Leeds United will be looking to exploit their visitor’s weakness during Sunday’s Premier League clash.
If Leeds United are to enjoy a second straight win over Manchester United on Sunday, it will be imperative they come out on top in a key battleground.
Central midfield has been a real area of promise for Leeds this season, as it was for much of the previous campaign with Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach. In the last few weeks either side of the international break, Daniel Farke has opted for a third and Ao Tanaka has left little alternative but to be picked.
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The Japan international was outstanding at Brighton last month and has now started four Premier League games in a row alongside Ampadu and Stach. Between them, the trio look as balanced a midfield as any other in the division. They didn’t look at all out of their depth against Arsenal.
Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu didn't look out of place against the likes of Martin Odegaard.placeholder image
Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu didn't look out of place against the likes of Martin Odegaard. | AFP via Getty Images
One thing all three have in their own unique way is physicality, be it through Ampadu’s aggression, Stach’s height or Tanaka’s pestering energy. In the Premier League, physicality in midfield is king but while Leeds excel in that area, their weekend opponents have really struggled.
Manchester United drew 1-1 against 10-man Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and the issues in central midfield were there for all to see. Apart from being short a man in that area due to Michael Carrick playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, the defensive pairing of Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans were off the pace.
Spurs were so easily able to find space in the middle of the pitch, be it from a pass into space or the likes of Archie Gray simply running forward unchallenged from right-back. In the days since, Manchester United’s issues in that area have been a key talking point and Danny Murphy - a former midfielder himself - broke it down best on Match of the Day.
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“There was a lethargy about Manchester United,” Murphy said. “This midfield can’t control games. It’s partly tactical, partly personnel. It’s not just about the two central boys. These are both technically gifted boys who want to be on the ball going forwards.
“This is legs, this is physicality. Tielemans, Mainoo, they’re not able to do the yards on the big pitches against a three-man midfield. If they play like that against good teams, they’re going to get cut right open because that’s impossible.”
Murphy wasn’t the only one to pick out Manchester United’s lack of mobility in central areas either. Gary Neville had seen enough of the partnership which he said was ‘not a midfield that’s dynamic enough to play at this football club in the Premier League’, while Jamie Carragher suggested Tielemans isn’t athletic enough to operate in such a role.
Mainoo might not get a chance to feature on Sunday having picked up an injury against Tottenham, leaving Carrick with a difficult decision. Carlos Baleba certainly had the mobility to cover ground in his Brighton days but hasn’t been at that level for some time and was slow to react in the build-up to Dominic Solanke’s equaliser, while Andrey Santos has played just 84 minutes in the Premier League.
One option Carrick could take up is to add an extra body in midfield but that would require him to either drop Bruno Fernandes or play him out of position in a wider role. Neither is ideal and would damage Manchester United’s attacking threat considerably.
Whichever way Carrick goes with his midfield, on current form it’s difficult to see them coping with the physicality of Leeds inside an Elland Road that will be expectant and rocking. It’s been a way for Farke’s side to completely control matches already this season and history could repeat itself on Sunday.