Manchester United – Liverpool: United Punished For Mistakes (0-3)

Manchester United showed some slight weakness in their pressing against a Liverpool side who have shown some encouraging signs in their possession game so far under Arne Slot. However, the decisive moments in this game were from individual mistakes on the ball, which allowed Liverpool to score three goals in transition.

Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.

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Manchester United were beaten late on against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, but needed to try and bounce back quickly for the subsequent visit of Liverpool to Old Trafford. Arne Slot’s side had won both of their opening games prior to this, overcoming Ipswich at Portman Road before a routine home win over Brentford.

Erik ten Hag gave starts to two more of his summer signings on this occasion, as Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee were added to the starting lineup. United fielded a back four of Noussair Mazraoui, De Ligt, Lisandro Martínez, and Diogo Dalot, while Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo were the double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 shape. Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford started on the wings, while Bruno Fernandes was the number ten behind Zirkzee.

Liverpool also lined up in a 4-2-3-1 system, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, and Andrew Robertson in defense. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister started in central midfield with Dominik Szoboszlai as the number ten. Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, and Luis Díaz then made up the forward line.

United show pressing weakness

Ten Hag has been rightly praised for the improvements made to United’s pressing system in the late stages of last season the early stages of this one. However, in this game, United’s pressing system did not meet this standard, and began to show vulnerability again.

They used a 4-2-2-2 shape once more, with the same idea of trying to prevent central passes and force the opponent wide. However, an initial problem was that there were some momentary errors in the positioning of Fernandes and Zirkzee that allowed Liverpool to thread some passes through the number six area too easily.

Liverpool also had a structural idea that posed challenges to United’s press on occasion. They often played with a relatively asymmetrical shape, with Alexander-Arnold frere to push forward on the right, whether that be wide or inverting.

Liverpool’s asymmetric shape posed some problems for United’s pressing. 

Robertson, on the other hand, often started quite deep, almost forming a back three with his center-backs on occasion. This had the effect of drawing Garnacho further forward in order to apply pressure.

This was met by Szoboszlai drifting out towards the left side for Liverpool, exploiting the space left behind by Garnacho. Casemiro had to attend to Mac Allister’s movements at least partially, while Mazraoui was often pinned back by Díaz’s movements into width and depth, once again weakening this area of the pitch for United. Liverpool also had some rotations here, as Jota could sometimes assume the role of Szoboszlai or Díaz in these structures.

While United’s pressing was subpar in this match, the eventually fatal moments resulted from individual errors from Casemiro, as two ball-losses inside United’s half led to Liverpool goals in transition, putting the visitors 2-0 up at half-time.

No comeback for United

Casemiro was replaced by Toby Collyer at half-time, as United tried to stage a second-half comeback. Any hope of this was dampened after ten minutes though, as Salah extended Liverpool’s lead to three. The goal arose from another transition attack, as Mainoo was isolated and dispossessed in midfield.

Despite the dire situation, United were able to create a few decent chances over the course of the second half, especially for Zirkzee, who probably should have ended the game with at least one goal.

Liverpool mostly defended in a mid-block during this game, especially in the first half. They would hold a 4-4-2 shape, and start their pressure from just inside United’s half. The home side struggled to find ways through this pressure, as long-term problems in United’s possession continued to present themselves.

The fullbacks were keen to attack, both through inverting movements and overlaps. Casemiro would usually be the deepest midfielder, while Mainoo took this role after Casemiro was swapped for Collyer.

The other central midfielder – Mainoo in the first half and Collyer in the second – is given freedom to play a box-to-box role. When this is combined with the advance of United’s fullbacks, the rest defense can be somewhat light.

United struggled against Liverpool’s mid-block in the first half. 

There were also issues with halfspace occupation at various points in this game. When Liverpool tried to press, they often moved into something of a 4-2-4 shape with the wingers pushing up. There were opportunities to use the spaces either side of Gravenberch and Mac Allister in these scenarios, but they were rarely occupied effectively by United’s forwards.

United still often seem to lack a clear plan for ball-progression when faced with a resolute mid-block such as Liverpool’s. There are no clear pre-planned movements, and occupation of key spaces can be inconsistent when players attempt positional rotations. United still often rely on chances to attack in transition, and struggle when this is removed.

They did get some joy on the wings in this game though, particularly later in the game when Liverpool’s pressing dropped off somewhat, and United were invited to attack. Amad Diallo gave a very strong cameo from the bench and was probably one of the only positive parts of the game for United.

Despite creating some decent chances, United ended the game without finding the net. The threat of a Liverpool counter-attack persisted throughout the second half, and Liverpool seemed almost as likely to extend their lead as United did to get a goal back. Overall, the away side were superior in most respects, and eventually saw out their 3-0 win.

Takeaways

While the scoreline was more attributable to individual errors than tactical matters, it is still the case that there are ongoing tactical issues for Ten Hag to solve at United. The pressing, which had shown signs of improvement, faced some problems again today, while long-term possession problems continued to be visible. The future for United is extremely unclear at present. Ten Hag narrowly survived a summer sacking based partly on demonstrating an ability to make an improvement to United’s defensive game, and he will need to show further problem-solving prowess in order for United to fulfil their ambitions.

Liverpool gave another accomplished performance under Slot. On this occasion, their transition play was what made the difference. Salah looks extremely sharp once again, and Slot seems to have given Gravenberch a new lease of life in central midfield. Their ability to move the ball cleanly through the lines has been impressive in these early stages, and things currently look quite promising for the post-Jürgen Klopp era.

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