How Manchester United breezed past Huddersfield without Paul Pogba
By Ollie Slack
In a week of news surrounding Paul Pogba, Manchester United dealt with his absence in their FA Cup victory over Huddersfield seamlessly. United defeated the Terriers 2-0, a comfortable win despite a lack-lustre first half. However, it was how Jose Mourinho’s men still managed to look dangerous on the counter-attack despite missing the Frenchman which impressed the most.
Paul Pogba is potentially the ideal player for counter-attacking football. He is powerful, clinical, skilful, quick, and strong. Therefore, without him in the starting XI, Manchester United’s lineup looked considerably less threatening and potent. But in that second half, it couldn’t have been further from that.
Manchester United are a better team when Paul Pogba plays. But it was pleasing to see United now have another viable option when he isn’t available.
Jose Mourinho’s previous attempts to play when Pogba was absent
In the past, Jose Mourinho has opted to play Marouane Fellaini instead of Pogba. A direct style of play, getting the ball out wide and crossing into the box trying to pick out the Belgian’s late runs. However, when United are away from home or against a top-five side and they won’t have as much of the ball, this option becomes less common.
You need to be able to break away quickly after winning back possession and without Paul Pogba in the side that becomes very difficult.
The new approach vs. Huddersfield
I mentioned in a previous article about how Nemanja Matic could occupy the Pogba role as he is the only man who has similar attributes to him: power, drive and ability to retain the ball in such tight spaces.
Against Huddersfield, Matic did this to a degree. He doesn’t have the pace the Frenchman possesses but he drove forward a number of times with and without the ball to drag the team higher up the pitch.
Michael Carrick took on the role Nemanja Matic normally takes up. And expertly so. He was sensational, at the vintage age of 36 his mind is still as sharp as it’s always been. His passing, both long and short, oozed class.
McTominay played the perfect complimentary role. Calm on the ball. Driving forward. Occasionally rash in the press and tackle. The youngster has a bright future ahead of him.
However, perhaps the most important reason Manchester United were able to remain an attacking threat against Huddersfield without Paul Pogba, was due to two players higher up the pitch.
The key role of Sanchez and Lukaku
Yes, Matic drove forward, but he can’t dance past two or three players. He purely did so to drag the team out of a slump when Huddersfield had a spell of pressure. But it was the link up play between Sanchez and Lukaku which kept Huddersfield looking over their shoulders.
Alexis Sanchez is equivalent to two players in most teams. His tenacity, desire, skill, bursts of power and mostly, his predator-like nature is what sets him apart from the rest. He’s the true definition of a world-class player: someone who has the ability to create something out of nothing consistently. And when Romelu Lukaku is such good form as he has been recently (4 goals in his last 5 games), the pair can be devastating.
Reminiscent of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard in Chelsea’s 2014/15 campaign when they romped the Premier League under Jose Mourinho. The two had a chemistry like no other. One touch, two touch, turn-and-go, flick-ons. They worked so well together and became so ruthless. They won football matches on their own, in a single moment of brilliance.
That is the chemistry Mourinho will be hoping Sanchez and Lukaku can establish. It’s almost as if no other player on the pitch matters if those two can be on song. It has the air of ‘Champions’ about it. The way Sanchez and Lukaku could potentially have the ability to win a scrappy away day on a Wednesday night in Stoke when City have already dropped points on a Tuesday.
Jose is building his Champions
The Manchester United team is starting to look like a Jose Mourinho team capable of mounting a real title challenge. He has brought in players that he knows can deliver moments of brilliance. Jose creates a solid defensive foundation and strong working environment, so his attacking players have the ability to go out there and express themselves.
This is all before the return of Paul Pogba as well. But what this FA Cup fixture has told us, is what Manchester United’s strongest XI is going forward. And what type of player Mourinho and Ed Woodward need to identify in the summer.
With Michael Carrick retiring and Scott McTominay still fairly inexperienced, Jose will be looking to add that midfielder who can sit next to Matic, allow Pogba to roam but affect the game himself as well. A more consistent Ander Herrera.
And once that piece of the jigsaw is fitted United have a very solid, very potent, very predator-like, 433 system. Although this is moving away from Mourinho’s favoured 4231 formation, the 2-0 victory on Saturday proved how this can potentially become such a devastating system.
We can play without Paul
