submissive in the defensive phase of play, but Pardew saw the opposition’s weakness and exploited it well.
Why all african players are called djemda?
Eric djemba djeba, djemba ba, djembachelis, and kleberson
All name is so popular over in there.
Very nice article, i will recommend it onto my forums for others to read! Frosty.
why all nordic people are called olaf?
Yes, and why al spaniards called Pedro?
Same reason all Germans are called Fritz or Muller.
And all English football fans are called Chav or Gazza.
and all morons Icelander83? beats me.
Think Fergie might have been better off bringing Hernandez on early with Newcastle pressing so high. A bit of pace in behind wouldn’t have hurt. Also noticeable how many times the 2 United centre backs were isolated against the 2 strikers. No full back or midfield cover.
It is obvious for anyone with a clue, that only a left footed striker was going to score for Man United last night.
I have watched almost all MUFCS games this year on tv, so i know tactics more than you. Hernandez is right foot, so would not have score.
Are you Iceland’s answer to duncanjenkinsfc?
I dont know what you mean, but nice way to answer for your poor tactic mistakes
haha
Well, ZM, can you think of any other EPL teams well equipped to take on MU in that same way?
dearieme – Norwich and Stoke? Think they could cause problems. They play physical and direct, similar to Newcastle. Also, Andy Carroll would have had a lot more joy than he did against city!
Don’t think Stoke or even Norwich can match-up that way…Stoke maybe on the physical side, but some of the offensive things Newcastle did can’t be duplicated. Like Ba is able to receive the ball off his chest/feet, face-up almost any defender and take him on or waiting for support. Some of the intangibles that a Tiote offered (who by the way has his tackle game progressed to the point of habitual card winner to Song-like ball-winning monster). I could see an Arsenal being able to play this brand of ball should Henry be available during the match-up. Newcastle has some pedigree at their disposal; Santon, Ryan Taylor and Gutierrez are no throw-aways.
I agree that Stoke and Norwich or anyone would struggle to do as well as Newcastle, but I think they can play similarly. I don’t know whether they would be willing or able to press that high all game and as you said, Demba Ba is excellent and I thought he dropped of Ameobi well to help out and get the ball in space. Tiote is still too eager to win the ball sometimes but maybe has improved, although he actually looked poor against West Brom in his first game back. He was class against Man U though. Arsenal could stop Man U playing but they wouldn’t trouble them too much aerially.
When I saw the team sheets I thought that perhaps Fergie would have played slightly differently and deployed Carrick and Jones in reverse positions to give more power and bite in midfield. Clearly there is a huge hole in United’s midfield with Fletcher and Hargreaves out of the picture and there is no obvious candidate to fill it other than Jones, especially in the scrappier style of the Premier League.
Zm, I too noticed that Taylor played a very narrow role in Newcastle’s midfield yesterday. Interestingly Guttierez did the same thing in their previous encounter against Liverpool from the left – it was clear he had been told to double up on Gerrard.
Ultimately that may not have worked at Anfield but tonight his decision to use Ameobi upfront for an extra physical presence worked extremely well – I believe Jones only won 1 header all game?
As much as Demba Ba will get praise for again scoring a goal, as much as anything i am continually impressed by his work rate. Against Liverpool he played as the lone striker but was often isolated due to Vuckic playing too deep and being over run, but last night at times when out of possession Ba played in the hole and every single time Michael Carrick got on the ball, he was immediately pressed by Ba, who was clearly told to stop him dictating the game. Good tactics from Pardew and great effort by Ba to perform that role so well i thought.
Overall i think Coloccini was outstanding at the back and the work rate of Newcastle, particularly from Cabaye and Tiote was very impressive. It’s clear united still lack penetration, particularly in central areas.
Once again a very good report – keep up the good work!
If anyone’s interested I did a blog on this game too: http://thompsontalkstactics.wordpress.com/
I did feel hat Park’s drifting also gave Taylor more space than necessary as well. Fergie’s solution to the lack of energy in the middle seemed to be Park. It did not prove to be sufficient and , at times, with Nani Going high up, changed United to a 4-3-3. This in turn meant Evra did have to push up to keep the team wide, and Ameobi drifted to the left. The first goal was case in point.
