Could a formation change be key to a strong finish for United?

It might be playing with fire here – after all, we all know the expression “if it aint broke, don’t fix it” – but there is a logical argument for another tweak. United have settled after their strong start with Carrick – they are still picking up points and churning out results, but it hasn’t been hugely slick or solid at either end of the pitch. That’s to be expected under an interim manager who took over in January but still, let’s aim for the stars shall we?

Switching to a 4-3-3 makes far more sense than any other formation we could deploy at the minute and this has been true for some time. Bruno Fernandes redeployed Sme people might want this writer’ head on a spike for seemingly suggesting Bruno Fernandes drops from his number 10 spot but there are several pros to the formation switch. First, the Red Devils’ midfield has long been a mismatch of profiles that has often resulted in their engine room being the easiest to slice through.

Carrick has solidified things a little but they are probably still shipping more goals than they should. A 4-3-3 allows our mismatch of profiles to better gel without asking them to carry out responsibilities they’re unable to fulfil. Just about every United fan would agree that their best midfield three is Bruno, Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro .

In the current 4-2-3-1, you’re asking the latter two to be the ball progressors and it’s clearly neither of their strong suits. Casemiro has always been a ball-winning midfielder while Mainoo breaks lines through carrying, not passing. A 4-3-3 means Casemiro’s legs are protected as his sole task will be sitting in front of the back four and destroying any opponent who’s coming his way.