Analysis: West Bromwich Albion 5 Manchester United 5

Premier League, Sunday 19^th May 2013

The last game of the Premier League season for Manchester United ended in an astonishing 5-5 scoreline. Shinji Kagawa, Alex Büttner, Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez all scored, whilst United were also gifted an own goal. A mostly commanding performance turned into a leaky shambles late on that meant Sir Alex Ferguson’s last ever game in charge didn’t finish in a victory. Here’s some analysis:

Wing-backs

A means of attacking success, particularly in the first-half, came from United’s wing-backs. Lining up in a 4-1-2-1-2 (diamond) formation, there was a particular reliance on the advancing full-backs to provide width, and Antonio Valencia and Alex Büttner duly obliged. There was tangible evidence of this success through a goal for Büttner and some assists for Valencia. West Brom were preoccupied with the loaded threat United were providing in the centre, and struggled to deal with this extra wide threat.

Defensive shambles

This game was somewhat of a defensive shambles, as United let a 5-2 lead slip in the last 10 minutes. The introduction of the retiring Paul Scholes was a contributing factor, with the Englishmen struggling to keep up with the pace of the game in any defensive capacity. United’s midfield display also slowly deteriorated throughout the game as a whole, providing less protection to the back four. Tom Cleverley and Anderson tired, whilst Michael Carrick’s influence waned after a commanding start. The back four, aside from the impressive Jonny Evans, all had poor defensive games in which they struggled to cope with attacks from the Baggies at times. Should this match had mattered then this defensive shambles would be a worry. As it is, it was less than ideal, but nothing more.

Going Forward

United now face a summer of change as David Moyes takes over as manager, something that will have an unsettling effect on pre-season for the first time in 26 years. The likes of David de Gea, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Robin van Persie and others can be pleased with their season, whilst the likes of Antonio Valencia and Anders Lindegaard will need to improve for next year. United’s next competitive game will be on 11^th August in the Community Shield.

Ratings

[4-1-2-1-2]: Lindegaard-5, Valencia-6, Jones-5, Evans-7, Büttner-6, Carrick-7, Anderson-6, Cleverley-6, Kagawa-7, Hernandez-7, Van Persie-7

*Man of the match

(Giggs-6, Scholes-5, Ferdinand-6)