With no energy in midfield there, it was just too easy for Ba, who sometimes dropped deep to win the ball.
ZM, I have to disagree with you in respect to Carrick in the linked Guardian article; I do not think he has the ability to provide an adequate solution to United’s lack of a ‘passer’ in central midfield. Given time, he’s an average distributor of the ball, and when given the luxury of virtually no pressing whatsoever, he’s a little better than that. Yet this simply is not what United need; when Carrick plays in ‘big’ games, such as the Champions League final and even notable ties against Liverpool in the past few years, he’s suffocated because he does not have the ability to hold the ball under pressure. While Xavi, Iniesta, or Scholes at his best, could neatly turn away from challenges and make room for themselves, Carrick simply does not have the ability to do so, while also lacking the vision and awareness of an Alonso, who can compensate for a lack of quick feet with sharp, short, passes into dangerous areas to drag his opponents out of position.
United need a passer, and Carrick most certainly is not, and can not be the answer.
Of course, Newcastle were superb; O’ how Ferguson must wish he had players such as Cabaye and Tiote at his disposal.
I agree with you disagreeing on Carrick. He is good but with a team with such a reputation and demanding performances he isnt up for it. Carrick is like an Evans…good defender but not United material..
they can only use the players they have, no?
You are very harsh on Carrick, his passing is fantastic, he rarely gives the ball away, and has a footballing brain (rare for an english midfielder). He also has fantastic positioning, which is why he can also play CB, he is allways in the right place at the right time.
He isnt world class because he cant dribble (a quality the likes of xavi possess which is very important) and lacks pace, which means he can be caught on the ball. He also isnt very versatile, which means he has to play as the holding midfielder really, higher up the pitch he loses his influence. And strangely he seems to lose confidence rather easily, strange when his position is one that rarely gets recognised anyway.
Very well said and I couldn’t agree more. But I would extend that same criticism to Alonso, as it is his inability to cope with high pressing that has caused Real Madrid to suffer so greatly against Barcelona, and Alonso always seems to have his worst game of the season against them.
More than anything, I think nowadays teams need a central midfielder to always be involved in the game and always get the ball no matter what kind of pressure they are under. So I think a little bit of passing range can be sacrificed for a player that can handle the pressing by a quick dribble to bypass the press and then playing a simple pass to the attackers. I am thinking of players like Banega, Modric, or Montolivo. These players cannot claim to have a better passing range than an Alonso or a Carrick, but they will always consistently provide the ball to their attacking teammates to do the main creating.
When you think about it, if you bypass the main press of a Barcelona per say you can create a chance by simple distribution to the attacking players. Take a look at what team gives Barcelona the most problems. It is Valencia, and that is no coincidence. It is down to Ever Banega.
A new breed of central midfielder may emerging, as a natural reaction to the success of Barcelona, as teams search for the right formula to quell their dominance. The fascinating thing about this sport is that it seems to evolve so quickly and era’s seem to last no longer than a few years!
Ps. Sorry for this rant guys, got a little carried away!
well, I am not a huge Man U follower so I haven’t even seen that many of Carrick’s games – my luck seems to have been to mostly see Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Scholes in prior years, and when I saw them this year Cleverly played.
But, I think that the words of Xabi and Xavi, quoted by Mr. cox on espn (http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/7392726/michael-cox-how-michael-carrick-inspired-manchester-united-resurgence-epl ), should suffice to demonstrate that your opinion is not universally shared by people who know what they’re talking about.
Newcastle – Were fantatsic defensively, Collicini and Williamson won everything in the air, while Man united strikers didnt produce enough movement to create chances, probably the best way of scoring against this partnership. Simpson did well to push forward, with no direct oponent, and create good overlaps down the right. Santon was up against nani and had a harder time, but dealt wth him admirily with the help of gutierrez. Santon should devolop into a good fullback and looks a good prospect.
