The seven recognized Manchester United defenders that Sir Alex Ferguson selected to start against Arsenal all played vital, versatile roles in the Reds clinical win.
With so many injuries decimating his options on the wings, and lack of combative and creative players in the center, Sir Alex chose three defenders to occupy unfamiliar positions in the midfield to aid the United attack and add stability to the defense as well. Thankfully for him, Ferguson’s brave risk panned out as United are in the Semifinal of the FA Cup, but it was down to the players he selected being able to implement and carry out his game plan in a wide variety of positions.
First look at the starting XI, it looked as though Ferguson was playing for a draw and was putting 10 players behind the ball to deny Arsenal any chances of penetration with a slim hope of catching them on the counterattack. To a certain extent that is exactly what happened, but it is how it happened was the most captivating. Essentially, Sir Alex went with four players – Wes Brown, John O’Shea and the da Silva twins – that have played right-back this season, but, obviously, only one of them could play there, which was the former of the four.
O’Shea has showed over his 12-year United career that he is a very effective versatile player, by playing in a host of positions, including as goalkeeper, but Fabio and Rafael also showed that their instinctive athletic ability along with their hunger to succeed allow them to be just as influential in other positions.
If any of the United players went down injured, and had to be replaced, there were a host of players that Sir Alex could have shifted into their position without losing the shape of the formation. That type of utility player is exactly what Sir Alex always looks for when selecting his starting XI, which ultimately led to Dimitar Berbatov being on the bench, and Wayne Rooney, who was perhaps the most influential, starting the match.
He started the game off level with Javier Hernandez in the United attack, but Rooney slowly drifted further back to help nullify Arsenal’s three-man center midfield combination of Jack Wilshere, Denilson and Abou Diaby. The way Rooney dropped back to get the ball from the defenders, or win it back from either of those three was impressive, and was all over the pitch sticking in challenges.
After Ryan Giggs came on for Rafael, Rooney shifted to the left-side of the midfield, and bombarded down the either wing or through the midfield getting on the end of at least two long balls from Scholes – after constantly running around springing the United attack for the first 75 minutes.
Revolving
The match started with a 4-4-2 with O’Shea, Darron Gibson being flanked by the twins in the midfield, but within 20 minutes that formation morphed into a 4-1-3-1-1. O’Shea dropped back to stay just a few yards above the back-four to prevent a driving runs, like the ones that happened against Liverpool and Chelsea, by Wilshere or Diaby.
With Ferguson seeing the trouble that Rafael and Fabio were causing Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs on the wings, so he pushed them farther forward and dropped Rooney back to play along side Gibson. The Gaffer stayed with that formation for much of the match, even after the introduction of Antonio Valencia, but when Giggs came on with 25 minutes or so to go, United switch the formation again.
A 4-5-1 formation was the way United would end the match with Giggs operating behind Chicharito, and Rooney pushed out wide to the left flank, but it did not hinder the way United defended or attacked Arsenal.
Like any risk in life, Sir Alex Ferguson’s masterstroke could have very easily blew up in his face, but, thankfully, it worked out as he and Manchester United will avoid another negative media onslaught – hopefully.
Submitted by The United Religion
