First things first, the positives: Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle United means the Red Devils have still not conceded a goal this season, three consecutive Premier League clean sheets their best start to a season from a defensive point of view since 2005.
Seven points from nine isn’t a bad return, either. Spurs at home, Aston Villa away and Newcastle at home may be considered the sort of fixtures a team with title-winning aspirations should pick up maximum points from, but that’s only happened once in the last three seasons. Chelsea managed it last year but in 2013/14 Manchester City lost at Aston Villa (though battered Spurs and Newcastle 10-0 on aggregate) while United lost at home to Spurs in their last title-winning season in 2012/13.
In that context, then, Saturday afternoon’s 0-0 draw isn’t too shabby. The result, however, taught us a lot about this current Manchester United side. If United’s opening two 1-0 wins showed us they are defensively sound but lack ideas in the final third, failing to score against a Newcastle United side that had conceded four goals in their first two games against Swansea (2-0) and Southampton (2-2) proved it.
Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle United: Lineups
Newcastle XI vs. Man United: Krul; Mbemba, Coloccini, Taylor, Haidara; Anita, Colback; Perez, Wijnaldum, Obertan; Mitrovic. #NUFC
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 22, 2015
Keys to the game
Louis van Gaal’s side dominated the ball (70% possession), dominated the passing (568 completed passes v Newcastle’s 195) and dominated the shots on goal (20 v 7 total, 8-0 on target), but failed to find a way past a visiting team deprived of one of their key defenders in the suspended Daryl Janmaat.
Defensively, Newcastle were very good. Massadio Haidara, Chancel Mbemba and Fabricio Coloccini in particular were superb defensively, the latter putting in a man-of-the-match performance, and though the Magpies were carved open at will in the opening 20 minutes, they soon recovered.
The midfield became more compact, helping out defensively, and Newcastle sat deep in the trenches. “Come and have a go” Steve McClaren seemed to say to van Gaal’s side. The call was not answered.
Manchester United need more attacking options if they are to aim any higher than third or fourth this season. This game, as much as any so far this season, raised question marks about a 29-year-old Wayne Rooney‘s ability to lead the line as a lone striker in van Gaal’s system.
Furthermore, the attacking options in reserve are not enough. Javier Hernandez came on as a substitute but missed the best chance of the match, though Tim Krul can take credit for an outstanding low save. In days gone by a player like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might have buried it, but Chicharito, on his weaker left foot, wasn’t quite sharp enough to finish.
The trouble with Wayne
Van Gaal’s system is based on control of the ball, tactical rigidity and a methodical style of play that minimises any risk-taking or free-thinking (part of the reason Angel Di Maria simply could not mesh with the Dutchman’s demands). “Van Gaal believes in not running with the ball” as Ander Herrera put it in an interview with El Pais earlier this year.
Van Gaal believes in creating one v one situations out wide and profiting from the opponents’ subsequent loss of equilibrium, but United lack a striker who can profit from any dominance in wide areas.
Rooney can head the ball, but he is almost never in a position to get on the end of crosses. He drops too deep and lacks the tactical discipline to stick to the number nine position he’s been assigned this season (tactical discipline has never been his strong point, something Sir Alex Ferguson has alluded to previously).
In the first half against Newcastle, 13 of Rooney’s 22 received passes were either within yards of the centre circle or out wide right.
Only 8 of United’s 39 crosses found a man, causing van Gaal to lament the crossing as ‘not so good’ post-match, even if he thought United’s overall play was ‘fantastic’ (something pundit Paul Scholes wholeheartedly disagreed with post-match: “I don’t think there was anything fantastic about it at all,” he grumbled).
Part of the reason crosses aren’t finding a man is because no-one is there to get on the end of them in the first place.
Wayne Rooney passes received (left) show how deep he dropped to receive play (Image: StatsZone)
Rooney’s days as a number nine in a lone forward role look numbered at this level.
He has taken on his man just once in three games this season. He’s lost the pace to do so on a regular basis, that fierce burst of acceleration he once had either hiding in the early stages of the season or no longer there.
He lacks the strength to hold the ball up, too. Aleksandar Mitrovic shrugged him off the ball with ease in one intervention at Old Trafford, epitomising Rooney’s waning power and aggression. He’s scored just one goal from nine shots on target in his last 11 league games. He made Steven Taylor look like Mats Hummels.
The striker United need
For United to prosper in van Gaal’s system, a setup which has merits but appears incomplete, a proper number nine is needed. Key attributes:
- He must be able to hold up the ball and bring others into play
- He must be good in the air
- He must be strong enough to hold off defenders (sometimes more than one) on his own
- He must be disciplined enough not to go wandering, which allows opposition defences to push up
- He must be quick enough to play a pass and run in behind the defence
Is 2015 Wayne Rooney any of these things? He hasn’t shown it so far this season. A Diego Costa, Robert Lewandowski, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Didier Drogba in his prime type of player is what Manchester United are crying out for right now. Rooney is not that.
Newcastle are far from strong in the air: both goals they conceded against Southampton came from crosses into the box. In that opening day 2-2 draw both Graziano Pelle and Shane Long got themselves on the scoresheet with headers.
Who can United cross it to in this current squad? Who has the muscle to overpower defenders, aerially or otherwise? James Wilson? Javier Hernandez? (He’s not nicknamed the ‘Little Pea’ for no reason.) Rooney?
The lack of consistent creativity in forward areas will be a worry for United fans, who cried ‘attack, attack, attack!’ during spells of this game. When bringing on Antonio Valencia is considered an attacking substitution it makes the decision not to sign Pedro for a relatively cut price £22m even more baffling. Ashley Young was another attacking alternative, but as van Gaal put it a few weeks ago he is no Neymar.
Newcastle defended well enough, but United will face better teams with better defenders and will need to break them down more regularly if they’re to challenge for trophies this season. Rooney is without a goal for 858 minutes in all competitions now. If he remains United’s only main striker after the transfer deadline on September 1st there could be many more games like this at Old Trafford over the coming months.
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