Marouane Fellaini the Culprit for Manchester United's injury time Breakdown

Manchester United looked solid for 80 minutes of the match against Everton that saw 3 shots hit the back of the net.  Angel Di Maria broke the deadlock when Rafael put in a searching cross, Phil Jagielka who cleared the ball over his head, only to find Juan Mata who laid off to Angel Di Maria for a right footed smash  into the net.

Luke Shaw conceded a penalty inside the box by sliding into a challenge.  Leighton Baines stepped up to take the penalty for Everton, having made all of his penalties in his Premier League career.  It was a brilliant save by David De Gea, which the shot was creaping into the bottom corner.

Later on it was Leighton Banes once again putting in a brilliant cross into Steven Naismith who heads the ball into to roof of the net beating out Rafael and Luke Shaw.  United still looked dangerous until Marouane Fellaini was broughon to replace Antonio Valencia who in actual fact looked half decent for the time he had spent on the pitch.

It was the 90th minute with 4 minutes of added time and Everton was pushing the ball forward with no ball pressure from the Manchester United players. Everton dribbles up the pitch and Steven Naismith one on one with David De Gea and De Gea made a brilliant save.



Then in the 93rd minute, Everton had a shot on goal, Tyler Blackett blocked the shot just in front of De Gea.  Ball got outside the box, Everton had another shot and David De Gea made a brilliant save with his right hand to the left which put the ball out for a corner


Everton had one last corner which saw Romelu Lukaku put his header over the cross bar which gave Manchester United the victory.  United are not in the top 4 with West Brom in two weeks time, the fixtures will begin to get a lot more challenging with Chelsea at home and Man City away.  Let's home United could sustain current form after the international break.

Man of the match without a doubt should be David De Gea.  Without him United would have been settling for a draw or even leaving Old Trafford in defeat.  It could have easily been 3 or 4 nil to Everton if it wasn't for David De Gea to make 3 of those crucial saves.

Remember to tune into episode 5 of Fix #MUFC where I talk more in depth about how United were sitting back with Marouane Fellaini on the pitch and what Louis Van Gaal should have done tactically in the last 10 minutes.  Please subscribe to youtube.com/thetechism so you don't miss the episode!

Does Wayne Rooney still deserve to hold Manchester United Captaincy?

United were down to 10 men with 31 minutes to go against West Ham, this would be the second match in a row which a United player had been sent off.  The offender this time is United captain Wayne Rooney.

Luke Shaw put in a low cross just outside the final third and Wayne Rooney of all players was appealing for a hand ball.  The foul was not given, as Stewart Downing got the ball and went onto the counter attack, Wayne Rooney out of frustration kicks Stewart downing above the knee and was given a straight red and was subsequently sent off.

Wayne Rooney as captain of Manchester United should not been so foolish letting his emotions get the better of him.  A captain needs to be calm and collected and lead by example.  He was no where near playing the ball.  West Ham at that point have not even gone out of own half, yet Wayne Rooney decided to not play the ball and just take Stewart Downing out.   This was exactly how a then 16 year old Wayne Rooney would react.  He should know the consequence of putting in such a reckless challenge.  The last thing a team would want is to lose their captain and Wayne Rooney having such a big reaction shows that he is the most mentally inexperience players at the club.  The match against West Ham also marked Rooney’s 10th year Anniversary at Manchester United, which is quite the irony.

Despite being reduced down to 10 men and having to park the bus to retain the one goal lead, Marcos Rojo and Paddy McNair showed their composure, retained solid at the back.  Rojo was looking to be the conductor at central defence while McNair had a curtail header that retained United’s one goal lead, it was an impressive night for the young men making his first Premier League debut.

Luke Shaw also looked fantastic making his Manchester United debut, often bombing forward to support the wing play.   He also had a great work rate, constantly tracking back making curtail tackles to prevent the opposition from getting into the penalty box.  He look composed and was never beaten at the byline.  He is a lot more physical that most people think.  He often uses his stretch to his advantage and is always looking to take players on.

Paddy McNair at times looked like the second coming of Rio Ferdinand, the youngster’s positional play is excellent.  He does not try to do too much with the ball, put just enough on the ball to clear away the danger.  McNair is simply all business type player.  

