Manchester United vs Tottenham | Key Points Learnt From the Game

Manchester United edged out Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 at the Old Trafford on Saturday. Spurs twice came back from behind, but a brilliant hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo helped the Red Devils seal a crucial 3 points. The win took United back into the top-4 temporarily before Arsenal regained their fourth position with a 2-0 win against Leicester on Sunday.

Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur, Cristiano Ronaldo — (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the Spurs stand 8th in the Premier League table, 5 points adrift of their opponents, but have 2 games in hand. Here are some key takeaways from the United vs Tottenham game:

1. Team Changes Work, Partially:

Rangnick made wholesale changes from the side that lost 4-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad. Varane and Dalot replaced Lindelof and Wan-Bissaka in defence. Nemanja Matic replaced McTominay and Ronaldo came in for Portuguese teammate Bruno Fernandes. Marcus Rashford also reclaimed his spot in the side at the expense of Anthony Elanga.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the stand-out performer with 3 goals. Matic and Dalot also chipped in with useful contributions, while Varane was solid at the heart of the defence for most of the ninety minutes.

However, Marcus Rashford had a poor outing. The Englishman was hooked off after 67 minutes and had no shots taken or created. The 24-year-old had just 25 touches, the least for any outfield starter. Only 8 of those came in the attacking third and none in the opposition box.

2. Fred Shines:

Fred has been one of the biggest gainers since Rangnick’s appointment. The Brazilian put in a masterful display against Antonio Conte’s side on Saturday. The 29-year-old midfielder played all 90 minutes and was crucial both when united were on and off possession.

Here are a few numbers Fred put up in his magnificent showing:

41/45 passes completed
10/11 long passes completed (most)
5 progressive passes (most)
6 passes into final third (most)
2/4 dribbles (tied most)
4 Shot Creating Actions (most)
6 Tackles+ Interceptions (most)

Fred continues to remain indispensable for Ralf Rangnick. Paired alongside Matic, the Brazilian had more freedom to be involved in play higher up the field and even assisted Ronaldo’s opening strike.

Fred, Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur — Fred Touch-Map vs Spurs (Image Obtained Via Whoscored.com)

3. Ronaldo Stands Tall, And Alone:

Cristiano Ronaldo showed Rangnick exactly what United had been missing in the Manchester derby. The Portuguese rolled back the years to open the scoring with a stunning long-range effort, and prodded home twice from inside the box to give United 3 points against Tottenham. Ronaldo was continuously involved in the build-up and looked sharp in his 80-minute stay.

However, like several times this season, the 37-year-old had barely any help from his supporting cast. Ronaldo took 8 shots out of the 10 United attempted. Jadon Sancho had an effort saved, while Pogba’s off-target strike marked the only two attempts otherwise. Rashford had a poor game, and Bruno Fernandes’ absence was felt as the Red Devils lacked clarity higher up the field.

4. Wrong Approach By Rangnick?

Antonio Conte set up the Spurs in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Rangnick looked to counter this in a 4-2-2-2 structure. This had some obvious holes:

Spurs had a 3v2 advantage in the first-line of build-up. This allowed the exterior full-backs to directly access the wing-backs during build-ups.
Matic was more passive in pressing which created a great amount of space for the double pivot to receive the ball. The Play could then be distributed to the front-line.

Rangnick adjusted this by asking his front-line to hold shape rather than pressurise. This created as many problems as it gave solutions:

While Spurs could not build centrally, they were able to utilise the wings quite comfortably. Rashford and Sancho often came in central allowing Reguilon and Doherty more space to receive the ball.
This often prompted the United full-back to jump, allowing a Tottenham winger to exploit the space created.

Tottenham based most of their attacks down the flanks, looking to build quickly and attack the United centre-backs or Matic whenever possible.

Ideally, Rangnick should have adjusted his shape into a 4-3-3, dropping Pogba into the midfield. This would have given United a numerical superiority in the middle of the park, and also allowed the forwards to press either the centre-backs or wing-backs depending on the approach taken by Tottenham.

The 4-2-2-2 shape often allowed Tottenham to push 5-6 players forward, which caused United several problems. If the Spurs had been a little more decisive or clinical around the box, the result could have looked a lot different.

5. What’s Next For Rangnick?

The three points will serve as a massive confidence boost as United approach a host of tricky fixtures. The Red Devils play the second leg of the Champions League against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. A tough trip to Anfield was scheduled for March 20th but has been postponed.

This means United will face a stuttering Leicester City, Everton and Norwich City as warm-up to a crucial 6-pointer against Arsenal at the Emirates. The Gunners are one point ahead of the Red Devils, with 3 games in hand. It is crucial that United do not lose ground in the build-up to the match that may well decide the top-4.

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