Post by Rustin Cohle on Jan 29, 2019 9:28:38 GMT
www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/the-game-dissected-ander-herrera-and-victor-lindelof-the-real-stars-of-manchester-uniteds-revival-289sp6mj0
The Game Dissected: Ander Herrera and Victor Lindelof the real stars of Manchester United’s revival
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United produced another clinical and tactically efficient display to beat Arsenal 3-1 on Friday. It was their eighth consecutive victory since Solskjaer took charge.
But while there has been plenty of attention on the fine form of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard, there are other United players who have been key in their revival.
This week’s Game Dissected looks at two United players who have featured prominently under Solskjaer: Ander Herrera and Victor Lindelof.
Herrera: midfield menace allowing others to shine
There has been much made of Pogba’s impressive performances under Solskjaer but Herrera is important to United getting the best out of their £89 million man.
One of the issues that José Mourinho had was constantly changing Pogba’s position and role in the team. In some games he was a defensive midfielder alongside Nemanja Matic, in others he was part of a three-man midfield and (very rarely) he was allowed to venture further forward.
Solskjaer has been far more decisive, playing Herrera and Matic (with the exception of the 3-1 win against Huddersfield where Fred started instead of Herrera but the Spaniard came on after 53 minutes) in deeper roles. This not only provides extra defensive cover but also gives Pogba the licence to link play and join in attacks with Lingard.
Herrera’s positional work has been interesting in both a defensive and attacking sense. He has operated largely on the right of the pitch, helping United’s right back with defensive work and also getting forward to attack.
This position is highlighted by Herrera’s touch map, below, from Friday’s win against Arsenal. In United’s away wins over both Arsenal (3-1) and Tottenham (1-0) Herrera had a vital role defensively.
In those games, Solskjaer’s tactic was to leave two forwards high up the pitch in wide positions to try to exploit the space vacated by attacking opposition full backs. Take a look at the average position map, above, and you see the position of Romelu Lukaku (9) high on the right. That helps us to understand Herrera’s (21) position — if Lukaku is to stay high and look to counterattack (as he did for United’s second goal and as Rashford did against Tottenham) then Herrera had to help Ashley Young (18) with Arsenal’s attacks by the left back Sead Kolasinac and the winger Alex Iwobi.
Herrera was guilty of losing Aaron Ramsey down the left for Arsenal’s goal but his positional awareness has largely been good and has certainly played a big part in freeing United’s four attackers. This defensive awareness can be highlighted for United’s second goal, as the image below shows.
Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette is on the attack after United’s Nemanja Matic and Luke Shaw lose the ball.
With the centre back Lindelof wary of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the right, there is a central area for Lacazette to attack. But Herrera spots the danger, darting back and intercepting Lacazette’s attempted through ball for Aaron Ramsey, as the image below shows.
Herrera’s block lands at the feet of Shaw who brings the ball out from defence before playing in Lukaku, who has stayed high up the pitch to capitalise on this situation, as the image below shows.
Lukaku eventually lays the ball off for Lingard, who sidefoots it home just 15 seconds after Herrera’s interception.
Herrera also contributes high up the pitch, again often down the right in tandem with Young. The image below is from United’s 4-1 win against Bournemouth.
Herrera has got forward to provide the right back Young with a passing option in a pocket of space just in from the right wing. It is the kind of area where Chelsea’s César Azpilicueta found success crossing from deep early last season. On this occasion, Herrera crosses for Pogba to head in.
The Spanish midfielder took up a similar position and had a part in United’s opening goal against Arsenal too. The image below is the start of the move which resulted in Alexis Sánchez putting United 1-0 up.
Again Herrera has offered the player on the right wing — on this occasion Lingard — a passing option and has found space similar to against Bournemouth, this time with Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira standing off his midfield counterpart.
As the image above shows, with Pogba darting into the box, Herrera again attempts a cross, which is headed clear by Shkodran Mustafi, but United pick up the loose ball and go right again with Young picking up the ball as the image below shows.
Again it is Herrera offering a passing option and Young fires a pass into his feet. Anticipating this pass Lukaku is moving into space. This time, as the image below shows, Torreira steps out closer to Herrera, which helps to make more space for Lukaku.
Herrera plays a quick ball to his striker who then plays a brilliant pass into Sánchez who puts United 1-0 up.
