Alex Keble is back with his Premier League tactical analysis as he brings you six lessons from the opening weekend.
1) Huddersfield Town’s central midfielders are well suited to the Premier League
David Wagner’s tactical model was perfectly executed on Saturday. He recognised that Crystal Palace’s new desire to play possession football would allow them to outmanoeuvre Huddersfield’s usual gegenpressing system, and so he instructed his players to press only when the ball moved into midfield. Palace’s back three were given as much time on the ball as they wanted but had no clear passing lines into midfield, but keen to impress their new manager Palace tried – and failed – to play through the middle anyway.
Philip Billing and Aaron Mooy were crucial to the success of Huddersfield’s strategy – and were undoubtedly the star performers, sitting on top of their counterparts during sustained periods of Palace pressure to suffocate Jason Puncheon. As importantly, they were sharp in collecting the second balls, picking up everything that bounced around in midfield and passing crisply towards the excellent Steve Mounie.
It was an aggressive, commanding, and brave double-act that will no doubt be successful in such a frantic division. Huddersfield made more tackles (28) and committed more fouls (19) than any other team on the opening weekend; Billing and Mooy are to thank for their fairytale start to life in the Premier League.
2) Lukaku and Matic will boost Man United’s counter-attacking speed
When Jose Mourinho added two more giants to his Manchester United squad this summer many wondered whether the team’s problems would be exacerbated. Signing yet more powerful footballers didn’t seem like the right solution for a club that have looked sluggish and static ever since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement four years ago.
However, counter-intuitively both Nemanja Matic and Romelu Lukaku can help bring back the slick, high-tempo attacking football that was synonymous with Old Trafford throughout the Fergie years, as United proved in their destruction of a below-par West Ham United on Sunday.
Matic’s slaloming forward movement instigated numerous counters (he completed seven dribbles, the second most of the weekend) but, more importantly, his brilliant defensive work helped create the opportunity to break. It was his tackle that started the move for Lukaku’s opener.
The Belgium international’s speed is an underrated aspect of his game, and along with Marcus Rashford (who dominated the left flank because Marko Arnautovic didn’t track back) he greatly increased the tempo of Man United’s counter-attacks, which have always been a key feature of Mourinho teams. They are surely ready for a title challenge.
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3) Kolasinac has the forward-thinking aggression Arsenal have been craving for years
Judging by the Bosnian’s debut on Friday evening, the deal to bring Sead Kolasinac to the Emirates might just be the signing of the summer. His brave and commanding performance was a jarring experience considering Arsene Wenger players are usually so burdened by psychological frailty.
It was very unlike Arsenal to twice fight back from a losing position, and much of this new-found spirit was thanks to Kolasinac. He persistently drove forward in possession, breaking the opposition lines and sending a shot of adrenaline rippling through the crowd; he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck over and over again, setting the tone for his team-mates. Tellingly, Kolasinac took 48 touches in the opposition half despite spending most of the match as a centre-back - and even grabbed an assist for the crucial equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
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4) Playing 4-4-2 a dangerous gamble in the modern Premier League
Leicester City’s attacking performance was commendable on Friday evening but they were unable to cope with wing-backs Hector Bellerin and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain throughout the match. Between them, these two completed four key passes, seven shots, nine dribbles, and seven crosses – with three of Arsenal’s goals coming as a result of attacks via one of these two players.
They excelled because the flat and narrow 4-4-2 formation deployed by Craig Shakespeare doesn’t make sense against a 3-4-2-1; Arsenal matched Leicester City with two central midfielders, but ultimately had more bodies in the middle thanks to those dual number tens. Consequently, Leicester were drawn into a compressed shape that left acres of space for Bellerin and Oxlade-Chamberlain out wide.
If facing against the increasingly popular 3-4-2-1, it is imperative to either match the system or play with three central midfielders (in a 4-3-3) to avoid the above scenario. Lining up with a flat 4-4-2 is becoming a dangerous gamble in the modern game.
5) Silva’s tactical coaching has reinvigorated Watford
Marco Silva invariably likes to play on the front foot, instructing his players to press high and be brave in their movement, and therefore he will be mightily impressed by his new team’s performance against Liverpool on Saturday. Watford’s players are clearly fast learners.
Just like Hull City towards the end of last season, Watford made excellent use of the 4-2-3-1’s zig-zag pattern in midfield. Almost constantly in this shape, the hosts played numerous no-look passes to their team-mates, suggesting the tactical coaching in training is already paying off.
Silva likes his players to sit in the gaps between the opponents’ lines in a ‘W’ shape, which simultaneous blocks passing lines and makes them ready for one touch football should they win back possession. They executed his vision excellently – particularly in the first half - and Watford fans have every right to feel excited about the season ahead.
6) Loftus-Cheek a World Cup bolter
Tactically, the most crucial element missing from the England team is an athletic, powerful box-to-box midfielder capable of charging through the opposition lines and creating space for others. Jordan Henderson has valiantly tried to fill this role and Ross Barkley occasionally has a go, but neither have been successful.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was outstanding on Saturday. It is rare to see such strength and composure in a player with Loftus-Cheek’s intelligence, and there is no doubt that he will become a vital member of De Boer’s Palace side. The 21-year-old struggled to make an impact in the first 45, but was moved into a deeper position in the second half and promptly began dominating midfield. He was the out-ball over and over again for those nervy Palace centre-backs, driving the team forward with piercing passes and Dembele-like weaving runs.
If he keeps playing like that, Loftus-Cheek will surely make it into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.