Premier League football is back, and fans can now look forward to seeing their favourite teams back in action. Most teams in the league will find that these final game weeks are very important, for varying reasons. Liverpool are looking to wrap up their first league title in 30 years. Aston Villa and Bournemouth are hoping to get some results to get them out of the bottom three, while Watford, West Ham United, and Brighton will be aspiring to remain above the relegation zone. The fight for European football for next season continues as well. Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, currently in 8th, and 9th respectively, face the prospect of no European football at all next season. However, the gap in points is not huge, and these final game weeks are so important.
Another club whose fate lies in how they perform when the league returns is Manchester United. They currently sit in 5th place, with 45 points out of a possible 87. As of right now, they do qualify for a UEFA Champions League spot next season, solely because Manchester City were banned from all UEFA club competitions for the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body due to violations of the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations (FFP). City did appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) earlier this week, and a decision is pending. What this means, is that should Manchester City win the appeal, and Manchester United remain in 5th at the end of the season, they will be competing in the Europa League again next season. Furthermore, even if Manchester City do not win the appeal, Tottenham are only four points behind United, and Arsenal are five points behind. Those gaps can easily be closed by the two North London clubs. Theres a lot riding on the line for Manchester United in these upcoming weeks. Champions League football next season means more revenue, and more attraction to big-name signings they might want to make, and this tactical analysis will focus specifically on the tactics they need to employ to better their chances in guaranteeing a spot in the Champions League.
How United should line-up
Ole Gunnar Solskjær has predominantly used the 4-2-3-1 this season, using it in 69% of Uniteds matches this season.
For the bigger matches, against the top six, Solskjær prefers the 3-4-1-2, using it against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool. There is no indication that Solskjær will stray from these the two formations when the season restarts.
United were in good form before the season halt, which may have been frustrating, as they were not allowed to continue the strong momentum that they had. However, the break has allowed a few key players to return. I expect that theyll likely lineup like this.
