Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spent the summer moving Manchester United in a new tactical direction.
The acquisitions of Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, coupled with Anthony Martial’s re-emergence as a key player during pre-season, point to the Norwegian manager’s desire to put emphasis on speed and direct attacking play this campaign.
In the first half against Chelsea, that led to a chaotic and stretched match in which the hosts could have gone 2-0 down. However, once United dropped back, inviting Chelsea possession, they were able to counter-attack at breakneck speed through the heart of midfield. James, Martial, Jesse Lingard, and Marcus Rashford will all excel in a system that relies on countering at speed, while Paul Pogba will enjoy the Hollywood passing options his team-mates’ runs will create.
All three second-half goals were from quick breaks and, following the sudden success at Old Trafford, Solskjaer may choose to play on the counter regularly this season. If he wants to let individual players break the tactical lines and dribble directly at the opponent, then he needs the structure and security of a deep-lying defence.
Fielding a narrow 4-4-2 diamond for the visit of Aston Villa proved to be a mistake, their lack of width meaning Villa’s weakest areas – the full-back positions – went relatively untested. The pitch was too cluttered and, because Jack Grealish and John McGinn both performed well, Spurs just could not break the visitors down. However, in the 64th minute Mauricio Pochettino switched to a 4-2-3-1 and introduced Christian Eriksen in the number ten role.
Eriksen immediately dictated the game, linking the lines of midfield and attack while winning multiple corners and free-kicks – the source of two of Spurs’ three second-half goals. Their set-pieces in particular forced Villa into retreat, creating increasingly desperate defending that – predictably – led to late goals following pin-ball goalmouth action and deflections.
For Tottenham to challenge for the Premier League title this season they will need to dig deep with late wins, scrapping for unlikely points as Liverpool did in 2018/19. Pochettino might have made a mistake at the outset, but his ability to correct it tells us more about the Spurs manager.
The 3-0 scoreline perhaps flattered a Brighton side who amassed just five shots in total and scored with every single one on target, but the overall attacking positivity of Graham Potter’s side made victory a just reward for their boldness.
Potter made a double substitution in the 64th minute and both strikers introduced, Florin Andone and Neal Maupay, ended up on the score sheet – but that’s not why Potter deserves credit for the change.
Making such an attacking switch when already leading 1-0 was brave, highlighting the English manager’s emphasis on expansive football and his belief in the squad’s ability to outplay their opponents.