Not just “attack, attack, attack”: Solskjaer’s subtle tweaks against Tottenham

After winning United’s first five games, Sunday’s narrow win over Tottenham was Solskjaer’s first real challenge as caretaker manager, one that was passed with flying colours.

Solskjaer has been credited with freeing up United’s supremely talented squad, allowing them to attack with a sense of freedom and reduced tactical rigidity.

This was an obvious direction to take given both the increasingly unpopular reaction to Jose Mourinho’s pragmatic football, and also the top-heavy quality in United’s squad. However, whether this free-flowing attacking football would work against a team of Spurs’ quality was another question.

Solskjaer and his staff indeed did make some changes. Despite naming the same starting eleven as his first game in charge against Cardiff, this was a “different system”, as described by goal-scorer Marcus Rashford in his post-match interview.

The midfield duo of Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic remained disciplined, roaming far less from their position in front of the defence than in previous games.

Even more noticeably different was the patience of the United fullbacks Ashley Young and Luke Shaw in going forward.

While in previous interviews Solskjaer has noted his liking for wide and high attacking fullbacks, on this occasion they remained patient, not overloading the wide areas too early and staying wary of any counter-attacking threats posed by the explosive Son-Heung Min and Dele Alli.

Further up the pitch Jesse Lingard played centrally rather than Rashford, utilising Lingard’s defensive work rate as he harassed the two centre-backs and deeper midfielders in an attempt to disrupt Tottenham’s build-up play.

This strategy that was particularly effective in the first half, eventually leading to United’s goal. In possession, Lingard would drop deeper to receive the ball, dragging Jan Vertonghen with him to create space for runners in behind.

This tactical switch pushed both Rashford and Anthony Martial out to high and wide positions on the pitch, seemingly tasked with the difficult job of tracking the advances of Spurs’ wingbacks, but more importantly putting them in the prime positions for any quick counter attacks in the space left behind Kieran Trippier and Ben Davies.

Can Pogba and the Red Devils make the top four? (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Both are accomplished attacking wingbacks, and with Harry Kane waiting to finish any crosses that found him in the box, this strategy of Solskjaer’s did not come without great risk. Martial in particular is feeble in defence and with only the ill-disciplined Paul Pogba to the left of United’s midfield three in support, Spurs’ right-back Kieran Trippier should have been more effective on the right and had a poor game overall.

Fortunately for United, Solskjaer’s gamble paid off beautifully. In what was clearly a planned sequence of events United broke away into the space left behind the advancing left-back Davies.

Lingard’s pressing paid off when he intercepted a poor ball played inside by Trippier, acting as a trigger for Rashford to instantaneously make the run in behind, bursting into space. Lingard handed the ball off to Pogba who quickly launched a ball beyond Vertonghen and into Rashford’s path. The precise, early finish past Hugo Lloris into the corner of the net completed the play impeccably.

It is this sort of attacking play that United’s new identity can be formed around. The determination and work ethic of local academy graduates Rashford and Lingard showed what it means to be a United player, and with a supporting cast of world class talent such as Pogba, Martial, and Alexis Sanchez there is the makings of a truly exciting, dynamic and effective Manchester United to come.

Having begun his reign eight points behind Arsenal, Solskjaer’s United suddenly find themselves equal on points with the fifth-placed Gunners. They are just six points behind Chelsea, whose current position of fourth will surely be one of fiercest battles for the remainder of the Premier League season.

After dispatching some of the poorer teams in the league, and now one of the top six, Solskjaer has clearly motivated a supremely talented squad and shown tactical flexibility. Given United’s relatively easy next run of games Chelsea will be looking very warily over their shoulders at United’s revival.