Three matches, three wins. If the scorelines do not please Luis Van Gaal, Manchester United’s fast passing, exciting attacking and dominating possessions must please the former Netherland manager. One thing that is evident after the three matches is that United will persist with the 3-4-3 formation this season and all the personnel must adapt to it if they want to remain at Old Trafford come 31st August. This formation requires 3 center backs, 2 wing backs, 2 center midfielders, 1 attacking midfielder and 2 strikers. It is a completely new system for the players but if pre-season matches are anything to go by, the players will not take too long to get used to this formation. We have already seen an exciting brand of attacking football but there were times when United struggled with three center backs as opponents were offered huge spaces behind the onrushing wing backs. United might be well stocked in the attacking departments but their defense must be the foundation for United to get any success in England this season. Van Gaal must address the defense issues as soon as possible in order to get off to a flying start. Firstly, the 3-4-3 formation requires 3 center backs who are comfortable on the ball and solid defensively. Vidic and Ferdinand were the cornerstone of the last great United side that Sir Alex Ferguson created. They formed the greatest partnership in world football and helped United dominate English football for 5 years starting in 2007. They were leaders in their own rights and their commitment and leadership was what created the foundation of the 2008 Champions League winning side. However, Vidic has left for Inter Milan and Ferdinand for QPR. Manchester United desperately needs to replace the old guard to have the defensive solidity that they once possessed. Jones, Evans, Smalling, Keane, and Blakett are the current center backs that fill United’s roster. Jones, Evans and Smalling are the ones Van Gaal can rely on but Keane and Blakett are still too young to take responsibility on a regular basis. If United do not buy any world class defenders, Van Gaal must work hard to get the best out of Jones, Evans and Smalling. All three must be fast as United will employ a very high defensive line and also comfortable with the ball to initiate attacks from the back. At the heart of the defense Van Gaal should play Phil Jones. When he first arrived at United he was dubbed the new Duncan Edwards because of his immense talents both while attacking and defending. Instead of following in the footsteps of the great Duncan Edwards some might argue that Jones started to develop into John O’Shea. A very versatile player but not a specialist in any particular position. A jack of all trades. His constant use between Center back, Right Back, and Center midfield seemed to hinder his progress and the versatility was seen as a curse rather than a gift. That very versatility is the reason Van Gaal should pick Jones at the heart of the new United defense. He can use Jones as a libero- someone who will take the ball and step into the midfield to support United’s center midfielders. He can add another member to the midfield to help dominate possession and even initiate some of the rampage runs he is known for through the heart of the opposition’s defense. As a defender he is a tremendous header of the ball which is an important attribute for this position. He is also fast and can cover for his fellow defenders. Most importantly Jones is a born leader. In this 3-4-3 formation you need your center back to be vocal to order the left and right center backs to cover the spaces behind the wing backs. Communication between the center backs is the key in this formation. You need someone with great commitment and leadership in the heart of the defense. So Jones is the prime candidate for this position. The right center back is a position Smalling should make his own. Sir Alex Ferguson bought the 21 year old England international from Fulham to replace the aging Ferdinand. Smalling was used as both center backs and right back while Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge. Last season under David Moyes he didn’t have the best of season. So he will be willing to impress the new Boss and nail his position in United’s new looking defense. His trade in right back position makes him the perfect candidate for this role. As a right sided center back one of your addition tasks is to cover for the space left by your right wing back. Smalling can do this with relative ease and his long strides will help him maintain his positioning. Playing at right back also improved Smalling’s ball playing skills. This is also vital for the center backs in a 3 man defense. Apart from all these he can also tackle, head and is willing to put his body on the line for the team. Van Gaal should look towards Jonny Evans to play as the left sided center back. Some might argue that he should be played at the heart of the defense for his greater experience but I disagree. His stint in the left back position when he was young makes him the perfect player for this position. He will need to cover the space behind the left wing back. His knowledge as a left back will be invaluable to achieve this task. Evans is also comfortable with the ball (87.3 % pass completion) at his feet which should be very important as well as his great tackling and heading. But there is one another thing he possesses that makes him stand out for this role: His racking cross field ball to the left winger, in this case Antonio Valencia or Rafael Da Silva. Both of them are very attack minded wing backs and they will thrive if the cross field ball is fast and accurate. The 3-4-3 formation is very narrow. As a result the opposition full backs will try to stay near the center backs to mark the 2 strikers. Space will open up for the right wing back and with the correct cross field pass and good acceleration he can cause havoc in the opposition’s box. Not to mention he is a Manchester United youth academy product and will put his body on the line for the team. All these attributes make Evans the perfect candidate for the left sided center back position. So here you have Manchester United’ new defense-Jones, Smalling and Evans. They should make some more center back signings to add depth and Keane and Blakett should also be given chances in cup games. If the three of them are given a continued run in the first team they are sure to develop a great understanding and form the new defensive line that United so badly needs. They can be the cornerstone of another great Manchester United side and the very first under Luis Van Gaal.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:58:34 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015