The lack of maturity shown by Wayne Rooney last Sunday against West Ham is a concern as to wether he has to quality to be a leader of ben.  His challenge on Stewart was totally unnecessary.  Rooney will now serve a 4 match suspension which would see him out against Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea.  Let’s hope a new leader of men would emerge and truly be able to cary the club going forward.     

Louis Van Gaal sees Juan Mata as a defensive liability, looking at a swap deal for Miranda or Strootman in January

There is no doubt Juan Mata is one of the most influential player for Manchester United.  Scoring 9 goals in 20 appearances for Manchester United.  But his fortunes at the club is in serous doubt after United were crushed by Leicester City 5-3 and one of the counter attacking goals was scored due to his slip on the grass.  He was quoted by Stuart Fraser of the Daily Mail as a liability to this Manchester United team.

"Jose Mourinho offloaded Mata from Chelsea because he couldn't add to the team effort, defensively at least. Louis van Gaal feels the same way."

Atletico Madrid was the first team that drew interest on Juan Mata and Manchester United certainly welcome such idea as they need a centre back to fill out United's shaky back line at the moment.  Miranda is a world class centre back.  He is on the older side of his career at 30 years of age, but defenders usually don't hit their prime until they are around 28 years old, so there are still plenty of goof years ahead.  He would have the perfect experience to conduct the inexperience defence.  The most experienced defender in the current Manchester United squad.

Having played in Atletico Madrid's defensive philosophy, Miranda would certainly be able to fit into Louis Van Gaal's defensive philosophy.  The following is a detailed analysis of Atletico Madrid's defensive philosophy.  



Although Atletico is seemingly playing a similar style to Chelsea, essentially parking the bus against Barcelona in the 2nd legg of the 2014 Champions League Semi Final.  Chelsea used a similar tactic against Barcelona in the 2nd legg of the 2012  Semi Final.  Putting 11 men behind the ball and hitting Barcelona on the counter attack.



This is by no means suggesting that Manchester United should park the bus, but Van Gaal needs to purchase a player like Miranda to be able to conduct and execute the defensive tactivs that Van Gaal wants the team to perform.

Miranda would also make a good pairing with Argentinean centre back Marcos Rojo, who recently joined Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon on a £16 plus the loan of Luis Nani who was originally signed from Sporting.back in 2007.

Manchester United also had long been linked to Roma defensive midfielder Kevin Strootman.  It was reported by Stuart Fraser that  that a swap deal for the Dutch international is very much a possibility.

"I've been speaking to a number of agents around Europe, and it's pretty clear to me Juan Mata will be offered in part-exchange for Roma's Kevin Strootman in the January window."

Strootman would bring united the toughness of a Roy Keane and the play making ability of a Paul Scholes.  It is very much the best of both worlds for Manchester United if the club could indeed buy him in January



Whichever player Manchester United would be able to sign in January, it would surly be an upgrade in the centre back position compared with what the club currently have in the team.  Manchester United's philosophy is not just about playing home grown players, but being able to buy players that would give everything they have to help the club succeed, that is the philosophy of Manchester United.  They just never, ever give up.

United continue to struggle with Aerial Threat, McNair Debut, Rooney sent off, Luke Shaw Impresses

There couldn’t have been two more contrasting halves of football than today when Manchester United played West Ham at the Theatre Of Dreams.  

United opened up the the scoreline early with a beautiful delivery from Rafael which Wayne Rooney steers into the far post off a half volley.  Then Robin Van Persie scored his 50th goal for Manchester United, getting a beautiful through pass from Falcao, to put the shot away in the far post just inside the penalty box.  

But West Him responded with a corner, De Gea mistimed his punch and Robin Van Persie headed the ball right off the line, only to head the ball straight to Diafra Sakho, who headed the ball straight back into the net.

Second half would see the tide turn on Manchester United In the 59th minute, Wayne Rooney  kicks one of the West Him players straight in the groin, he was sent off immediately and United were down to 10 men.  This would be United’s second straight red card in 2 weeks.  Rooney would be suspended for the game against Everton on the 6th of October.  

Some say Rooney being sent off might bring on new leaders in this Manchester United squad and let’s hope that is the case.  Darren Fletcher came on for Falcao and Antonio Valencia came on for Ander Herrera who came off injured.  From that point on, United were parking the bus, headed out any all that was crossed into the box.  Robin Van Persie had a great chance which was delivered by Angel Di Maria, but the goalkeeper got to the ball first and punched it away.

