Manchester United Come Into Some Form

Manchester United visited Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon, aiming to bounce back from their 2-3 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur the previous weekend. The match assumed greater significance, since this was Man United’s first visit to St. James’ Park after the 3-0 mauling they received in their first match of 2012. The game turned out to be a very interesting tactical battle – one that was won by the Manchester United manager.

The Old Trafford side began the game in the diamond formation in midfield, with van Persie and Welbeck as the strikers. Wayne Rooney once again returned to his role at the tip of the diamond, while Michael Carrick was at the base. Tom Cleverley and Shinji Kagawa made up the other two slots in midfield. In defense, Sir Alex Ferguson persisted with the same four players who had come under such criticism for the defeat to Tottenham. The match started out in the best possible style for Manchester United, as they scored two goals within the first 16 minutes. Both goals came from unlikely sources. Evans first scored a thumping header from van Persie’s corner. This was followed by Evra evading Demba Ba and burying a header into the net from Rooney’s corner. The first 22 minutes saw Manchester United have as many as 7 shots, 5 of which were on target. Newcastle had no answer for the movement and fluidity of the Red Devils’ attack, with Wayne Rooney in particular, orchestrating events in the home team’s half.

In response to the visitors’ dominance, the Newcastle manager Alan Pardew made a tactical switch to a 4-3-3, with Cheik Tiote and Yohan Cabaye being joined by Jonas Gutierrez in the centre of the midfield. This led to Newcastle’s best phase in the game, as they matched the numbers in Man United’s three man midfield. The Red Devils’ defense did well in this phase of the game, soaking up pressure from the home team without conceding. Michael Carrick was especially effective in his role of screening the defense. In addition, there were changes to the way the Man United defense operated, which lent more solidity to the side. Both Rafael da Silva and Evra tucked in close to the centre-backs, eliminating the spaces between the lines that were so visible against the Spurs. In addition, they also took up a more careful game play going forward, as only one fullback at a time went up to link with the attack. David De Gea, recalled to Man United’s Premier League team for the first time since the match against Fulham, had some nervous moments as he flapped at balls coming into the box. One such passage of play almost led to a goal by Newcastle, but De Gea recovered well to clear Papiss Cisse’s header off the line.

Sir Alex Ferguson then made the final tactical switch of the game in the 53rd minute, when he replaced the rather ineffectual Shinji Kagawa with Antonio Valencia. Man United thus reverted to a more conventional 4-2-3-1/4-5-1 formation, with Wayne Rooney playing behind Robin van Persie, and Valencia and Welbeck on the two flanks. Valencia’s introduction completely changed the game, as the Red Devils’ hitherto narrow formation finally got some width. As the game was stretched more, Manchester United grew more and more comfortable. The sucker punch for Newcastle came in the 71st minute, when Tom Cleverley overcooked his attempted cross from the left, and instead curled a spectacular-looking effort into the top corner. This was Cleverley’s second goal against the Magpies, in as many games, over a 11-day period. The game subsequently petered out into a tepid affair as Manchester United comfortably closed out the game, and gained a measure of revenge for their abysmal result against the same opponents last season.

Man of the Match: The visitors had many outstanding candidates, including Evans, Evra, Rooney, and Cleverley. However, my choice is Michael Carrick, who was quietly outstanding in his holding role. His passing was neat and assured, while his defensive contributions were extremely effective.

Manchester United Verdict: The result and the clean-sheet would have pleased Sir Alex Ferguson, as Manchester United gave their most assured performance of this season. Worries remain over the goalkeeping with De Gea making a couple of mistakes, despite the clean sheet. In addition, Danny Welbeck spurned a few clear chances that may have cost them in another game. However, the performance overall was solid and professional, and they were good value for their three points.

Newcastle United Verdict: Alan Pardew will probably put his team through their paces on the training ground, once they return from the international break. The marking on both corners which led to Man United’s first two goals was shocking. How Evra – by far the smallest man on the pitch – managed to score a header from a corner, will remain one of the great mysteries this season.