In midfield, they all worked extremely hard. Taylor was basically given the task of tracking park, and did this well, nullifying Park, but didnt offer anything going forward himself, though had Simpson overlapping anyway. Cabaye and Tiote were a fantastic partnership, defending there back four exceptionally and using the ball excellently. Cabaye controlled the game with his passing and made a lot of interceptions, while tiote pressed carrick relentlessly and disrupted Man united’s whole game. A midfield duo good enough for man united…
Gutierrez played good game too, tracking back to help with nani and Valencia, but also getting forward to provide a link to the forward two. He was newcastles attacking outlet, leading attacks forward and playing some good long balls to the forward two.
Up front, the two strikers played well, Ameobi dominated Jones at the back (a very underrated player nowadays, and an excellent target man) winning most headers, while Demba Ba fed off these balls using his pace, easily getting the better of Ferdinand.
Overall, Newcastle played very narrow and compact, rarely attacking down the wings and creating a good shield to there defense in midfield. It was an excellent defensive performance from the defense and the midfield. But they also managed to threaten going forward, with Cabaye and Tiote distributing the ball well, with either long balls to Ameobi or balls out to Gutierrez who carrtied the ball forward well.
Alan Pardew easily won the tactical battle here and should be highly praised for his courage.
Man United – Were awful in this game, with there weaknesses brutally exposed.
In defense, Jones was completely dominated by Ameobi, but can be forgiven as he is still learning the game. But Ferdinand was a joke, taking up poor positions to try and deal with Ba’s pace and outmuscled on every occasion. The fullbacks werent really up agianst any opponent so bombed forward and were Man Uniteds biggest chance of scoring. Evra got lots of room to run into and dealt with Simpsons runs forward well, he was the only player giving width on the left. While Valancia did a good job too, pressing forward a lot to create overlaps and played some good crosses. But while he pushed gutierrez back a few times bu getting forward, he didnt really defend well against him. But while both fullbacks got into good attacking positions and played some good balls, they were pointless as every ball was won by the newcastle defence in the air. This was the fault of the strikers.
In midfield, Giggs and Carrick were poor, not defending there defense enough and not controlling the game. Giggs didnt press cabaye enough (not really his game) which let Newcastle set the tempo, though he did makes some good runs forward. While Carrick wasnt aloud space or time by tiote, so couldnt get the ball forward to his team mates or set the tempo hiself. Carrick should have looked to drop deeper, to help out his CB’s and also see if Tiote would follow him high up the pitch. And Man United needed anderson out there, they seem to really be missing his energy and strength. The midfield was just cut through far too easily. Sir Alex Ferguson seemed to use Park narrow on the left to help out in the middle, but Taylor tracked him and did a good job on keeping him quiet. At the end of the day Park was too far away from goal and lacked the passing skills to get past Cabaye and Tiote.
Nani did a good job on the right, and was Man United’s biggest attacking threat. Joined by Valencia pushing forward, the right flank was used far more by Man United. But Santon and Gutierrez defended well, and any delivery into the box was dealt with well.
The strikers were Man Uniteds biggest diassapointment. Berabtov and Rooney and then Hernandez later on, were all very poor. Berbatov failed to win anything in the air, and thanks to Cabaye and Tiote wasnt getting any balls to his feet. Rooney played far too high up and let the game pass him by. He was inevitably dominated in the air by Collicini and faced the same probelm as Berbatov. Rooney should have dropped deeper and try and connect with Giggs and park, to see if the movement could open up the Newcastle defense. This was the best way Man United could open up Newcastle, and it was puzzling they didnt try this strategy. Herndandez could have been a threat with his pace in behind, but Man United werent given time or lacked the players to play the killer pass, and the Newcastle defense played the offside trap well.
Overall, Man United’s central defense was exposed, with jones losing the air and Ferdinand losing out in pace and strength. Man United couldnt dominate in midfield, though did threaten though evra on the left, and Nani and Valencia on the right. But this was wasted by poor movement from the strikers, especially Rooney. Newcastle basically bullied Man united in midfield and defense through strength, while Rooney had an off day, so they lacked creativity.
