Tactical Preview: Man United must expose Brighton’s full-backs to secure the win
Tactical Preview: Man United must expose Brighton’s full-backs to secure the win Manchester United bring the curtain down on their Premier League season with a trip to the seaside to face Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion in what will no doubt be a tough assignment for Michael Carrick’s men. However, after officially being named the permanent head coach of United today (Friday), Carrick will want to end the campaign with three points before heading into what is a massive summer for the club. With United guaranteed an impressive third-place finish and Brighton still in the mix for European football, there is undoubtedly more riding on the game for the home side, who will head into the fixture as favourites, with Carrick expected to rotate his starting XI.
Old face to provide huge threat Whoever starts for the Reds will be in for a tough afternoon, with Hürzeler’s tactical nous among the best in the division and the added motivation for the hosts likely to play a part. Brighton are outstandingly well-drilled and will line up in a similar formation to United’s 4-2-3-1, which allows fluidity as well as structure both on and off the ball. Danny Welbeck will be the lone striker for the hosts and will be desperate to end another fine season on the South Coast in style after winning the club’s Player of the Season award.
The Manchester lad has come back to haunt United on multiple occasions since leaving the club in 2014, and Harry Maguire will have to be on top of his game to stop him from adding to his impressive 13 Premier League goals this term. Welbeck will hold the ball up to bring his wide men and midfield into play and will not be afraid of Maguire’s physical presence as he attempts to peel off the back line and get on the end of crosses. Brighton will look to force the ball wide and feed Welbeck, whose clever movement is designed to lead to chances for himself or occupy defenders to allow space for the likes of Diego Gomes to attack.
With Welbeck occupying the centre-backs, United’s midfield must be wary of Gomes in particular, who will be making the late runs into the box that have caught teams out throughout the campaign. Carrick is likely to make multiple changes but, with Casemiro officially ruled out and given United’s poor record without the outgoing Brazilian, Brighton will almost certainly look to exploit that area of the pitch and use Gomes’ clever movement to their advantage. Beat the press Hürzeler has done a fine job since taking over from Roberto De Zerbi at the Amex Stadium, and it has been in no small part down to the impressive pressing system that he employs.
With the attacking players always nipping at the heels of defenders, Brighton’s full-backs are also tasked with setting the tone from a pressing aspect, and United will do well to avoid playing out from dangerous areas, particularly with an untested XI. Whilst the energy from the home full-backs will look to win the ball back high, should United pass the press quickly and get into wide attacking spaces, they could and should create a few chances of their own. The centre-back partnership of Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke is solid in the main, but neither of the pair will want to be drawn into wide areas that United should exploit from the full-backs pushing on.
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