Paddy McNair still did a decent job in central defense, he was the played who headed a ball behind for a corner which prevented West Ham from equalising in the second half.  He was praised by manger Louis Van Gaal during a post match interview for his effort on his debut.

Luke Shaw was certainly the bright spot for Manchester United at the back as he put in critical challenges an showed that he is capable of pushing the ball up the pitch and initiate the attack.  But the number of passes that have been cycled at the back is slightly excessive, at times allowing West Ham to put pressure on the United defence.  

It the first half with Luke Shaw going forward, United always looked a threat, West Ham’s defence was stretched and there were massive gaps that were in the middle of the park, allowing the likes of Rooney and Van Persie create the goals.

It was a hard fought win at the end for Manchester United, but the Centre back position still  remains a concern.  United are fortunate that they are play mid table sides at the moment, when it comes to the top teams, it is likely that United will struggling and might need to park the bus or play  once again or play counter attacking football with ball pressure to compensate for the defensive weaknesses in the squad at the moment.  It is best for United to play a 4231 formation with Blind and Carrick as the two defensive midfielders.  Di Maria and Januzaj on either wing with Falcao as a lone striker.  With two defensive midfielders, United would do a better job at defending the long balls and counter attacks.

Make sure you stay tuned for episode 4 of Fix #MUFC, where I will talk about United’s tactics in this week’s match and how they will adapt losing Wayne Rooney and Ander Herrera. 

Michael Carrick to play Centre-Half for Manchester United?

It has been reported that Michael Carrick might play at centre-half to replace suspended Tyler Blackett. 4231 is my personal preference with 2 defensive midfielders holding the midfield.  Carrick should play at right side centre back and Marcos Rojo should play as left side centre back.  Luke Shaw shall make his debut for Manchester United at left back.  Rafael will play at right back.  The team should lineup something like this:

With Di Maria's pace, it would only be fitting for him to go on the left wing, with Adnan Januzaj on the oposite side.  With Falcao on his own up top.  Daley Blind could also drop back on attack to receive the ball from Rojo and Carrick, forming a diamond between him, Carrick Rojo and De Gea, when moving forward, the fullbacks cjould also push forward, forming a 2331.  When tracking back, the wingers could sink back forming a 4411.  Here is a brief idea on how Michael Carrick will help United at the back.



What Michael Carrick does for Manchester United is not rocket science, he does just enough to prevent a pass from going through, or prevent his man from getting into the dagerous area.  As seen above, he departed his central midfield position, and when over to the full back position to cover for a struggling Patrice Evra.  Michael Carrick is a utility man who has the technical ability to start at centre-half  for Manchester United.

Moving Michael Carrick to centre half would be a great move for Louis Van Gaal and Manchester United.  The club could be sure that defensive lapses would not happen with Michael Carrick and Marcos Rojo holding the heart of defense.  However, it is also important for Daley Blind to drop back to prevent the play being dispossessed by the pressure than teams will apply on the back 4.

As shown in the match against Leicester City, Tyler Blackett was struggling against Premier League strikers.  He was constantly getting beat on headers and pushed off the ball, allowing his man to det into the penalty box.  He should get some match time in the FA Cup before eventually becoming a regular starter in the Barclays Premier League.  Same goes with Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling, they both look clueless on the pitch, United need centre-halves that are confident and have the physical build.  A lot of fans might suggest that we have to give youth a chance, and while the club should give youth a chance, the chance should not come on technicality and being given the chance to start in the Barclays Premier League since Tyler Blackett have emerged into the first team.  The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo was starting in the FA Cup, and was featured on the bench in the first 2 seasons at Manchester United, before being a regular starter for Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League.

With the January transfer window still three months away, Louis Van Gaal needs a quick solution with all the injuries to the players at the back.  United would need to address these defensive issues during the transfer window.  A great solution to this would be siging  Aston Villa centre back and Dutch international Ron Vlaar.  United's issues are not up front, reinforcements are compulsory for United to return to title contending status.

United get caught out on defence by teams running the 433 Formation

It was an eventful day at Kings Power Stadium.  Controversies left right an Centre, 2 penalties being given, while the second was fair, the first was utterly ridiculous.  While on the sidelines, Van Gaal's choice of substitution was also questionable.  But most bizarre of all, was Manchester United's defence as the back 4 barely got a header through the entirety of the game, often being caught out by stronger and faster players.

