KOMPAS.com – Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, explained the reasons behind his decision to use a three-back scheme and pair Cristiano Ronaldo-Edinson Cavani in the match against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Tottenham vs Man United duel is the 10th week match of the top caste of the English League, Premier League, which took place on Saturday (10/30/2021) night WIB.
Ahead of the game, Solskjaer surprised many by choosing to use a three-back and two striker scheme for the first time this season.
Three center back Solskjaer’s squad included Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Man United captain Harry Maguire.
Seeing the results of the match, Solksjaer could breathe a sigh of relief because his gambling bore fruit.
Solskjaer’s Man United performed very solidly and managed to shave Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at their own home.
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Cristiano Ronaldo (39′), Edinson Cavani (64′) and Marcus Rashford (86′) scored the three winning goals for Man United.
The nick of three goals is proof that the scheme of two Man United strikers is running optimally.
The proof of the sale of Man United’s three defender scheme is the failure of Tottenham Hotspur’s front lines to shoot on target throughout the match.
After the game, Solskjaer explained the reasons behind his decision to use a three-back and two striker scheme.
Solskjaer chose a three-back scheme because Man United’s back line was very porous before facing Tottenham.
This is evidenced by the number of goals against Man United before traveling to Tottenham Hotpsur Stadium.
Also read: Tottenham’s crazy success, Man United did not forget to lose to Liverpool
From 10 matches in all competitions, Man United have never kept a clean sheet and have conceded 19 times.
The porous back line made Man United swallow five defeats in that period.
Man United’s worst defeat occurred last week when they crushed their eternal rivals, Liverpool, five goals without reply.
The last time Man United didn’t concede was when they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 at the end of August.
According to Solskjaer, a porous back line makes it difficult for Man United to develop.
On the other hand, Solskjaer chose to use a two-striker scheme so that Man United’s wings were more active in helping the attack.
Also read: Tottenham Vs Man United, Ronaldo Duplicates Drogba’s Achievements
“Many factors dictated our tactics today,” said Solskjaer.
“However, one main factor is about the need for a solid game. We got back Varane who is recovering from injury,” said Solskjaer.
“We then put Varane right in the middle of the back four that we usually use. Because we really need it clean sheet‘ said Solskjaer.
“We need to control the game by keeping the ball in our hands. We managed to do that today,” added the former Molde coach.
“We then put Ronaldo and Cavani up front. With this scheme, the front lines will get a lot of support from my defenders,” said Solskjaer.
“If you change your formation to a back three and you don’t get a result, you will definitely be in the spotlight. However, we managed to do it today. The coaches have done a good job,” the Norwegian added.
“We may return to using this scheme in the next game. Because this scheme works.” said Solskjaer.
Also read: 5 Interesting Things from Tottenham Vs Man United, Justification for the Oldest Duet in the Premier League
The scheme of three defenders and two strikers has actually been applied by Solskjaer at Man United.
Quoted from the Manchester Evening News website, Solskjaer has recorded 15 times using a three-back and two striker scheme, including against Tottenham.
As a result, Man United managed to win eight wins, three draws, and only swallowed four defeats.
The success of Solskjaer’s three defender and two striker scheme also received the attention of Man United legend, Gary Neville.
According to Neville, the three-back scheme makes the Man United midfield more lively and dares to press.
Neville also considers the two striker scheme is very suitable to maximize the ability of Cristiano Ronaldo on the front lines.
Read also: Complete results of the English Premier League: Man United subdues Spurs, Man City falls
“Varane played very well. Three defenders make Man United’s midfield more confident and free to move,” said Neville quoted from the Daily Mail website.
“Cavani and Ronaldo also make a big difference. They are now closer to the midfield. That’s a big change. Why have they just implemented a scheme like this?,” said Neville added.
“I really wonder why it took six to eight weeks to make Man United play like this?” said Neville.
“In the last four games, Solskjer doesn’t seem to have the ability to change Man United’s game. Now, the performance of the coach and players has seen,” said Neville.
The result of the match against Tottenham was Man United’s fifth win in the Premier League this season.
Man United previously had to undergo a win fast for four consecutive matches in the Premier League before finally defeating Tottenham.
Read also: Premier League standings: Chelsea away when Liverpool draw, Man United…
Man United’s victory over Tottenham had a positive impact on the future of Solskjaer, who was rumored to be sacked in the past week.
However, Solskjaer must not be careless because Man United’s schedule this week is very dense and also heavy.
Nearby, Man United is scheduled to face Atalanta on the fourth matchday of Group F of the Champions League, Tuesday (2/11/2021).
Five days later, Man United will play the Manchester derby against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the 11th week of the Premier League match, Saturday (6/11/2021).
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