Everything is going wrong David De Gea, Man United
A brutally honest assessment from Man Uniteds number one in his post-match interview following Manchester Uniteds sorry defeat to Newcastle on Sunday. Ole Gunnar Solskjærs men continued their dismal away form, extending their time without victory even further from that magnificent night in Paris which seems a long time ago now. United have now lost their third game in the Premier League this season, slumping to 12th in the table. The 1-0 victory for the Magpies lifted them out of the relegation zone.
In this tactical analysis, we look at the tactics deployed by Steve Bruce and provide an analysis of where the attacking issues lie in this Man United team.
Lineups
Steve Bruce opted for a familiar defensive shape, with the intention of frustrating the visitors. He implemented a rigid 5-4-1 system, consisting of Jerome Lascelles, Ciaran Clark and Fabian Schär as the centre-backs. This additional centre-back assisted in covering the movement in the half-spaces and also prevented overloads on the wings. Homegrown brothers Matt and Sean Longstaff started as the central midfielders. Their role was to provide stability to the defensive shape and use their narrow positioning to block passing lanes into the front men, which they did expertly. New signing Joelinton started as the lone striker- he was used as a target man during an offensive transition, supported by Miguel Almirón and Allan Saint-Maximin.
Wholesale changes were made to the United team as Solskjær looked for solutions to his mounting injury troubles. Diogo Dalot and Ashley Young started as the full-backs. Youngster Axel Tuanzebe continued to impress as Harry Maguires centre-back partner. No Paul Pogba offered a place for Fred, who operated in a double pivot with Scott McTominay that lacked any creativity or expansive thinking. Marcus Rashford continued as the number nine, his obvious isolation up front coupled with a lack of instinctive movement led to a frustrating afternoon for the England international.
