Post by WhatsTheMata on Mar 12, 2017 21:43:55 GMT
How Jose Mourinho has reinvented Ander Herrera as Manchester United’s action man
BY DANIEL STOREY 1 HOUR AGO
It was the least surprising news of Manchester United’s season, so predictable that it barely justified mention. Jose Mourinho had informed his bosses that an option should be exercised to extend Ander Herrera’s contract by another year, avoiding it entering the final 12 months. If that suggests Herrera will be part of United’s midfield until the summer of 2019, that will surely be his minimum expiry date.
Given Herrera’s performances this season, it is hard to believe that he was kept on the fringes of the Manchester United first team for so long. Louis van Gaal’s crimes at Old Trafford were numerous, but freezing out the Spaniard was high among them. Herrera was named on the bench in 28 league matches during Van Gaal’s two-year tenure, 37% of their matches.
The suspicion was that having been courted and chased by Ed Woodward during David Moyes’ short spell in charge, Herrera was a signing imposed on Van Gaal. The Dutchman was a man who proved himself perfectly prepared to cut off nose to spite face. December 2015 brought newspaper reports that Herrera was considering his future at Old Trafford, while in June 2016 Spanish newspaper El Confidencial claimed that Van Gaal’s replacement would look to sell the midfielder.
Both of those claims were unfounded; under Mourinho, Herrera has flourished. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goalscoring record has unsurprisingly taken the headlines, but Herrera has at least been United’s second best player this season. He has also finally broken into the Spanish national team squad for the first time.
Most important for Mourinho, he is the personification of his manager on the field. Skill and creativity is accompanied by a snidey, underhand side of his game. There is a tendency to harang referees for the alleged crimes of his opponents, yet Herrera has perfected that look of disbelief when accusations of guilt come his way.
If that makes Herrera an unpopular player amongst opposition fans, it has the opposite effect with Manchester United supporters. Ibrahimovic is the hero, Paul Pogba the golden boy returning and Marcus Rashford the academy graduate come good, but Herrera is the player with the attributes and character to truly inspire feelings of tribalistic pride.
Herrera’s improvement has not come by accident. Mostly used as an attacking – or at least adventurous – midfielder before Mourinho’s arrival, the Portuguese has pushed Herrera further towards his own goal. His average position from last season to this has shifted noticeably, used predominantly in a 4-3-3 or even as one of two holding players in a 4-2-3-1.
The tendency is to assume that this is classic Mourinho, a manager who has a reputation for stymieing the creativity out of his midfielders and, in some cases, turning wine into water. Yet there is no doubt that this has been a strategical success, nor too that Herrera has embraced the move.
“I think all of you have seen that since the beginning of the season, after a few games, my role changed,” Herrera said last month. “The manager has helped me a lot to get the knowledge about that role. I am so happy to be a bit more of a defensive player than last season.”
Part of the reason for Herrera’s change in role is the arrival of Pogba, a certain starter in Mourinho’s first-choice XI and a midfielder at his best when driving forward and creating chances. Mourinho is not strictly a defensive manager - that reputation is unfair - but he is also not a coach prepared to let two midfielders in a 4-3-3 push forward at will and leave the defence exposed.
Yet Herrera is not just a square peg squeezed into round hole. The role of the defensive midfielder has evolved over the last five years, particularly the ‘2’ in a 4-2-3-1. While one of those two players will indeed stay deep, the other has instruction to roam around the pitch, fighting fires and breaking up play before sparking counter attacks. N’Golo Kante is the perfect example of a defensive player in starting position, but with freedom of movement and a licence to use their boundless energy. Herrera is another.
Herrera has become Manchester United’s action man. Of the 20 United players to play more than 500 league minutes this season, none touch the ball more often, none pass the ball more often, none make tackles more often and none make interceptions more often. Last season, Herrera ranked third, third, second and 12th in those categories, and third for chances created. Now he is first in every one, but ninth in chances created.
Crucially, Herrera has saved his most effective (in terms of actions, at least) performances for the biggest matches. In the two league draws against Liverpool, Herrera made 26 tackles and interceptions in 180 minutes. The next best figure in United colours was 11. These are displays that matter. These are the displays that stick in the mind.
“Ander has the backing of both the manager and the fans,” said Mourinho in December. “So I don’t think he’s worried about others bringing him to the limelight; he knows that he is having a phenomenal season for us. That is why he plays, that is why he had his international debut with the Spanish national team.”
Mourinho has not got everything right in his first season in Manchester, but he deserves huge credit for transforming Herrera’s role in Manchester United’s midfield.