Tyler Blackett was struggling all day, getting out muscled off the ball and failed to clear the danger more often than not.   Marcos Rojo was beat at the byline and Jonny Evans made the mistake of ball watching which led to a near post header that put Leicaster back into the match.  Rafael was also barged off the ball on multiple occasions.

Louis Van Gaal's substitution of Juan Mata for Angel Di Maria was questionable, it was even rumoured that there was a fallout between one United player and Van Gaal.  It's certainly a head scratcher when considering the impact Di Maria had on the match, providing a goal and an assist.  Also considering that Juan Mata needs needs runners in order to be effective, there was no reason why Di Maria should be the player coming off.  The play that should have gone off at that time was Wayne Rooney, with Falcao already on the bench, Robin Van Persie would have been the instinctive finisher.  Putting Januzaj up top would have further enhanced the team's pace.

To counter the 433, Van Gaal should implement the 4341, with Mata in the hole, Di Maria on the left, Januzaj on the right.  Rooney dropping deep next to Herrera.  Rojo will play centre back, replacing the suspended Blackett.  Smalling with play right centru back, while Rafael will play right full back.  It would look something like this.

With Di Maria moving out wide, Rooney is the ideal candidate to play at central defensive midfield.  Van Persie is still the player that is most likely to be dropped.  Januzaj is a winger with pace, something United desperately need at the moment.  Herrera has shown over the past 2 matches that he has the physical tools to cope with the Premier League and would be able to control the tempo of the match.  Which is an ability United lost since Paul Scholes retired.

With two defensive midfielders, it would allow United to get in a better position to track back, defend the counter attack and regain possession of the ball.  Marcos Rojo at centre half will provide the physicality Manchester United needs, maintaining shape allowing Rafael and Shaw to support Rooney and Herrera.  This would relieve  pressure from the central midfield allow the ball to be moved up the pitch efficiantly.  When defending, Di Maria and Januzaj could sit back and form a 4411 

United need a formation that could allow players to always stay behind the ball defensively, if they could do that, I am sure the club would return to their winning ways against the 433 in the near future. 

Daley Blind's Direct Passing brings Cutting Edge back to Manchester United

Daley Blind made his Manchester United debut last week against Queens Park Rangers.  He started at the defensive midfield role, a position Manchester United lacked Paul Scholes retired back in 2013.  Blind is has also benefited from playing in the Dutch National Team under Louis Van Gaal.

The key to Daley Blind being a great contributor for Manchester United is his short passing.  Louis Van Gaal sets up the 442 diamond, encouraging the central midfielders to squeeze up the wing.  This allows Daley Blind to form a back 3 with Tyler Blackett and Jonny Evans.  In this position, Blind would be able to pick a pass for any player on the pitch. With these short passes, the defender is forced to react, and when it's sped up, the defence will struggle to react and the team will just slice and dice through the team.



Daley Blind is the pilot of this Manchester United team, he sets the tone and controls the tempo on United's attack, He is the one who needs to provide constant support of the defence and the midfield.  He is the ultimate glue player for this Manchester United squad.

Daley Blind is so effective in what he does because he always stays within him comfort zone.  He would never pick out an ambitious pass that might put the team's defensive position in jeopardy.  Now, there is a fine line between staying in your comfort zone and be stared and not passing the ball forward.  Daley Blind has faith in his own ability to be able to execute the one simple passes and keep the team on the front foot.



Daley Blind's crisp passes also make his presence on the pitch illusive.  Defenders will find a hard time keeping up with Blind, as he is constantly on the move.   His impact to the team is one pass away with Angel Di Maria and Ander Herrera sitting in the central midfield position.  Rhythm and pace had been Manchester United's trademark over the years, Daley Blind without a doubt would bring such quality to the team.

With Blind and Mata occupying a more holding role, it would release Di Maria and Herrera to make their runs and put pressure on opposing full backs.   With opposing defences on their heels, it is likely centre back would also move over and help.  This leave a big hole in the middle for Van Persie and Rooney to run into.  Juan Mata could also interchange with Rooney and find the back of the net.  Mata have scored 8 goals in 19 appearances since joining Manchester United in January 2013.