Manchester United 1-1 Wolverhampton: 3 Tactics by Ole Gunnar Solskjær that cost Red Devils the win
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had invested heavily in his defense in the summer, in a bid to close the leakage at the back from last season. New boys Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka had looked right at home against Chelsea, helping the Red Devils seal a clean sheet in the first game of the season. While the early signs were ominous, the game against Wolves on Monday was an entirely different test for Solskjaer.
The United defense had struggled to deal with the movement and threat of Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez during recent visits to the Molineux, while Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves had run riot in the midfield. As Solskjaer attempted to aim high in the new season, Wolves represented a marker of their improvement from last season. Solskjaer did not have too many reasons to alter his winning combination from Chelsea, but the Norwegian did make one vital change in the team.
Solskjaer continued with David de Gea in goal, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw making up the back four. Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay were selected in midfield, alongside Jesse Lingard in the No. 10 role. Up front, Solskjaer made his only change in the team, opting for Daniel James and Marcus Rashford on either side of Anthony Martial.
Even though the Red Devils took the lead in the first half, Solskjaer's men failed to take control of the game and allowed the home side to equalise. Paul Pogba missed a penalty in the second half, and the game ultimately ended 1-1.
Solskjaer's plans were just not good enough on the night and here are 3 tactics from the Norwegian that cost them the win.
#3 An overly cautious midfield
Against Chelsea, Manchester United were devastating through the middle and had the desire to pile men forward. Perhaps the home advantage worked in their favour, but those tactics ultimately helped the Red Devils win the game.
Against Wolves, Solskjaer took a more cautious approach and was guilty of giving Wolves too much respect. Both Pogba and McTominay stayed grounded, even though United dominated possession in the opening stages. This allowed Wolves to remain positive, even after they had conceded a goal in the 27th minute. On the rare occasions that Pogba did bomb forward, United had a certain zeal in the attack, but that was short-lived.
On a night when Solskjaer wanted to defeat the demons of the past, his decision to implement an overly cautious midfield cost them the game.