‘Parking the bus’ could be Solskjaer’s ticket to stability

It was ‘only Tottenham’, so what tactics will the under-fire United manager use in upcoming games against Atalanta and Manchester City?

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he is substituted. Photo: Reuters/Matthew Childs Expand

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Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he is substituted. Photo: Reuters/Matthew Childs

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he is substituted. Photo: Reuters/Matthew Childs

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he is substituted. Photo: Reuters/Matthew Childs

Ian Whittell

Defence

The bitter end of Jose Mourinho’s miserable reign at United is least fondly remembered for his supposed “park the bus” approach, but it was precisely that defence-first mentality that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer installed against Spurs. A combination of out-of-form full-backs, prone to unforced errors, and the dubious defensive support offered by a midfield two in Solskjaer’s usual 4-2-3-1 set-up meant he switched to 3-5-2, or, on occasions, 3-4-1-2.

With three international central defenders in Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, the added solidity was more than enough to cope with a poor Tottenham. After collecting one clean sheet in their previous 21 games, United managed one at Spurs and instantly raised the question as to why the manager had not tried it against Liverpool’s insatiable attack.

Now, the next two games could be a very different proposition.

An injury-hit Atalanta destroyed United’s defence in the first half of the first meeting between the clubs, taking a 2-0 lead. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw, so susceptible when isolated, are offered an extra layer of protection and, given the lack of Solskjaer’s options at full-back, a five-man defence is a logical move for that reason alone.

A draw in Italy would be far from a disaster for Solskjaer, leaving him almost certainly needing one win from the last two games – at Villarreal and at home to Young Boys – to advance. Another back five at Atalanta looks likely.

After its success on Saturday, logic would dictate that, for the time being at least, three central defenders and some old-fashioned bus parking is the sensible option as he battles to avoid a repeat of the Liverpool debacle.

Attack

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to offer Solskjaer a headache and this simply reinforced it. The 36-year-old has become the player that the United manager dare not leave out of his starting line-up, something he has done only once, in the draw with Everton.

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At the end of the day, and with United in so many close games, he has only been able to take him off early for rest on two occasions – at Young Boys when his substitution was tactical after Wan-Bissaka’s red card, and on Saturday when United led 2-0. Given Ronaldo’s advanced years, that dynamic will be a long-term issue. The key on Saturday, however, seemed to lie in the 82-minute display of Edinson Cavani, starting for just the second time this season in the league.

Cavani’s ability has never been in doubt in his 13 months at the club, but his durability and fitness have. Niggling health and fitness problems have also shown that the 34-year-old is the sort of player who takes time to reach peak match sharpness after lay-offs.

However, it is unlikely he will start three games in eight days, something he has done only once before, in January when United drew 0-0 at Arsenal then Cavani helped them score 12 goals against Southampton and Everton.

If Cavani is unable to start against Atalanta or City, Solskjaer may have to rethink the formation again. With wide forwards taken out of the equation, there were no starting places for Marcus Rashford or Mason Greenwood on Saturday, while Jesse Lingard was brought on ahead of Jadon Sancho. For now, with two vital games to negotiate, Solskjaer will, surely, adopt a pragmatic approach and worry about player sensibilities later.

Midfield

Solskjaer finally did away with his two holding midfielder formation, although his beloved “McFred” pairing of Scott McTominay and Fred were in the five-man midfield that replaced it.

Wan-Bissaka and Shaw were the two out-lying wing-backs in that five with Bruno Fernandes the fifth man, although he often wandered into the “10”role behind two forwards. It was an effective policy and, again, led to the question as to why Solskjaer hadn’t used it before.

Solskjaer had spent a chunk of Friday’s press conference extolling the virtues of Fred and his ability to win the ball high up the field, producing statistics to prove his point.

That may well be the case, but ignored the fact that Fred is also prone to errors in his own half which often allow opponents clean through on the United goal.

McTominay remains an impressive physical force and, as with Fred, benefits from having more bodies around him, which might mitigate any errors he makes.

A five-man midfield would be a classic tactic to take into a European away game. The Manchester derby could be a different proposition.

City’s frightening ability to attack in large numbers down both flanks, with their full-backs able to effectively offer Pep Guardiola three offensive options down each flank, could prove problematic if Solskjaer opts for three at the back and full-backs high up the pitch.

There is also the issue of whether Solskjaer will be bold enough to select what, ostensibly, appears a “defensive” formation in a big home match.

Events tomorrow will inform his selection for Saturday, but that could be the biggest single decision the  United manager faces this week. 

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]

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