By winning 4-1 once morest Real Betis last Thursday, Manchester United put themselves in a strong position ahead of this week’s UEFA Europa League Round of 16 second leg in Sevilla.
In this article brought to you by Swissquote, the UEFA Technical Observers Panel highlights several key tactical details of a very positive Manchester United performance, including the fluidity in midfield that created the space between the lines.
Systems
Man United
Erik ten Hag fielded the same XI as in the 7-0 defeat to Liverpool four days earlier. As the diagram shows, he opted for a 4-2-3-1 and the responsibility to exploit the spaces in the flanks fell to the wingers once morest opponents playing in a more central pattern.
In possession of the ball, United were very compact and showed a good attitude in transitions. In the first legs of last week’s round of 16, the English team was the one with the most ball recoveries (74) and Casemiro (n°18) the player with the most recoveries (16 ).
Real Betis
Manuel Pellegrini’s men presented the same 4-2-3-1 system as their opponents and, without the ball, settled into a rather compact and central mid/low block. The starting XI included two winter signings making their first appearance in this Europa League campaign: Pérez (21) at the forefront of attack and Abner Vinicius (20) at right-back for whom it was even the first European game.
what we saw
For the UEFA observer, the main tactical takeaway from United’s performance are the switchovers to find the right man in midfield and the effort to find space down the flanks when facing an opposition concentrated on the axis of the field.
But before we focus on United, the video analysis at the top of the page begins with a snippet showing the high pressing of Betis. In the first half, Pellegrini’s men came up the field well, with short distances between the players pressing, they contained United and made it difficult for the England side at times.
In this excerpt, for example, we see De Gea, whose passing angles are tight, forced to make an error by sending the ball directly to Juanmi, who serves Pérez for a deflected shot on a post.
The analysis then focuses on United’s ability to find a relay in his preparation game through clever permutations. In Clip 2, the Mancunians build three behind and the technical point to consider is how the midfielders switch positions, Fred backs up and Casemiro drives up the pitch between the lines. As the streak progresses, Rashford’s move draws centre-back Germán Pezzella outside, freeing up space for Weghorst in the inside left lane, who sends Rashford rushing into the box to create an opportunity.
The third excerpt offers another example of United’s switchovers, this time between Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Fernandes, who finds himself at right-back, leaving Betis players with a dilemma, who to score?
The way the Brazilian takes the information and then signals De Gea to calm down, i.e. not to rush his clearance, says a lot as United want to put the pressure on and attract more Betis players on it to free up space behind. As the streak unfolds, Betis have six players pinned down, hence Fernandes passing from right to left to free Shaw into space, from where he leads a dangerous attack.
The fourth excerpt starts with Betis in place behind, with short distances between their players to cut off all passes, leaving Shaw no choice but to retrace his steps. United’s solution is another rotation, with Fernandes backing into his own half.
Although William Carvalho points to Juanmi to warn him of Fernandes’ move, Fred is free to rush into space on the other side, unmarked, as he receives a pass from Martínez and immediately serves Rashford on the LEFT. Spaces multiplied between the lines of the Betis midfield, allowing Fred and Fernandes to recover the ball and project.
The second tactical point for United was the way they looked to attack from the flanks, bypassing Betis’ central block. The fifth excerpt, which shows the period leading up to Antony’s goal, begins with a change of play in favor of Shaw. Although United briefly lose the ball, Luis Henrique makes the mistake of returning it to Casemiro. The video then cuts to a halt and the midfielder can be seen raising his head and picking off Fernandes, who in turn passes the ball to Antony, who does the rest.
United also looked to go through the outside on their counter-attacks and their first goal, presented in excerpt number 6is the result of a transition where the ball passes through Fernandes before returning to Rashford to strike.
Extract 7 combines several elements. From a crowded area on the right, we see the ball pass to Shaw on the left before Fernandes makes a smart move to create space. The Portuguese spots the space behind Carvalho and signals it to Rashford who rushes in to receive Shaw’s pass and send it back to the left-back for a cross.
United’s efforts to circumvent the Andalusian bloc are also visible in the last excerpt, with Jadon Sancho. While there is no cross on this occasion, only Arsenal on Thursday night managed more crosses than United’s nine. The fact that Ten Hag’s men also took the most shots (25) and shots on target (13) of any team in the Europa League last week is further proof of their productive work.
