Seventeen rounds into the 2024/25 season, Manchester United are thirteenth within the Premier League desk, with a meagre tally of twenty-two factors, having misplaced extra video games than they’ve received. Had anybody at any level of the Sir Alex Ferguson period prompt something like this is able to ever occur, it might’ve been classed as an outrageous assertion.
On October twenty seventh, United had been crushed by a struggling West Ham aspect and that end result sealed the destiny of Erik ten Hag on the membership. Ruud van Nistelrooy was given the interim position earlier than the membership lastly appointed Ruben Amorim, however not a lot has modified by way of outcomes since, regardless of what now appears to have been a quick spark of profitable power to start with.
Amorim will concentrate on the dimensions and problem of the duty he’s been given – for a begin, to get the 20-time English champions wherever close to to competing for the Premier League title once more, or at the least to enjoying Champions League soccer usually. There may be lots for the previous Sporting Lisbon coach to work on, however set-pieces are arguably one his workforce’s most-glaring weaknesses and most-urgent issues he and his workers want to deal with.
United have conceded 9 objectives via set-pieces this season, a quantity worsted solely by 18th-place Wolverhampton Wanderers. Additionally, over a 3rd of set-pieces given towards them results in the opposition taking a shot, which is an alarming charge.
Manchester United’s wonderful previous was strewn with aerially dominant gamers – Jaap Stam, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, simply to call just a few. Even in more moderen years, there have been Johnny Evans, Raphael Varane, Eric Bailly, Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic – clearly not all defenders, however all completely able to contributing to defending their very own field when threatened by a set-piece scenario.
Now, nevertheless, solely Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt fall into that class, and when one in all them isn’t enjoying, an opponent who analyzes their weaknesses and prepares their attacking set-pieces fastidiously may have a subject day.
Lisandro Martinez definitely doesn’t lack aggression or braveness, however he merely can not do a lot towards taller, stronger gamers when a cross is available in. The aim Nikola Milenkovic scored after lower than two minutes of Nottingham Forest’s victory at Outdated Trafford at the beginning of December was an ideal instance of the Argentina worldwide getting brushed apart in his personal field.
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The January switch window is about to open, and United will surely do nicely to look into signing one or two gamers who received’t permit themselves to get pushed round or crushed within the air so simply.
However fairly other than particular person shortcomings of the gamers defending set-pieces, Amorim, or fairly the person he’s put answerable for that particular section, Carlos Fernandes, ought to rethink the best way the gamers are organized within the field. Like many different groups, United are likely to put some our bodies contained in the six yards and others to dam potential runners into that space, however most of the time, the latter group leaves areas right here and there, areas which opponents examine and finally exploit. In opposition to Bournemouth on Sunday, for instance, United conceded the primary aim when Cherries defender Dean Huijsen attacked the house between Joshua Zirkzee and Bruno Fernandes on the close to put up.
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Set-pieces definitely aren’t the one downside Amorim has to discover a strategy to take care of, however going again via the fundamentals of that specific section in all probability wouldn’t be a nasty place to start out.
The post Defending set-pieces – An apparent space for enchancment for Manchester United first appeared on Foot & Soccer.
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Author : footsoccer
Publish date : 2024-12-25 00:38:45
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