Manchester United's defence affecting attack, says Danny Higginbotham
Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer get United playing on the front foot?
Friday 21 December 2018 07:08, UK
Jose Mourinho has paid the price for Manchester United's poor season but why is it happening and what can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer do to change things? Danny Higginbotham believes the defensive issues are having consequences elsewhere on the pitch…
United have conceded 29 Premier League goals already this season, more than they did in the whole of last season and more than any other team outside the bottom five sides. Seven of those goals have been conceded in the first 20 minutes of matches, meaning that United have found themselves on the back foot from the start.
"The problem that they have had against the so-called smaller clubs in the Premier League is that because they haven't naturally played with that No 10, that Juan Mata type, they have shot out the blocks really quickly and looked to get that early goal and then control the tempo and bring the opposition out," Higginbotham tells Sky Sports.
"What's happened when they have tried to do that is that at times they have been caught on the counter-attack. There is only Fulham that have conceded more than them in the first 20 minutes. There are only four teams that have conceded more than them full stop. You go back to Jose Mourinho saying they needed a centre-back and I think it's been a big issue."
The former United boss pushed hard for the addition of a new centre-back in the summer but reports of interest in Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire came to nothing. Mourinho struggled to identify a back-four that he could trust, using 13 different defenders already this season, more than any of their top-six rivals. Chelsea have used only five.
"There has been no settled centre-back partnership," adds Higginbotham. "When you look at the most successful sides it is built on a bedrock of a goalkeeper and two centre-backs. That's the spine and in terms of centre-backs it is usually two opposites. What United have at the moment is a collection of good centre-backs but they are all the same so they do not necessarily complement each other. It's a problem."
One of the consequences of this uncertainty at the back is that Mourinho has felt the need to put more constraints on the forward players, argues Higginbotham. "They don't have that one centre-back who dictates everything and because of that the forward-minded players have suffered with the extra responsibility," he explains.
"The defensive frailties have actually affected United going forward. It put more onus on the front players. I actually felt sorry for whoever has had to play up front because they have been quite isolated. It has become very difficult for United because they are sitting so deep.
"The centre-forward finds himself in a difficult position when they are that deep. There is no out-ball. The out-ball just becomes a long ball and players cannot get up their quick enough to support Romelu Lukaku so when the headers are won nothing comes of it.
"I would imagine the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard would like to be further up the pitch but I just think that because of the defensive side, the attacking side has actually been affected as well."
So how can Solskjaer solve this? Reports of a £50m budget for January might provide help in the transfer window and allow United to sign a centre-back. Alternatively, he could tweak the balance of the midfield to connect better with Lukaku. "Juan Mata could be that player who helps you get to Lukaku," suggests Higginbotham.
Whatever the solution, what's clear is that one must be found. "Whether it is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Mike Phelan or the next manager, it is something they are going to want to sort out because they need to be playing football on the front foot rather than the back foot."
