The Wayne Rooney Derby , that’s what the media labelled the match as Man United travelled to Derby in the next round of the FA Cup. The Rams entered the game looking to overturn a terrible record against Man United, having lost in their previous eight FA Cup ties against them.
Man United, on the other hand, have seen a recent upturn in fortunes. New man Bruno Fernandes has sprinkled some quality on a youthful side who are unbeaten in eight matches across all competitions.
On the night it was the Red Devils who progressed, comfortably seeing themselves through to the next round scoring three without Derby landing a punch.
In this tactical analysis, we look at the tactics used by Ole Gunnar Solskjærs men and how this strangled Derby into submission. We also provide an analysis of how Derby’s tactics stalled, looking at the improvements required if they want to push for a playoff spot.
Line-ups
Solskjærs men lined up in the same shape. Fred and the returning Scott McTominay offered the energy in the midfield, acting as a double pivot in possession and as a shield to the centre-backs in the defensive organisation stage. Fernandes continued in his favoured number ten role, the Portuguese international looked to knit patterns of play together using quick incisive passing. In support was Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard as United turned to the depth of their squad for the tie. The duo tucked infield to create passing angles in tight spaces, where quick interchanges were attempted to break through the Derby lines. This movement off the wings invited Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw forward to join attacks using under and overlaps which we look at later.
In the first half-hour, the game struggled to settle into its tactical pattern. But for a few chances, prolonged phases of poor passes, fouls and turnovers littered proceedings, as both teams struggled to find momentum in the game.
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