Joe. 🔎

🔴 Manchester United Technical/Tactical Analysis vs Tottenham Hotspur ⚪

A Thread 🧵

🧱 MID-BLOCK

-  5-4-1 compact shape to prevent central progression
- Aggressive WCBs on Spurs' interiors 

- Numerical advantage in midfield congests space for Spurs to play through 

- Close proximity and numerical advantage helps United win 2nd balls 

- Switch from mid-block -&gt; high-press 

🏃‍♂️ PRESSING

- +1 in backline
- Man-to-man marking in midfield
- Mazraoui pushing up to Spence 

Shifts to L.H.S:

- Fernandes presses Porro
- Ugarte marks Sarr
- Yoro jumps out to Maddison 

🟢 BUILD-UP

- Bayindir baits pressure from Solanke
- Lindelof (CCB) steps into midfield
- "Play out to play in" used to access Lindelof 

- Challenges when Bayindir isn't pressed 

2️⃣ 2ND PHASE

- Positional shifts on the flanks
- Dalot-Fernandes 2v1 vs. Porro 

- Dalot deep starting position to drag out Porro
- Fernandes attacks created space
- Eriksen offers bounce-pass 

🎯 3RD PHASE

- Aims to exploit 2v1s vs Porro 

- Challenges with Dalot being right-footed 

⚡ COUNTER-PRESSING

- Sharpness to close off ball-carrier's nearest passing options 

⚽ SPURS' 3RD GOAL

- Players not executing their roles 

⚽ UNITED'S 1ST GOAL

- Pressing structure variation 

It was an encouraging display from United despite the result. Despite the rotated XI, United largely executed Amorim's ideas well, just missing the finishing touch. While they couldn't quite complete the comeback, Amorim's men showed great fighting spirit as they did on Sunday. 

🔴 Manchester United's Problems vs Bournemouth (Technical/Tactical Analysis)

A Thread 🧵 

❌ CHALLENGES IN BUILD-UP

- Man-to-man BOU press
- No solutions
- Zirkzee ineffective as target man 

- Evanilson's curved run prevents United baiting press and using "play out to play in" concept to find free CCB  in midfield
- Potential solution: staggered pivot to enable 3rd-man circuits (Onana -&gt; Maguire -&gt; Mazraoui) 

🧱 MANIPULATED MID-BLOCK

R.H.S.:

- BOU positional superiorities to manipulate MUN players' positioning 

L.H.S.:

- Dynamism between Semenyo and Smith
- Smith positioned behind Fernandes (positional superiority) 

🏃‍♂️ DYSFUNCTIONAL PRESSING

- BOU wide overloads to play out 

- Mix-up of individual roles
- Knock-on effect 

The game acted as a reality check for Ruben Amorim's men as it exposed a couple of weaknesses in the team. Nevertheless, credit should be given to Andoni Iraola who set up his side incredibly to exploit those weaknesses. 

🔴 Manchester United's Recent Struggles (Technical/Tactical Analysis)

A Thread 🧵 

Analysis of Previous Games:

Vs City: https://x.com/automatisms_/status/1868597719436242949

Vs Spurs: https://x.com/automatisms_/status/1870153963422515303

Vs Bournemouth: https://x.com/automatisms_/status/1871249987704942634

🔴 MUN-NEW ANALYSIS ⚪

🧱 PENETRABLE MID-BLOCK

- 5-2-3 (wide wingers) shape enabled central progression for Newcastle
- False 9 and inverted wingers gave Newcastle central overloads
- Contrast to compact 5-4-1 seen in previous games 

- 3v2 midfield overload. Tonali free.
- Guimaraes wins 1v1 moment vs Eriksen
- Lack of intensity from Mazraoui to block Gordon's cross
- Martinez has Joelinton in his line of sight but fails to track his run 

Poor decision from Amorim to have 2 immobile midfielders (Eriksen &amp; Casemiro) play against more athletic midfielders while being outnumbered. Terrible box defending from Martinez and weak attempts from Mazraoui to block the crosses on both goals.

❌ CHALLENGES IN BUILD-UP

- Man-to-man press from Newcastle
- United unable to find free CCB (Maguire) in midfield as they did in early games under Amorim
- Reoccurring issue from Bournemouth and Wolves games

https://x.com/automatisms_/status/1871249995950948805 

- Hojlund more effective as a target man to play over Newcastle's press than Zirkzee vs Bournemouth 

⚽ SETTLED POSSESSION

- Inability to manipulate Newcastle's block
- Lack of dynamism. No opposite movements
- No overloads to isolate as seen in early games under Amorim
- Back pass to Onana. Newcastle trigger press. Turnover 

- Lack of 1v1 quality out wide increases predictability 

🔄 SWITCH TO 5-4-1 MID-BLOCK IN 2ND HALF

- More compact. Less-penetrable
- Added mobility from Mainoo 

❌ OVER-DIRECTNESS IN POSSESSION CONTINUES 

Amorim's initial setup was poor and handed Newcastle both goals. United also lacked clear ideas of what to do in possession, probably a result of the lack of training time which Amorim has complained about several times. 

As Amorim himself mentioned, United's players have also thrown away principles that were seen in earlier games. Lack of training time, poor physical state of the squad, and players' lack of fit with the new system have resulted in United's terrible form.

https://guillaumevdw.substack.com/p/a-panorama-of-manchester-uniteds

Low physical levels lead to technical inconsistencies. E.g Mazraoui and Mainoo in recent games 

With more time on the training ground, improved physical levels, and new signings that fit the system, United can get back to where they should be. That won't be easy though, and certainly won't happen overnight. So for now, United fans have to sit tight and ride out the storm.

🔴 Manchester United Technical/Tactical Analysis vs Manchester City

A Thread 🧵 

🧱 LOW/MID-BLOCK

- Compact 5-2-2-1 to deny City central progression 

- Defensive coordination in handling opposition runners
- Aggressive WCBs on City's interiors 

- Synchronisation when switching from mid-block -&gt; press 

⚡ATTACKING TRANSITIONS

- OOP shape gives numerical advantage in transitions
- Small space players (Amad, Mount, Mainoo, Bruno) in close proximity 

⚽SETTLED POSSESSION

- Wide overloads
- Third-man circuits to find free man
- Switch to underloaded side 

🏃‍♂️PRESSING

- Hybrid approach 

- Willingness to push Mazraoui up to Nunes 

🟢BUILD-UP

- Back 5 vs City's front 3 gives numerical adv. in the 1st phase
- Overloads to isolate 

- Failure to identify overloads on multiple occasions 

Amorim's team put on a solid performance. He's been able to instill clear principles in the 1st &amp; 2nd phases while making United a more solid team defensively. There's still room for improvement, however, and his side are yet to display inventive patterns in the final 3rd. 