Antonio Conte: How United could look tactically if the Italian heads to Old Trafford – tactical analysis

Manchester United are owning the media headlines lately, after their disastrous 0-5 defeat by Liverpool in Premier League, which put Ole Gunna Solskjær’s job under question. But while many people expect that the Red Devils’ manager will be fired in the next few weeks, even more people are discussing the possibility of bringing one of the most successful managers in the last decade Antonio Conte at Old Trafford.

United have been performing under their potential and seeing the squad quality after an active summer window it seems that all comes down to the tactical side of their game and the man-management.

Despite making the United fans’ dreams come true by signing Cristiano Ronaldo, and paying 77 million for Jadon Sancho the team are still struggling to pull off impressive displays. While Ronaldo expectedly boosted the team’s performance, Sancho is yet to be given chance as it turned out that he doesn’t fit Solskjær’s plans.

The question now is – is Conte the quick fix and could he be the solution to United’s struggles? His distinguished tactical vision has brought all Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan to the league titles as he transformed them into well-balanced and consistent teams with high ambitions.

The Italian is often opinionated and wants things to go his way or no way, but on the flip side, he has proved as an absolute master of bringing out the players’ full potential.

This tactical analysis examines Conte’s tactics and explains how Manchester United could look under him with the current personnel available.

Formation variations and possible starting XI

Conte has been known for his tactical vision and his smart use of the back three formations. He started using the 3-5-2 formation with Juve and after seeing its success he transmitted it to the Premier League with Chelsea, and then lastly with Inter, who won their first Scudetto in 11 years in this formation.

While the manager is very particular in his back-three use, he is actually rather flexible in his approach and is open for changes in the other two lines, switching between 3-4-3 and 3-4-1-2 too. His teams are well-balanced focused on defensive stability but also smart attacking and counterattacking actions.

The use of the wing-backs has been extremely important in his strategy, focusing on developing his wide midfielders into efficient attackers who are among the main contributors in the final third. He has also relied on the players’ pace, especially on a counter, where his team have provided the biggest threat.

Bu