Man Utd Analysis
Gameweek one kicked off at Old Trafford, as Man Utd edged past Fulham with a late goal from newcomer Joshua Zirkzee. It was a very similar Man Utd eleven to which we saw last season, but they played quite differently. With that in mind, I’ve had a bit of a deep dive into them, how their setup has changed, and what trends to look out for over the course of the season.
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The Press
Last season, Man Utd had a PPDA of 12.6, ranking 10th in the league. It’s only been one game, but against Fulham they had a PPDA of 7.38, making 21 tackles. Fulham are quite a passive team too, so drawing 21 tackles from them is notable.
Man Utd have deployed a more intense and committed press, it left them a bit exposed at times in transition, but overall it was really positive. It allowed them to control most of the ball and general play, limiting opposition shots, which they did not do last season.
It was a similar story against Man City in the Community Shield – 24 tackles with 44% possession, while only allowing 9 shots.
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno played in a deeper role last season facilitating progression, but he has been used more as a false 9 so far. He did still drop deep at times against Fulham, but mostly towards the end of the second-half. First-half, he was the most advanced player on the pitch for Man Utd, and had the best chances.
It utilised his ball-striking ability, and increased the likelihood of him bagging goals. He missed his chances against Fulham, but he’s picking up the best positions for scoring goals. He scored a fantastic long-ranger against City, only to see it cancelled for a marginal offside.
Against Man City, he got 2 shots and 1 offside. Against Fulham, he had 6 shots, 2 big chances, 3 shots on target. I backed Bruno a lot last season for fouls and tackles – that data is now pretty much useless for him in this new role, so be wary.
Right-wing
We saw Antony start on the right-wing last season. Thankfully, that shouldn’t happen much this season. Amad Diallo has been the man to start, with Garnacho coming off the bench.
Both are direct in their approach, and good for drawing tackles from the opposing left-back. Gvardiol made just 1 tackle, but was dribbled past once. But Robinson made 8 tackles, and was dribbled past once. Mazraoui also played on the right side against Fulham, although he didn’t really overlap at all, he played quite defensive.
Garnacho is a bit better an drawing fouls, he incites contact better than Diallo, but tackles is one to watch for now.
Man Utd are really lacking depth in midfield, so it will be interesting to see how they fare as the season progresses. In my opinion, they will struggle again this year – they just look a bit vulnerable and unconvincing. However, they can be an interesting team to bet on. Markets were extremely slow to adjust to the changes mentioned above – keep an eye on those over August. There is always real potential to profit at the start of the season starts, as books can be slower to adjust to changes over the summer.
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