Analysis: Manchester United 2 Chelsea 2

FA Cup, Sunday 10^th March 2013

This game can best be described as out of the ordinary for Manchester United. Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney ensured the Reds stormed into an early lead, but complacency and tiredness set in as Chelsea recovered to make a second half comeback, and were indeed lucky not to win. Here’s some analysis on the fixture:

Deep defence

Complacency was the theme of the day, as apart from some first-half moments United struggled to keep the ball in possession, a matter compounded by the fact the Reds did not win it back quickly. The reasons for this are arguably two-fold. Firstly, United’s emotional and physical exhaustion after recent exerts no doubt had its toll. Secondly, United’s defence was sat extremely deep, which invited problem after problem. It was perhaps the response to going 2-0 up, and a natural response that United began to sat deep. The defensive concentration and possession retention however was not on show to warrant such a tactical move.

Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans, whilst doing their defensive duties reasonably well, arguably did not push up enough, inviting a large midfield space for Chelsea’s players to occupy, notably Juan Mata. This space was also left open for surging runs from the likes of Ramires from deeper in midfield. Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley were notably tired towards the end of the game, and could not control such a large space between defence and attack against Chelsea’s plethora of midfield options. United’s deep defence certainly wasn’t a tactical approach that paid off against Chelsea.

Wing-play

United struggled out wide against Chelsea. Nani played well before his injury, and offered speed and trickery, particularly in counter-attacking situations. His replacement, Antonio Valencia, offered little however. Whilst clearly having a poor game, it would be unfair to wholly blame the Ecuadorian. A common theme this season from opposition teams has been to isolate Valencia and limit his options, something Chelsea did successfully after an initial good spell from the winger. United must look to exploit oppositions in the spaces they leave by squeezing out Valencia.

On the left-hand side United also struggled. Shinji Kagawa has shown his capability at floating inside and becoming an attacking threat, but his positioning was questionable against Chelsea. Several times, Kagawa’s ‘drifting’ had left spaces for Chelsea down his side. The little Japanese star perhaps needs more tactical discipline to become a regular viable option on the left side.

Going Forward

The highlights of this game were few and far between, but exhibited individual brilliance from Carrick, Ferdinand and de Gea was at times pleasing. United now have a week to rest and gather themselves for an assault on a domestic double. It appears that rest and the upcoming international break comes at a useful time as the players look exhausted from recent emotional and physical exerts.

Ratings

[4-2-3-1]: De Gea-8, Rafael-5, Ferdinand-8, Evans-6, Evra-6, Carrick-8*, Cleverley-5, Nani-7, Rooney-6, Kagawa-6, Hernandez-7

(Valencia-5, van Persie-6, Welbeck-6)

*Man of the match