By now, it’s obvious to most Manchester United fans that Erik ten Hag is big on wing play and that most of it includes full-backs.
At Ajax, the flank defenders were often seen bombing up the side of the pitch to overlap or underlap the winger. And even if they didn’t run past the wide man, they were positioned well inside the opponents’ final third.
Many questioned whether Ten Hag would be able to implement this at United with the defenders he has at his disposal but it seems to be working smoothly so far. The reason why he brought in Tyrell Malacia was evidenced in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.
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The left-back crossed the ball on the angle to Diogo Dalot, who then found Anthony Martial to hammer home from close range. It’s the first time in a long while that both United full-backs have directly linked up for a goal, and it shows a shift in tactics.
Not only are the team’s wide defenders high up the pitch, they’re also tucking in centrally. Both Malacia and Dalot were positioned just in front of the corner of the box for the Palace opener.
It shows Ten Hag requires his full-backs to be versatile and not one-trick ponies. In all three friendlies, Luke shaw, Malacia and Dalot have bombed up the wing but they have also often been seen looking inside for an angled ball into the box.
It means opposing defenders are unable to predict the attack and it causes them to be on alert at all times. Their positional play also allows the full-backs to choose whether to cross into the box or look for their winger down their outside line.
It’s an aggressive style of play that has worked so far and it indicates why Ten Hag dipped into the market for Malacia - and maybe why he’s still searching for a new right-back despite the feats of Dalot this summer.
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