Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images
Football moves quickly, and Michael Carrick is determined to move Man Utd along with it, but could Harry Maguire be getting left behind?
The pre-season preparations at Man Utd continued with a brilliant 2-1 comeback win against Atletico Madrid, courtesy of two Bryan Mbeumo goals.
Harry Maguire started in the middle of the defence with Ayden Heaven again, and it looks like that is Man Utd’s starting CB pairing for the first game of the season.
However, if that is to happen, Michael Carrick must account for Maguire becoming a victim of the transformation happening at Old Trafford.
Manchester United v Atletico de Madrid - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
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Michael Carrick is transforming Man Utd
Last season, Carrick’s immediate success was built on a solid mid-block and transition at pace, which caught out many teams due to United’s forward players.
The defence had a lot less space to cover, and the forwards had acres of space to run into, both of which worked to the players’ advantage.
This season, after just three games, it looks like those days are firmly in the past, as Carrick is evolving Man Utd to raise the ceiling.
An aggressive counter-press has replaced the mid-block, and playing out from the back by creating central overloads has replaced transitions at pace.
United still move the ball forward quickly when there are spaces to be exploited, but their approach without the ball has changed completely.
They defend more on the halfway line, defenders are trusted to win their 1v1 battles, and there is a lot more space to cover.
Most of the time, if the first counter-press fails, it is up to the defenders to start running back towards their own goal and snuff out any danger.
Someone like Ayden Heaven is enjoying that role, as it suits his athleticism and combativeness. The same can’t be said for Maguire, especially after watching him against Atletico.
Harry Maguire is a victim of Man Utd’s evolution
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the system last season was Harry Maguire, who relished the role of staying in his box and heading away anything that came close to the goal.
Harry Maguire celebrates scoring for Manchester United.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
He has many strengths, but explosiveness is not one of them, so it worked to his advantage when all the football was being played in front of him.
As Carrick moved the defensive line higher, there was a lot more running towards his own goal and engaging in sprint races with opposition forwards.
Maguire was running on fumes by the end of the game vs Atletico, having overexerted himself trying to defend the space behind him.
As the opposition gets fitter and quicker, Maguire will lose those races more often than not, making him unfit to start in the current tactical setup.
He will still have a role to play as the enforcer in the bigger games when Carrick goes back to his mid-block-counter template, but he can’t be a starter in a front-footed team anymore.
Atletico struggles were the first glimpse of a problem that could become chronic for Maguire this season.