It shows there isnt a good option to replace Rooney, theres isnt a direct replacement, and without him the rest of the strike force doesnt work as well, maybe Man United have become too reliant on Rooney for all his brilliance…
Newcastle pressed very well and had the aerial threat what United couldn’t deal with. I was surprised how high the midfield pushed up. Cabaye and Tiote were literally always on Giggs and Carrick. This left a huge space between the back four and midfield four. Which was an enough space for Rooney to drop into and cause problems but he was just having off day.
Is Jones a covering defender or stopper?
Watching the the last 2 matches has proven to me that even the top managers enter into slumps. Sir Alex really has confused a couple of things (hard to believe it happens event to him).
First, Berbatov is a good forward but his chemistry is lacking, that’s just who he is.
Dare I say Sir Alex has misused Hernandez this year. United seemed to play best last year in a 4-4-1-1 with Rooney and Hernandez. Hard to believe we haven’t seen that for a full 90 minutes this season or at least it seems that way either due to injuries, subs, or rotations. Even the Goalkeepers are rotated.
It seems SAF is either trying to do too much, or please too many people/players. It could be a case of sticking with a starting 11, and to live and die with them if at all possible. Too much tinkering.
Newcastle really impressed with the pressing and work rate. It was non-stop. Great managing by Pardew.
I agree that Hernandez is misused somewhat. He is great with his running and intelligence without the ball and has a good finishing touch, but his play with the ball outside the box is average at best. He should be used as a player who makes room for the creator and occupies the centre backs. Or just finds space where Carrick/Giggs could find a through ball to him.
Its weird that Ferguson and Phelan want to use him in the role Welbeck/Berbatov play. He isn’t good at that and it doesn’t help the team. With two of Welbeck/Berbatov/Rooney playing upfront there’s no clear out and out striker and both drop deep and link up and then the tactics are justified. Although for some reason this didn’t work at all yesterday.
I don’t think that tinkering is the problem though. These players are used to that. In the last 4-5 seasons Fergie has started with the same starting eleven two games in a row just a couple of times. And the results have been very good. The fixture list is tough and rotation is key to having a fresh team playing every game. And even if the same 11 started, I think its best to change tactics depending on the opponents somewhat, otherwise weak spots in a team could be found out rather quickly.
And finding weak spots yesterday was what Newcastle did well. As a United fan its quite clear that Jones isn’t the strongest in the air – he has been rather average in that aspect in most games, winning some headers, losing others. Ferdinand is also just back from injury and probably not as fit as he was a few seasons ago. Putting these two under pressure with two good forwards was a good idea. Pressing high up the pitch was a risk as usually Rooney and/or Berbatov would drop deep and create a 3v2 in midfield, but somehow Newcastle was able to pressure United well enough that they couldn’t pass it from defense to midfield quite often, giving the ball back to Lindegaard, who played a long ball(United won 5 of 17 of those balls, but don’t really remember them maintaining possession after the first header – to be fair they aren’t targetmen and that kind of a game will never work with them). And Rooney/Berbatov didn’t find space deeper to get the ball from the defenders either.
But that pressing high up paid off for them and they got what they wanted out of it – Lindegaard putting long balls to three short forwards and Berbatov. None favorites to win long balls. Had Valencia played on the right, then the Valencia-Santon duel could’ve been one where United might have won and been able to relieve pressure.
You make an interesting point re: Lindegaard and his distribution. For all the criticism De Gea gets from some quarters, wasn’t his ability to play the ball with his feet a big reason he was signed as VDS’s successor? Like you said, the team isn’t set up to play long balls. I wonder what Lindegaard’s instructions were regarding his distribution.
Several excellent points.
Also, it’s a good learning point, it seems that one of the main problems from this match for Utd. is the players don’t know how to break the high press or at least didn’t execute that part well. If a team dares to press that high that much, there has to be a counterpoint.
