Where has the slick passing and off the ball movement gone?
More importantly, for Manchester United fans, when is Michael Carrick going to play again?
Every United supporter that felt, or declared [if they were brazen], ‘we’re back’ has been made to think again after a three game losing run.
Louis van Gaal’s side have not won a game ever since the Dutchman let his guard down and spoke about heading out for a Chinese after beating Manchester City.
United’s defeat to West Brom, on Saturday, marked the first time they lost three league games in a row since 2001. It is also the first time since 1989 they have lost three without scoring a goal.
Two positional changes – one enforced, the other tactical – have been the main reasons for United’s mini slump.
United have won 72.2% of matches this season when Carrick plays. Without him, that figure plummets below 30%.
The other switch has seen Wayne Rooney drop back into centre midfield. In United’s six-month winning run, before their loss to Chelsea, Rooney went back up front, scored four goals and had an assist.
He has contributed the sum total of zilch from midfield in the past three games. Strange, then that Van Gaal opted to go with this formation in the second half of United’s 1-0 failure against WBA.
.@fizzer18 on #MUFC‘s formation: “Unnatural players playing in unnatural positions” http://t.co/O0Z5fwgEhx #MOTD pic.twitter.com/idgY4xcg8t
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) May 2, 2015
As for Rooney, he had a day to forget:
Wayne Rooney’s game by numbers vs. West Brom: 92% pass accuracy 1 shot 0 chances created Ineffective. pic.twitter.com/5Ab5FSmOd1
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 2, 2015
Four of United’s players were in the top five, on Saturday, for pass completion in the Premier League. Tellingly, Paddy McNair [73] and Chris Smalling [77] both featured. When that pair see that much of the ball, the opposition are falling back and happy to let them stroke it back, forth and sideways.
Once again, Van Gaal cited the fact that his team had superior possession stats and created more chances. He went so far as to accuse West Brom of ‘parking the bus’.
Could be, perhaps, that Van Gaal’s Fellaini-focused revival has been figured out by other Premier League managers? Snuff out the big guy, let Juan Mata and Ander Herrera pass all day but keep it tight through the middle.
The Dutchman may have to tweak his formation again or, and this is just a suggestion, put Rooney up front again.
