The narratives were neatly packaged before Manchester United’s trip to Southampton.
Would United be picked off in possession, like they were against Liverpool in their previous match? Who would start in the centre of midfield? Would Erik ten Hag navigate his side away from choppy waters after just three points from his opening three games?
A 3-0 away win was enough to silence the critics, even if promoted Southampton dominated play for the opening half an hour. Ten Hag’s attacking players grabbed the headlines, but it was United’s approach in possession — from both full-backs — that caught the eye.
GO DEEPER
From confusion to control: Why Ten Hag will hope United's season follows pattern of Southampton match
After a difficult afternoon in that loss against Liverpool, Casemiro was replaced by Christian Eriksen to offer stronger technical attributes in midfield. However, Eriksen did not always stay close to Kobbie Mainoo in United’s build-up — often pulling into wide areas to offer an outlet outside Southampton’s 4-4-2 defensive unit.
That left Mainoo to patrol the middle of the pitch, but United’s build-up play was helped by Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui taking turns to drift inside from their full-back positions and support the England international in progressing the ball.
This was in stark contrast to United’s naive approach in possession against Liverpool, where too many players were ahead of the ball when they looked to build out. After his side had punished United by scoring three goals from high regains and transitional moments, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot outlined the plan to expose that weakness in his post-match interview.
“Their full-backs, nine out of 10 times, are really high, and then Casemiro comes in between,” Slot said. “So if you pick the ball and keep (Liverpool forwards) Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah high, then you are constantly in a one-to-one situation.”
GO DEEPER
After Arne Slot debunked Erik ten Hag's tactical setup on live TV, how worried should United fans be?
While United will still look to overload the opposition back line with both full-backs pushing forward — in what resembles a 3-1-6 at times — there was a greater foundation in their build-up structure on Saturday as they looked to avoid a similar outcome to their previous Premier League game.
It is not uncommon to see a designated full-back drift inside to support the midfield in modern football, and it is a role Dalot has often undertaken for Ten Hag. However, seeing both full-backs rotate their positioning into central areas felt more rare.
Sometimes, the pair would simply be conventional full-backs holding their width, but the examples below show Mazraoui drifting inside to form a 3-2 build-up structure, with Dalot tucking in next to centre-back Lisandro Martinez.
But Dalot would also drift alongside Mainoo, with Mazraoui the one staying in the back line.
There was a fluidity to United’s build-up, with Mainoo dropping into left-back areas to maintain that 3-2 structure while Dalot pushed on ahead of him — this time alongside Eriksen.
The second half saw multiple rotations at once.
Here, Eriksen pulled into the left-back position while Mazraoui joined Mainoo inside, allowing Dalot to take up a narrow position ahead of the ball to receive a pass between Southampton’s midfield and defensive lines.
“We have some new players who we have to integrate into the team and that needs time to recognise timings and get in the right position,” Ten Hag said after the game.
“They (Dalot and Mazraoui) are capable of doing that, and when that works better we will have a better in-possession game but also take more control when we lose the ball.”
Dalot’s one-v-one defending could still be refined — he gave away a penalty with a clumsy challenge on 18-year-old Tyler Dibling — but the Portugal international has been one of United’s best performers in the opening four games of the season.
No player attempted more passes than Dalot did at St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon and the 25-year-old showed his versatility, too. Having played the majority of the game at left-back, he switched to right-back, where he bagged an assist by reaching the byline and cutting the ball back for Alejandro Garnacho to score the late third.
Alejandro Garnacho makes it 3-0 and Man Utd finish with a flourish 🔥
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/bJtEjE4twv
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 14, 2024
Meanwhile, Mazraoui has made a brilliant start to life in Manchester after his summer move from Bayern Munich and has already shown his technical ability to retain possession in tight spaces. The Morocco international’s calmness on the ball has helped unleash the attacking threat of Amad on United’s right flank.
Saturday was not the first time Mazraoui has drifted into half-space areas when United look to build out from the back, as can be seen in that game against Liverpool…
…but rather than having the centre-backs split, a midfielder drop in (Casemiro, in the example above), and another full-back stay high, United’s build-up structure on Saturday was qualitatively different as they shuffled the back line along depending on which side the ball was on.
This shift seemed to ensure United had a stronger ‘rest defence’ (referring to a team’s positioning when in possession to be prepared to defend if the ball is lost). It also served to pin the opposition wide players and make space for the wingers to isolate their full-back one-v-one — another common approach in modern football.
Advertisement
This was often the case on United’s right, as Mazraoui frequently kept Ben Brereton Diaz inside, allowing Amad to come onto the ball under less pressure.
While promoted Southampton did give United a scare in the first half, they have now played four and lost four, while scoring just one goal. There will be tougher tests to come for Ten Hag’s side in the weeks ahead. When Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are fit, the fight for the left-back position will be fierce, but United’s available full-backs have offered a lot to the team’s structure at the start of the season.
GO DEEPER
What Ten Hag needs to fix at Manchester United
The addition of summer signing Manuel Ugarte to the midfield means their build-up structure is unlikely to remain the same as it was on Saturday, but the versatility of both full-backs gives them an option to create a stronger base when they are in possession.
(Top photo: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
57