Herrera is by no means a star player — he is arguably more well known (and adored by United fans) for his tactical fouls and winding up the opposition — but he is performing a key, and sometimes unappreciated, role in Solskjaer’s United team.
Lindelof: Calm and consistent in defence
Another problem that Mourinho had was inconsistency in his defence. Not only did he experiment with three at the back (often with a midfielder, to make a point about not getting his transfer targets) but he also picked an ever-changing central pairing when playing four at the back.
After an indifferent first season at United Lindelof is beginning to show his promise and is actually the defender who has featured most for United in the league this season, playing 1,619 minutes, more than Luke Shaw, who is second, with 1,512 minutes.
Lindelof has looked solid for United under Solskjaer, being partnered most often with Phil Jones but playing alongside Eric Bailly against Arsenal.
With Arsenal dominating possession (62.8 per cent, compared to United’s 37.2 per cent) the Swedish defender, who is only 24, showed good reading of the game at various points to help United deal with pressure from the home side.
The image below is from the opening ten minutes. Kolasinac, the Arsenal left back, has got forward and worked a bit of space to fire a cross into the near post.
Aubameyang has made a darting a run but Lindelof reads the danger and reacts quickly, getting in a good block tackle, as the image below shows, to deny Aubameyang a chance to flick the ball towards goal.
The image below is also from the first half. This time Aubameyang has come wide to the right and plays a ball over Luke Shaw for the onrushing Aaron Ramsey who has been allowed to run by Paul Pogba.
Again Lindelof shows good reactions, below, darting across to clear the ball before Ramsey can collect Aubameyang’s pass.
The image below is in the second half. With the score at 2-1 United were sitting slightly deeper and had to deal with a spell of Arsenal’s pressure before finally making the game safe at 2-1.
Aubameyang has received a pass from Mattéo Guendouzi and is preparing to cross. Look at Lindelof. He is in a good central position but, knowing the cross could be about to come in, he is assessing the danger behind him with Mesut Özil making a run from the edge of the box.
This calm assessment means Lindelof is in the right place to head the ball clear, below, with both Özil and Lacazette attempting to get on the end of the cross.
Lindelof made nine clearances against Arsenal, four more than any other player, and he has continued his decent form at the end of Mourinho’s tenure into this winning run.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United produced another clinical and tactically efficient display to beat Arsenal 3-1 on Friday. It was their eighth consecutive victory since Solskjaer took charge.
But while there has been plenty of attention on the fine form of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard, there are other United players who have been key in their revival.
This week’s Game Dissected looks at two United players who have featured prominently under Solskjaer: Ander Herrera and Victor Lindelof.
Herrera: midfield menace allowing others to shine
There has been much made of Pogba’s impressive performances under Solskjaer but Herrera is important to United getting the best out of their £89 million man.
One of the issues that José Mourinho had was constantly changing Pogba’s position and role in the team. In some games he was a defensive midfielder alongside Nemanja Matic, in others he was part of a three-man midfield and (very rarely) he was allowed to venture further forward.
Solskjaer has been far more decisive, playing Herrera and Matic (with the exception of the 3-1 win against Huddersfield where Fred started instead of Herrera but the Spaniard came on after 53 minutes) in deeper roles. This not only provides extra defensive cover but also gives Pogba the licence to link play and join in attacks with Lingard.
Herrera’s positional work has been interesting in both a defensive and attacking sense. He has operated largely on the right of the pitch, helping United’s right back with defensive work and also getting forward to attack.
This position is highlighted by Herrera’s touch map, below, from Friday’s win against Arsenal. In United’s away wins over both Arsenal (3-1) and Tottenham (1-0) Herrera had a vital role defensively.
In those games, Solskjaer’s tactic was to leave two forwards high up the pitch in wide positions to try to exploit the space vacated by attacking opposition full backs. Take a look at the average position map, above, and you see the position of Romelu Lukaku (9) high on the right. That helps us to understand Herrera’s (21) position — if Lukaku is to stay high and look to counterattack (as he did for United’s second goal and as Rashford did against Tottenham) then Herrera had to help Ashley Young (18) with Arsenal’s attacks by the left back Sead Kolasinac and the winger Alex Iwobi.