Great performance by Newcastle. They are a very direct team (less so if Ben Arfa plays behind the striker, but usually we have 2 up top) so the key tends to be how well the centre backs handle the strikers. Clearly, Man U are going to miss Vidic but i was surprised at how poorly Ferdinand and Jones coped.
Also, I was surprised how high Newcastle pressed, as you stated this is not our usual style and I expected Man U to find space in behind the defence but it worked very well and they hardly had a shot.
Individually though, every Newcastle player did their job and defended properly, unlike at Liverpool and none of Man U’s players looked particularly threatening, which was my biggest surprise. I expected, in particular Nani and Valencia to be dangerous one on one but they did very little. I do think Santon at left back made a big difference. Ryan Taylor is not a proper defender and struggles against pace, as shown when up against Downing and Sturridge among others. Santon, although he’s only played a few games looks like a proper player who can defend and is comfortable on the ball. Very good article. Hope to see more on Newcastle.
Excellent analysis Michael. Newcastle’s high pressing game seemed to shock Utd. The fitness of the Newcastle midfield has to be commended as usually high pressing can lead to fatigue but Gutierrez and Tiote were still pressing till the death.
Hats of to Pardew.
It looks like the start of a rapid decline for the Ferguson era. The approach is stale – it looks like the old master resting on ideas that worked a while back, but not now.
Giggs, Park, Ferdinand and Evra are used to winning simply by showing up, but no one is scared of them now. Yeah they’re still good players, but their technical inability is being shown up, and Carrick is a product of thinking that speed is everything in a game of football. Rooney, when he doesn’t want to work, looks like a fatty (when Man U were thrashed by Barca in the CL final, Hernandez and Rooney hardly touched the ball) expecting it all to be done for him.
United doesn’t have a modern game. They have what worked three years ago, and teams who also have a three year old game get beaten by them – but Newcastle ran its guts out and pressed very hard which is a very modern approach, as opposed to pure counter-attacking.
AVB is trying to get CFC to do it, but they can’t either.
Ferguson will be gone either this or next season, if the Clob knows what’s good for it. A top European coach will be required and Man U will have to rebuild. CFC have the jump though, and Man City are dangerous simply by spending, so Man U won’t win much for a while.
This is a pretty broad and bold statement about Ferguson and Man United. I don’t think it is merely an issue of not having a “modern game,” but having the players available to implement the chosen tactical approach. Very few teams have the personnel to play the “very modern approach” which you describe as “pressing very hard” game after game. Barcelona can do it because they only have to defend for 30% of the match. As Pardew has said after the game, this was the only game this season when Newcastle has had all its best players on the field, and realistically speaking, it probably won’t happen too often. Manchester United, on the other hand, already had known midfield issues before the season began and due to injuries, lack midfielders who combine physical prowess with technical ability. Ultimately, I don’t think you can equate squad issues with an antiquated game, particularly on the basis of a couple of matches.
Giggs, Park, Ferdinand, Evra “technical inability”?? At least Giggs and Ferdinand have made their careers with outstanding technical ability–it’s why Giggs is still playing, along with his understanding of the game. Evra is a converted striker, so I don’t think his technique is terrible. And Park may have his limits, but he’s been good enough to play CAM for S. Korea….
I am not sure what you mean by Carrick being “a product of thinking that speed is everything in a game of football”; neither his physical attributes nor his style of play would back that up, while sadly, he actually would benefit from more speed.
MOST players “look like a fatty” when they are not willing to work…….and may I remind you, most strikers hardly touch the ball when their midfield is being dominated by Xavi and Iniesta….
And the reason AVB is struggling to change Chelsea’s approach is also down to personnel, e.g. Terry’s lack of pace.
Just think you’re jumping to conclusions a bit.
No more excuse, face it! Hats of to Pardew.
“Rooney, when he doesn’t want to work, looks like a fatty”: I’ve recently seen a photo of him where he looks like a Hibs midfielder of the late 60s, an era when gifted piemen still flourished in midfield. But they tended to have a better touch than Rooney showed against Newcastle. It’s interesting that NU didn’t use the tactic of getting a short-fused opponent sent off, as flourished recently at the hands of some side or other vs QPR.
