Reflecting on United’s offensive woes.

Manchester United came into this game with a tactical surprise as Ole Gunnar Solskjær deployed a new 5-2-1-2 system against Liverpool. United’s pressing was able to blunt Liverpool’s attacking play in the first half and they were able to catch the away side on the counterattack to go ahead. In the second half Liverpool made […]

A match so painfully short of effective attacking mechanisms that neither team pushed on to be the dominant force, as both sides mostly mirrored each other’s defensive shape. The most that could be said on the invention front was Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s various tweaks throughout, which were positively reactive but equally limiting at times. Tactical […]

Marcus Rashford’s early penalty was all that separated the sides in a game where both teams were energetic but neither was able to make many breakthroughs. Both teams defended in relatively narrow starting shapes, forcing much of the attacking play into wide areas. Leicester got stronger as the game went on and put United under […]

A solid game plan by Ole Gunnar Solksjær got undone by a wonderfully crafted set-piece goal by Ruben Neves and a penalty miss by Paul Pogba in Molineux as the teams shared the points. Manchester United looked very much in control, despite not creating many chances. United found the opener with a nicely worked goal, […]

Tactical issues on both sides made for a rather open game between Manchester United and Chelsea. In the end, United were able to take advantage of transition moments to get ahead in the game, even though the two teams were often fairly even.  Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley. There have not been […]

Manchester United showed a decent performance in the first half, aided by Chelsea’s disjointed pressing game, and found themselves taking the lead. David de Gea’s mistake let Chelsea draw level though, and United went on to disappoint in the second half when it came to finding a way past an improved Chelsea side. Tactical analysis […]

Manchester City found it tough to create clear chances against United’s deep defense in the first half and had some minor scares on the counterattack due to the speed of United’s strikers. However, once they found the breakthrough in the second half thanks to Bernardo Silva, City had relatively little trouble seeing the game out, […]

In a crucial late-season Premier League match, resurgent Everton comprehensively blitzed Champions League chasing Manchester United in an energetic display where they threatened and put United on the back foot from the first whistle to the last. Tactical analysis and match report by Carl Carpenter. For Manchester United and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Sunday afternoon’s […]

Despite very brief hope for Manchester United with a promising first five minutes, Barcelona would go on to completely dominate this second leg. Two first half goals from Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a comfortable cushion, and they went on to give a lesson in controlling a game with possession. Tactical analysis and match report by […]