Herrera was guilty of losing Aaron Ramsey down the left for Arsenal’s goal but his positional awareness has largely been good and has certainly played a big part in freeing United’s four attackers. This defensive awareness can be highlighted for United’s second goal, as the image below shows.
Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette is on the attack after United’s Nemanja Matic and Luke Shaw lose the ball.
With the centre back Lindelof wary of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the right, there is a central area for Lacazette to attack. But Herrera spots the danger, darting back and intercepting Lacazette’s attempted through ball for Aaron Ramsey, as the image below shows.
Herrera’s block lands at the feet of Shaw who brings the ball out from defence before playing in Lukaku, who has stayed high up the pitch to capitalise on this situation, as the image below shows.
Lukaku eventually lays the ball off for Lingard, who sidefoots it home just 15 seconds after Herrera’s interception.
Herrera also contributes high up the pitch, again often down the right in tandem with Young. The image below is from United’s 4-1 win against Bournemouth.
Herrera has got forward to provide the right back Young with a passing option in a pocket of space just in from the right wing. It is the kind of area where Chelsea’s César Azpilicueta found success crossing from deep early last season. On this occasion, Herrera crosses for Pogba to head in.
The Spanish midfielder took up a similar position and had a part in United’s opening goal against Arsenal too. The image below is the start of the move which resulted in Alexis Sánchez putting United 1-0 up.
Again Herrera has offered the player on the right wing — on this occasion Lingard — a passing option and has found space similar to against Bournemouth, this time with Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira standing off his midfield counterpart.
As the image above shows, with Pogba darting into the box, Herrera again attempts a cross, which is headed clear by Shkodran Mustafi, but United pick up the loose ball and go right again with Young picking up the ball as the image below shows.
Again it is Herrera offering a passing option and Young fires a pass into his feet. Anticipating this pass Lukaku is moving into space. This time, as the image below shows, Torreira steps out closer to Herrera, which helps to make more space for Lukaku.
Herrera plays a quick ball to his striker who then plays a brilliant pass into Sánchez who puts United 1-0 up.
Herrera is by no means a star player — he is arguably more well known (and adored by United fans) for his tactical fouls and winding up the opposition — but he is performing a key, and sometimes unappreciated, role in Solskjaer’s United team.
Lindelof: Calm and consistent in defence
Another problem that Mourinho had was inconsistency in his defence. Not only did he experiment with three at the back (often with a midfielder, to make a point about not getting his transfer targets) but he also picked an ever-changing central pairing when playing four at the back.
After an indifferent first season at United Lindelof is beginning to show his promise and is actually the defender who has featured most for United in the league this season, playing 1,619 minutes, more than Luke Shaw, who is second, with 1,512 minutes.
Lindelof has looked solid for United under Solskjaer, being partnered most often with Phil Jones but playing alongside Eric Bailly against Arsenal.
With Arsenal dominating possession (62.8 per cent, compared to United’s 37.2 per cent) the Swedish defender, who is only 24, showed good reading of the game at various points to help United deal with pressure from the home side.
The image below is from the opening ten minutes. Kolasinac, the Arsenal left back, has got forward and worked a bit of space to fire a cross into the near post.
Aubameyang has made a darting a run but Lindelof reads the danger and reacts quickly, getting in a good block tackle, as the image below shows, to deny Aubameyang a chance to flick the ball towards goal.
The image below is also from the first half. This time Aubameyang has come wide to the right and plays a ball over Luke Shaw for the onrushing Aaron Ramsey who has been allowed to run by Paul Pogba.
Again Lindelof shows good reactions, below, darting across to clear the ball before Ramsey can collect Aubameyang’s pass.
The image below is in the second half. With the score at 2-1 United were sitting slightly deeper and had to deal with a spell of Arsenal’s pressure before finally making the game safe at 2-1.
Aubameyang has received a pass from Mattéo Guendouzi and is preparing to cross. Look at Lindelof. He is in a good central position but, knowing the cross could be about to come in, he is assessing the danger behind him with Mesut Özil making a run from the edge of the box.
This calm assessment means Lindelof is in the right place to head the ball clear, below, with both Özil and Lacazette attempting to get on the end of the cross.
Lindelof made nine clearances against Arsenal, four more than any other player, and he has continued his decent form at the end of Mourinho’s tenure into this winning run.
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