How Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Out-Thought Maurizio Sarri In FA Cup Tactical Battle

Chelsea vs Manchester United was the lone Premier League battle in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Maurizio Sarris beleaguered Chelsea team were dumped out of the cup by two first-half Manchester United goals.

The loss has put Sarri firmly on thin ice as Chelsea fan patience is wearing out due to Sarri’s predictability in the team setup.

The match provided an interesting situation in how Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solksjær would tactically prepare his team against the stubborn Chelsea system.

Two items of tactical significance caught the eye.

The first was Manchester United’s clear plan of attacking the Chelsea defence.

The second was Manchester United’s changing of defensive focus based on the game state.

Using statistics and tactical analysis we will look at these two tactical issues.

Lineups

Chelsea trotted out the expected 4-3-3 formation.

The midfield was anchored by Jorginho with Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante higher up the pitch.

New signing Gonzalo Higuain got the start in the central forward position flanked by Eden Hazard and Pedro.

Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, and Marcos Alonso comprised the back line with Kepa Arrizabalaga was in goal.

Manchester United started in a 4-3-1-2 formation.

Ex-Chelsea player Juan Mata slotted into the attacking midfield spot in place of the injured Jesse Lingard.

Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku started up top.

Nemanja Matic anchored the midfield with Ander Herrera on the right and Paul Pogba on the left.

Ashley Young, Chris Smalling, Victor Lindelof, and Luke Show completed the back line with the Argentinian Sergio Romero in goal.

Manchester Uniteds clear attacking strategy

From the off, Manchester United showed a clear attacking intention of exploiting the space behind the Chelsea full-backs and dragging their central defenders out of shape.

Here we see a chance in the very first minute.

Pogba is