I always love seeing these comments. Once people start underestimating United, its like the beckoning of a great storm. I see it all the time and have done for the past 20 years or so. “United don’t have a modern game.” You are absolutely right. They don’t play the way the “almighty” Barca do by overloading the pitch with midfielders to dick around and do passing drills for 90 minutes. They don’t play the “modern” game now, they didn’t play the “modern” game 10 years ago, they didn’t play the “modern” game 20 years ago. They play the Manchester United way. The football taught by Sir Matt Busby; the football taught by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Manchester United is simply the greatest club in the world and its proven by comments like yours. United are held in such high honor and with such reverence that if they lose just two in a row, people claim its “the start of a rapid decline”. United will bounce back just like they always do, like they always have.
yeah, another premface. Remember at WEMBLEY (England)? As you sow you reap bro.
I really like this site. You usually get sensible, lucid and balanced opinions, and I learn a lot from people’s viewpoints.
Then a fan boy like nWo4life comes along and ruins it all.
Go back to soccernet please.
and of course your perspective here is not colored by being a Man U fanatic or anything.
I was really surprised with Rooney and his lack of movement and thought in the game. The high press required him to drop back into midfield and create a 3 vs 2. Plus he is the one player who is rarely ever dispossessed when he has the ball which is what United needed in the middle. Create a triangle and get the ball away from the press and by-pass the pressers. Strange they didn’t try that.
Rooney really had a poor game. An aftereffect of him being fined and dropped in the earlier game maybe?
Wouldn’t it have been quite easy for Man Utd to override Newcastle’s direct, narrow play by simply fielding a three-man defense? Either pulling Carrick back or introducing someone like Smalling would give Manchester’s troubled defense a spare man (and, in Carrick’s case, a great means to play a passing game from the back), besides creating the ability for their wing backs to push forward and for a three-man central midfield to pass around Newcastle’s combative midfield duo (with Taylor forced to check Evra’s runs out wide more).
All of this ‘4-4-2 vs. 3-5-2/3-4-3′-stuff is fairly clear-cut knowledge, I suppose, but it doesn’t hurt to point it out.
Of course, Ferguson doesn’t really ‘do’ three at the back, but putting Carrick in the regista role in front of the back four would have worked nearly as well, with either Rooney dropping back or (with Giggs dropping back slightly as well) taking the wingers inside for more of a Villareal-ish line-up (or Man City if you will). I guess the players must take some blame for not employing this themselves, but in the end the manager is responsible and should’ve either a) instructed his players differently or b) substituted them. Ferguson remains an impressive manager, but this defeat is both bewildering and embarrassing.
Very decent point, that.
“I guess the players must take some blame for not employing this themselves”: but would MU players dare to do so without explicit instruction from Sir Odious?
I’m not so sure Ferguson is that kind of manager. Having read his diary, it seems likes his players to make decisions for themselves rather than have them rigidly stick to a plan. There are exceptions for one-off games but he generally trusts in his players ability and decision making to adapt ‘in-game’.
On DFFF’s point, what with the 4-4-2 being alive and well – whether this is a good thing or not is another matter – does anyone envisage some kind of comeback for 3 at the back?
Finally, I really do agree with ZM’s point in a recent article about how no English team can control a game anymore. It was quite strange to see Man Utd play in the way they did against Newcastle. There were some simple changes – in theory – that Ferguson could have made and a few years ago I think he would have. It’s continuing a trend from his suicidal team selection in the Champions League final.
I agree with you. A good manager or coach can teach you tactics and ask you to implement them. When things don’t work, the experienced guys (leaders) need to take charge and man the team and give them direction.
