Matchday 23 saw United take revenge on Leicester City for a shock 5-3 defeat in September, with an easy 3-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Leicester City, the Premiership newbies, are currently rooted to the bottom of the table. Yet, in September, they managed to spring a surprise by defeating the Red Devils 5-3, after trailing them 3-1 at the hour mark. Essentially, they did a Man United on Man United. That sort of capitulation a decade ago would have been Sir Alex use the hairdryer for each player separately.
On that September afternoon in Leicester, United played with 4 men at
the back and a diamond midfield, which, while ensuring a fluid attack,
left United vulnerable at the back. The sending-off of Tyler Blackett
did not help matters. Since then, LvG has largely relied on the 3-5-2 formation (with variations). With Marouane Fellaini in the midfield, United added defensive steel to their play, at the cost of the fluidity in attack. Even during the 6-match winning run in December, United managed to win matches only by sitting back, soaking up pressure and scoring on the few shots at goal that they took. In fairness, the massive injury list did not help, as Utd were forced to deploy Michael Carrick in defence and Angel Di Maria was out due to injury.
However, the Red Devils were unable to produce a string of good results in January, resulting in them being pipped by the Saints to 3rd place. Against the Foxes, LvG reverted to the diamond midfield, naming an attacking lineup consisting of Rooney, Januzaj, Di Maria, RvP and Falcao (Gulp). As a result, United were much more fluid in possession and managed to retain 71% of the possession. United's play in the final third in the first half left a lot to be desired, though they still managed to score thrice. This may have had to do with the (relative) rustiness of RvP and Falcao. The Red Devils improved in this aspect in the 2nd half, as Adnan Januzaj made his presence felt on the left wing.
Daley Blind was the man of the match, as he managed to keep the Foxes' attack subdued, while also joining the link-up play upfront. Any fears of defensive frailties due to the diamond formation were assuaged by a solid performance. United will encounter opponents who will be more incisive in attack and more solid defensively, but if they are to carry on playing in the diamond midfield formation, the presence of Daley Blind in front of the back four is essential. RvP and Falcao also need to pull up their socks, as more competent defences will be able to contain them easily.
On a side note, it was nice to see former United players, Ritchie da Laet, Danny Drinkwater and Danny Simpson. Danny Simpson, in particular, played well at right back in a few games in the tremendous 2007-08 season, but was unable to get an extended run.
Summary: Improved fluidity in possession, improvement needed in final third, sterner tests in defence await.
Overall Rating: 8/10
MoM: Daley Blind.
