After 12 games being played in the league, Manchester United are at the 4th position with 24 points and are two points behind leaders Manchester City and Arsenal. Though they are 4th at present, the Red Devils aren't posing any threat as title contenders. Till now, Manchester United have been very inconsistent with their performances.
Here are some ways which may help Louis van Gaal (LVG) to clinch his league title with Manchester United.
1. Play with formation 4-2-3-1
This is the current formation of Manchester United. But there are changes to be made in the playing 11.Schneiderlin must play as a holding midfielder and either Carrick or Schweinsteiger can play the other because the latter two have slowed down recently. Whoever the other three midfielders maybe, Martial must play upfront. Rooney can play the role of a number 10.
2. Play with formation 4-4-2
This can be another option for Manchester United. Here Rooney and Martial can play upfront with Fellaini and Wilson backing them up. Whereas the midfield can consist of Mata, Herrera, Schneiderlin, Depay/Lingard. This formation will have Manchester United more attacking than the current formation. The back four must have Smalling and Darmian.
3. Possession and shot at goal
In every single game, Manchester United have more possession than their opponents. Possession does not win matches, goals do. There is a decline in the number of shots taken at the goal. This seems to be a major concern for Manchester United. Most of the possession stays with the midfield and defence, leaving the forwards with less scope to score. Small teams like Leicester City have tasted success by scoring from the D box and from outside. This tells us that Manchester United need to take shots from the D box as well as long rangers.
4. Positioning of defence
The positioning of the defenders has been awful. Smalling has been the only standout defender this season. Darmian, Young and Valencia too have justified their selections. Blind,Jones and Rojo need to step up as their positioning is bad. There have been instances where goals were conceded as more than 2 players went to win the ball and there have been instances where the opposition were left unmarked. Smalling-Blind are the best centre back combo for the Red Devils, still not above satisfactory. This needs to improve for Manchester United.
5. Rotation of players
LVG has been doing a good job at this, but still it can be improved. Mata, Rooney, de Gea, Smalling can be rested for easy fixtures. They can be replaced by the likes of Fellaini, Wilson,Pereira, Lingard, Johnstone, Mc Nair, Nick Powell and Valencia. Pereira, Lingard and McNair have shown great potential and they can be given chances.
If these things happen, Manchester United could eventually be at the top. This time the title challengers are Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal. With Chelsea in shambles, this is the best time these three can challenge each other. Taking into consideration Arsenal's usual slump midway or at the fag end of the season, it is time for both the Manchester clubs to show their power.