SAF will definitely appreciate the same as would a good manager, as long as the results are positive
Dear ZM,
Kudos to you for your brilliant Website, first and foremost. As a simple Portuguese fan and (not so good a) coach, I find it very strange when I turn on the telly on matchdays only to see the return of the 4-4-2 (or 4-4-1-1), with two banks of four. To be quite honest (and possibly, very ignorant), I thought we had gone past that. With all the tactical intricacies of today’s game, do you think that this evolution will be positive for the English clubes in the long haul? From a distance, it seems a huge step back, but what do I know?
Seems to come from the popularity of the 4-2-3-1, in essence the 4-4-1-1 isn’t very different. But I broadly agree. City and United played that way in Europe, and look what happened! Ta for compliments about the site
I think it might have something to do with what Ferguson said about using 4-4-2 when you play weaker sides, that you are going to have more of the ball anyway, so the extra midfielder doesn’t give the same advantage in possession. Naturally you’d expect United to be the side more on the front foot in this game, but Pardew got the better of Ferguson this time.
Also, there is so much pressure on United and City to win every game, and whilst playing 4-4-2 probably increases the risk of losing games which otherwise would have been draws (compared to variants with 5 men in midfield), I think they also increase the chance of getting wins in games which otherwise would have gotten you draws, which is in the end what wins you titles in the league (Arguably United felt the pressure to get a win after City’s win against Liverpool).
But yeah, its odd that they play 4-4-2 in knockout competitions. Ferguson used to play five men in midfield more in the big games, and more often now he plays 4-4-2 in those games. Maybe its about continuity of the system, that they sacrifice playing the superior system in the big games, in order to play a formation that they are more comfortable playing in, don’t know.
Great site and interesting analysis as always ZM!
/Demion
United missed Evans.
Usually when Vidic is unavailable Evans is the player who dominates aerially. It is not a coincidence that he has missed the last two games and United have conceded six times after keeping so many clean sheets with Evans in the team.
He is in the same camp as Carrick – he performs a crucial role very well, but has become a scapegoat for ignorant fans who “don’t understand what he does.”
While I don’t believe Evans is the key factor in allowing so many goals, I do agree he’s been missed, especially in the air. Newcastle took advantage of United playing two center-backs who aren’t used to the position. Yes, both claim center-back as their favored positions, but Rio has been injured and Jones hasn’t played center-back in ages. Sir Alex has played him at full-back and center-midfield for the majority of the season so he was rusty anchoring the defensive line. Evans is a good player but makes poor decisions positionally at times and can be mistake-prone. I feel like once all the minor injuries are done with, United will be a much stronger team, especially in midfield with Cleverley and Anderson.
Maybe Evans wouldn’t have helped to prevent all of those six goals, but it is interesting to note how many of them came from long balls or crosses. The United defence consistently failed to deal with high balls in both games.
pft. I’m not a Man U fan and have no vested interest in Evans either way. I’d like to think I’m knowledgeable about the game. but the fact remains:
I have literally never (in a sample size of maybe 15 games) seen Evans pay well.
As ZM points out in the article, Jones has played well in the air before against high-quality opposition, and so I would anticipate this was an off game.
From a neutral standpoint I would like to see Jones and Smalling paired at the back – two young guns of English football (I am not English) who are mobile, skilled on the ball, and ready to step up. They could be the next Hummels and Subotic.
Great pic! Seriously. Can I use it here? windermere hotels
This is one of the best articles I’ve read on here, I’ve watched the game twice now and agree with all of your points. As a United fan I would additionally make the points that Park looks past it now, his engine was always his defining quality, compensating for his lack of physical stature or great technique but it’s starting to go now, he was absent in covering down the left wing a few times in this match even though he’s supposedly a “defensive” winger. Phil Jones has never looked good at centre-back yet, but they had no other option for an aerial centre back with all the injuries.
It’s also worth stressing the wind, a part of my roof in northern England fell off during this match and in a simultaneous fixture a goalkeeper scored.
Will this lead United to go after players in the transfer window – http://www.footballclubrankings.com/2012/01/january-transfer-window-pontential-club-moves/ Let me know your thoughts?
http://opitacoboleiristico.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/limite/
When Messi’s achievements will have an end? Where is his limit?