Alex Keble reviews Saturday's action in the Premier League – looking at Duncan Ferguson's first game as Everton caretaker manager, as well Man United's 'best performance under Ralf Rangnick'.
Ferguson unfortunate to fail Everton audition
Duncan Ferguson probably only had one chance to pitch for the Everton job, and he'll understandably feel unlucky that his second stint as caretaker manager started with a defeat that ends his hopes of beating Wayne Rooney or Frank Lampard to the role on a full-time basis. Everton, hammering on the door in the second half, deserved at least a point.
Ferguson's tactics were as expected, aligning exactly with his caretaker stint in 2019 to prove his long-term strategy as Everton manager would be one-dimensional – and out-dated. Everton lined up in a flat 4-4-2 formation with an overwhelmingly '90s vibe, complete with a couple of target men to win the long balls and a couple of wingers to drive at their full-backs.
It was simple stuff, but thanks to the energy and hard-tackling drive that Ferguson demands it managed to force Aston Villa onto the back foot for long periods. This wasn't quite the blood-and-thunder football we saw in his first caretaker debut, a 3-1 win over Chelsea in 2019 in which Everton completed more tackles than any other Premier League team that decade, but the idea was the same.
In the first half, Villa's tactical dexterity under Steven Gerrard gave them the upper hand, with Everton's reliance on retrograde ultra-direct football scarcely creating a single chance. But once their aggression in midfield started to push Villa into their own half, the long punts up to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison – acting as dual target men, as double Duncan Fergusons – ruffled feathers. Tyrone Mings in particular struggled to cope with the aerial bombardment and only profligate finishing got between Everton and three points.
A learning curve for Gerrard
Gerrard will not be happy with what he saw, although from a tactical perspective he should shoulder responsibility. Starting Philippe Coutinho and Emiliano Buendia as number tens was an obvious mistake given their respective weakness under pressure and Everton's predictable upturn in energy.
Neither player was able to resist the pressure from the hosts, limiting Villa's ability to create chances in open play or work the ball carefully up the pitch. It directly led to Villa slipping deeper and deeper, allowing Everton's long passes upfield to reach their target or cause problems on the second bounce.
But when Gerrard reflects on the game on Monday he will be safe in the knowledge Villa won't be facing that kind of challenge very often in the Premier League; Ferguson's old-fashioned tactics might work in short honeymoon bursts, but it is in Everton's best interest that he has potentially put himself out of the running today. They need someone with a savvier tactical mind in the dugout if they are to get back into the top ten.
Rangnick rewarded for going for broke
This was arguably Manchester United's best performance under Ralf Rangnick, and that would have been true even if they had not grabbed a late winner. It was the first time their defensive performance felt truly unified; the first time there was genuine compression between the lines and a display that minimised dangerous opponents to just a few chances.
But the bigger tactical note from the game was how Rangnick threw the kitchen sink towards the end, making a double substitution in the 82nd minute to move from 4-2-3-1 to a free-form 4-2-4 formation. The change seemed to scare West Ham into retreat, leading directly to the winner as the front four combined through sheer force of numbers in the final third.
Rangnick needed a week like this to steady the ship, to show the players and the supporters that he is in control at Old Trafford. The defensive performance should convince the squad that his tactical instructions are worth following, and the winning goal should convince the squad his in-game management can be trusted.
Southampton give Liverpool a slither of hope
Manchester City are a phenomenon; a team of such incision and variety they can wear almost anyone down, winning matches thanks to an astonishing tactical complexity that perhaps does not get enough credit. And yet... it is hard to look at their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday evening and shake the belief they could do with playing a bit more like a normal team.
Southampton, for the second time this season, were able to sit back in a 4-4-2 formation that surrounded Rodri and thus prevent Man City from building in the patterns they would have liked. Perhaps this would not have been so successful – and Saints were worthy of a point – if City just had a striker to make the right runs at the right moments, rather than a series of playmakers who prefer coming towards the ball. Or, to put it another way, Jack Grealish as a false nine does not work.
A fairly large number of Man City wins this season have been fortunate, including the one-goal wins against Brentford, Wolves, and Aston Villa. If those three had ended in draws then Liverpool would now be in the driving seat. Jurgen Klopp needs to make that clear to his players, because for all the quality in the City squad they remain surprisingly vulnerable when faced with a well-organised defensive blockade.
The Premier League title race is not over. Games like these could, and perhaps should, have been more frequent for Man City already this season. There is every chance Guardiola's side will drop points over the next few weeks and hand Liverpool a chance to challenge again.