Alex Keble is back with his Premier League tactical analysis as he brings you six lessons learned from the weekend.
1) Jose Mourinho is taking inspiration from Sir Alex Ferguson
For the third consecutive weekend Jose Mourinho has found space in his side to field both Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, proving beyond doubt that he is willing to embrace a more attacking stance this season. The addition of Nemanja Matic has clearly impacted the Portuguese’s new-found bravery, and the early results are encouraging.
Manchester United looked like a Sir Alex Ferguson team on Saturday. It wasn’t just the slick and direct passing into the flanks, or the powerful spine surging through the middle, but also the speed and aggressiveness with which they won back possession. Mkhitaryan, in particular, closed down and tracked back energetically, leading the way for his team-mates to exemplify a newly urgent United.
When the ball was won, the hosts wasted no time in feeding their quickest player (Anthony Martial and then Marcus Rashford), who charged towards goal and worked tirelessly to create space for Romelu Lukaku. It was the kind of fearless, single-minded approach to attacking football that Old Trafford hasn’t seen since Ferguson’s retirement.
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2) Dreadful game management tells us Arsenal’s rebirth was an illusion
Towards the end of last season, the switch to a 3-4-2-1 formation appeared to dramatically alter the tactical cohesiveness of Arsene Wenger’s team, but after losing two of their opening three games it has become apparent that nothing has changed – and, as long as Wenger is in charge, nothing will.
We already knew Wenger was unable to create a stable central midfield and cannot successfully organise his defence against attack-minded teams, but the overall strategy – or lack of it – at Anfield was startling. Arsenal ran around the pitch like a group of teenagers, chasing the ball without a thought for their positional discipline before switching off at key moments.
More specifically, Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka didn’t stand off and hold the defensive midfield zone despite it being Liverpool’s favourite area of the pitch (leading directly to the first two goals), and the Gunners’ back three were consistently caught in possession – suggesting they had not been told to play safely. These are easy - and obvious - tactical instructions to give. Arsenal will not come close to winning the title.
3) Mohamed Salah is a better fit for Liverpool than Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool’s Brazilian playmaker is a world-class footballer when at his best, but frequent injuries and a delicate, floating style of football make him arguably ill-suited to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool – at least not when compared with new signing Salah, who performed above expectations on Sunday.
The Egyptian’s phenomenal dribbling speed perfectly complimented Liverpool’s preference for pressing high and counter-attacking the space. Not only did he directly hurt Arsenal (by sprinting through to score the third goal before crossing for the fourth) but he also indirectly affected the match by making the Arsenal players fearful of his presence.
The psychological impact of having Salah in the side should not be underestimated. He freed up space for Sadio Mane by attracting players towards the left (Mane would not have had space to score Liverpool’s second goal without his partner making a dangerous run) and made Arsenal’s defenders nervous in possession; they gifted the ball to Liverpool’s front three on three occasions in quick succession prior to Salah’s goal.
Coutinho will be a big loss to Liverpool, but in Salah they have an excellent replacement.
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4) De Boer’s tactical shift is too much too soon for a Crystal Palace team in serious trouble
Frank de Boer was always likely to struggle to transform Crystal Palace into an Ajax-esque possession team overnight given the club’s recent history of playing direct counter-attacking football. Unfortunately for the Dutchman, his disastrous start to the new Premier League season will only get worse.
Palace attempted 503 passes in the 2-0 defeat to Swansea City, a notable increase on the 356.2 average across the 2016/17 season, but three of their five defensive players (James Tomkins, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, and Patrick van Aanholt) failed to reach 80% pass accuracy. The current squad does not have the technical ability or experience to play in an expansive style, as was evident for Andre Ayew’s goal – which came as the direct result of a sloppy pass and an easy counter-attack.
Possession football requires confidence to be successful. When heads drop and panic sets in, players are more prone to giving the ball away; to making bad decisions; and to wanting too much time to think. Consequently, De Boer's team will continue to lose unless he introduces his system more gradually; upcoming games against Burnley and Southampton will end in defeat unless Palace go back to basics.
5) West Ham’s defeat suggests Slaven Bilic is out of ideas
The most startling feature of West Ham’s three defeats this campaign is how tactically directionless they have looked. During his first season at the club Bilic played a dogged counter-attacking game that focused on narrowing the pitch and winning the second balls in midfield, but their bite has completely disappeared of late, leaving the Croatian on the brink.
He has used a 4-2-3-1 formation in all three games this season and it simply isn’t working. Chaos at the back allowed Newcastle United to score three times at St James Park in what is now becoming a regular feature. That West Ham can’t defend isn’t new information (they made 21 defensive errors last season with nine leading to goals, the most in the division according to Squawka), but their woeful performance on Saturday taught us that Bilic is now out of ideas.
His decision to play Declan Rice, an 18-year-old who looked out of depth in the middle, smacks of desperation, while using Edimilson Fernandes as a left winger and Andre Ayew as a central attacking midfielder was simply bizarre. It is now clear that Bilic cannot find a solution to their problems.
6) Harry Maguire is one of the best centre-backs in the country
Leicester City were finally broken down by Manchester United from a corner in the 70th minute and the visitors have Harry Maguire to thank for holding out for so long. The 24-year-old won 10 clearances, five interceptions and five aerial challenges, standing out head-and-shoulders above any other player on the pitch.
Maguire has been in commanding form all season, but what made his performance special on Saturday was that he kept Romelu Lukaku quiet throughout, frustrating the Belgian striker at a time when his confidence couldn’t be higher.
This is a remarkable achievement for someone still getting to grips with his new surroundings; Maguire will surely become an England starter if he maintains this form.
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