So too does Herrera himself. Moving further towards your own goal doesn’t have to blunt your effectiveness, but it still took a leap of faith and an open mind from a player who previously flourished in opposition territory. Herrera has been reinvented, and thus reinvigorated.
bet.unibet.co.uk/football/how-jose-mourinho-has-reinvented-ander-herrera-manchester-uniteds-action-man
BY DANIEL STOREY 1 HOUR AGO
It was the least surprising news of Manchester United’s season, so predictable that it barely justified mention. Jose Mourinho had informed his bosses that an option should be exercised to extend Ander Herrera’s contract by another year, avoiding it entering the final 12 months. If that suggests Herrera will be part of United’s midfield until the summer of 2019, that will surely be his minimum expiry date.
Given Herrera’s performances this season, it is hard to believe that he was kept on the fringes of the Manchester United first team for so long. Louis van Gaal’s crimes at Old Trafford were numerous, but freezing out the Spaniard was high among them. Herrera was named on the bench in 28 league matches during Van Gaal’s two-year tenure, 37% of their matches.
The suspicion was that having been courted and chased by Ed Woodward during David Moyes’ short spell in charge, Herrera was a signing imposed on Van Gaal. The Dutchman was a man who proved himself perfectly prepared to cut off nose to spite face. December 2015 brought newspaper reports that Herrera was considering his future at Old Trafford, while in June 2016 Spanish newspaper El Confidencial claimed that Van Gaal’s replacement would look to sell the midfielder.
Both of those claims were unfounded; under Mourinho, Herrera has flourished. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goalscoring record has unsurprisingly taken the headlines, but Herrera has at least been United’s second best player this season. He has also finally broken into the Spanish national team squad for the first time.
Most important for Mourinho, he is the personification of his manager on the field. Skill and creativity is accompanied by a snidey, underhand side of his game. There is a tendency to harang referees for the alleged crimes of his opponents, yet Herrera has perfected that look of disbelief when accusations of guilt come his way.
If that makes Herrera an unpopular player amongst opposition fans, it has the opposite effect with Manchester United supporters. Ibrahimovic is the hero, Paul Pogba the golden boy returning and Marcus Rashford the academy graduate come good, but Herrera is the player with the attributes and character to truly inspire feelings of tribalistic pride.
Herrera’s improvement has not come by accident. Mostly used as an attacking – or at least adventurous – midfielder before Mourinho’s arrival, the Portuguese has pushed Herrera further towards his own goal. His average position from last season to this has shifted noticeably, used predominantly in a 4-3-3 or even as one of two holding players in a 4-2-3-1.
The tendency is to assume that this is classic Mourinho, a manager who has a reputation for stymieing the creativity out of his midfielders and, in some cases, turning wine into water. Yet there is no doubt that this has been a strategical success, nor too that Herrera has embraced the move.
“I think all of you have seen that since the beginning of the season, after a few games, my role changed,” Herrera said last month. “The manager has helped me a lot to get the knowledge about that role. I am so happy to be a bit more of a defensive player than last season.”
Part of the reason for Herrera’s change in role is the arrival of Pogba, a certain starter in Mourinho’s first-choice XI and a midfielder at his best when driving forward and creating chances. Mourinho is not strictly a defensive manager - that reputation is unfair - but he is also not a coach prepared to let two midfielders in a 4-3-3 push forward at will and leave the defence exposed.
Yet Herrera is not just a square peg squeezed into round hole. The role of the defensive midfielder has evolved over the last five years, particularly the ‘2’ in a 4-2-3-1. While one of those two players will indeed stay deep, the other has instruction to roam around the pitch, fighting fires and breaking up play before sparking counter attacks. N’Golo Kante is the perfect example of a defensive player in starting position, but with freedom of movement and a licence to use their boundless energy. Herrera is another.
Herrera has become Manchester United’s action man. Of the 20 United players to play more than 500 league minutes this season, none touch the ball more often, none pass the ball more often, none make tackles more often and none make interceptions more often. Last season, Herrera ranked third, third, second and 12th in those categories, and third for chances created. Now he is first in every one, but ninth in chances created.
Crucially, Herrera has saved his most effective (in terms of actions, at least) performances for the biggest matches. In the two league draws against Liverpool, Herrera made 26 tackles and interceptions in 180 minutes. The next best figure in United colours was 11. These are displays that matter. These are the displays that stick in the mind.
“Ander has the backing of both the manager and the fans,” said Mourinho in December. “So I don’t think he’s worried about others bringing him to the limelight; he knows that he is having a phenomenal season for us. That is why he plays, that is why he had his international debut with the Spanish national team.”
Mourinho has not got everything right in his first season in Manchester, but he deserves huge credit for transforming Herrera’s role in Manchester United’s midfield.
So too does Herrera himself. Moving further towards your own goal doesn’t have to blunt your effectiveness, but it still took a leap of faith and an open mind from a player who previously flourished in opposition territory. Herrera has been reinvented, and thus reinvigorated.
bet.unibet.co.uk/football/how-jose-mourinho-has-reinvented-ander-herrera-manchester-uniteds-action-man
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