What 3-4-3 means for Manchester United this season

 

Manchester united’s first game under new manager Louis van Gaal went incredibly well. New signings blossomed, key players delivered, squad players made an impact and there was a glut of goals scored.

But more importantly, a side that has been so relentlessly based around 4-4-2 and its minor variations for so long offered a radical tactical switch. Van Gaal put his faith in the 3-4-3 formation he implemented with so much success as manager of the Dutch national team.

But what does this mean for Manchester United’s style of play ahead of the new campaign and what can we expect?

 In the aftermath of the 0-7 thrashing of a hapless LA Galaxy side, Van Gaal was understandably ebullient. But when speaking about the system change, he offered a basic but illuminating reason for it:

Under David Moyes, United played a rigid 4-2-3-1 and it led to problems. Up top, there wasn’t room for a dual threat of Van Persie and Rooney. Behind them, there was space for one play-maker and two wide players. But, one slight snag: United had a litany of number 10s and inconsistent wingers. It led to the centrally-minded Shinji Kagawa being played out of position (as he was under Alex Ferguson too) where, unsurprisingly, he struggled. Danny Welbeck was usually pushed wide where his all-round energy was rightfully lauded but he wished to play through the middle and closer to goal. The formation ensured that wasn’t possible.
 
Behind them, there was a double-pivot, usually Carrick supported by one of Cleverley, Fellaini or Fletcher. But as a foundation for feeding three attack-minded players, it was too slow. Moyes wished to protect his defence but it came at the greater cost of minimising his team’s offensive threat.

When Ryan Giggs became interim coach and reverted to the looser 4-4-2 (moving Rooney and Welbeck to their preferred positions and wishing to play with a higher tempo), he still had issues with utilising width – a hallmark of United teams. On one side, there was a traditional winger in Antonio Valencia but on the other, essentially by default, was Kagawa – the Japanese’ subtlety, awareness and eye for a pass marks him out as a fan favourite but his inability to play easily in a wide position inevitably leads to problems. It says much that Sir Alex Ferguson refused to pay the requisite price for the flexible Eden Hazard in the summer of 2012 and went for a cheaper and more limited option in Kagawa instead.

Even defensively, United struggled with shape because of  injuries. Though Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were brought to the club as central defenders, last season they featured heavily as stand-in full-backs. Neither were afforded regular opportunities in the middle of the defence – their preferred roles. With both players comfortable on the ball and intelligent in possession at the back, they were repeatedly asked to drop into high-energy wide positions and get forward, offer overlaps and create opportunities for others. It wasn’t their remit.

So, Van Gaal has played to the squads’ strengths. New signing Luke Shaw slots effortlessly into a wing-back role while Valencia provides offensive threat and a resolute defensive mind (perhaps a Dirk Kuyt-type figure for Van Gaal at United).

Van Gaal is now able to play three genuine centre-backs (not using some as makeshift full-backs) which gives him the ability to drop in just one holding midfielder and one more all-round central ball-player. He’s identified Juan Mata as his preferred play-maker while he has already firmly committed to playing two strikers