MANCHESTER UTD. vs. SWANSEA CITY

1-2

Saturday 16th August 2014

The mood in Manchester was optimistic and energised. It was to be the start of Manchester United's rehabilitation under the Iron Tulip, Louis van Gaal. This time last year David Moyes helmed a 4-1 away victory against the same opposition but nobody gave Garry Monk's team the script as they battled to a 2-1 win with goals from Ki Sung-Yeung and Gylfi Sigurdsson either side of half time. New club captain Wayne Rooney equalised for the Red Devils. 

The United boss has admitted that his first three months in a new job have historically been weak but it is a case of 'different manager; same result' at Old Trafford. Fans and pundits alike have been declaring that United's challenge relies solely on the signings they bring in: namely a powerful leader at the back and a midfield general. The names Marcos Rojo, Arturo Vidal, Angel Di Maria and Mats Hummels (among about three hundred others) have been linked to a move to the North West of England but whether Ed Woodward can bring them in remains to be seen.

Welcome to the Premier League, Louis van Gaal.

THE SYSTEMS

As expected, United turned out in the much discussed 3-4-3 / 5-2-1-2 system that brought so much success in pre-season. The interesting thing about playing three at the back is the ability to stretch the pitch when on the ball before turning compact when defending. The high press of the United team when not in possession, a tactic favoured by van Gaal, has cover in each position. By spreading the back three of Jones, Blackett and Smalling, United were providing a platform for the wing backs to push forward. 
Hit the young defence with a quick counter, though, and holes start to appear. Early on Lingard was found on his heels when a diagonal ball from Shelvey saw Routledge get the run on the debutante but the Swansea winger couldn't bring the ball under control. It was a sign that Lingard (nominally a striker) playing at right wing back is a gamble from the new manager and somewhere Swansea could exploit. The warning went unheeded, though, as Swansea capitalised on some defensive naivete from Blackett and affirmed United's susceptibility to a pacey counter. 

Swansea set up in a 4-2-3-1 system and were content to allow the hosts possession, recycle it, and break very quickly through Dyer and Sigurdsson backed up by the passing range of Jonjo Shelvey. Wilfried Bony playing as a lone striker is always a game of patience against two centre backs but against three, he cut an ostensibly peripheral figure.   

The second half saw Nani replace Hernandez and the United eleven revert to a back 

four, playing a 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1. The change was to accommodate the change in personnel, better facilitate the high press and give more weight to the United midfield, with Herrera and Fletcher overrun and out of position repeatedly in the first period. It only took seven minutes after the restart for United to restore parity and the change of shape seemed to have worked immediately. Januzaj's introduction for injured Lingard galvanised the hosts' right flank. Where Lingard was tentative, the young Belgian was fearless and direct; taking every opportunity to run at Neil Taylor. A decent delivery from Mata was flicked on via a Jones near post run and a great bit of improvisation from the unmarked Wayne Rooney saw the scores levelled. For long spells thereafter United had the bit between their teeth with Januzaj still full of running and Rooney, boosted by his goal, beginning to orchestrate the attack. 

But then it all changed again. Jones and Smalling were caught flat footed from a Swansea free kick and Young, not so adept as an out and out left back, misjudged the flight of Montero's cross, allowing Routledge to set up Sigurdsson for the winner. 

THE MOMENT

Swansea captain Ashley Williams put in a man of the match performance, epitomised by his series of clearing headers in the final minutes of the game as United attempted in vain to find the head of Fellaini as the seconds ticked away. 

But the moment that summed up his afternoon came at 1-1 as he made an incredible last ditch recovering tackle on Rooney who had already turned him inside out and nutmegged him on the edge of the box. The new Red Devils captain would have put his side into a commanding 2-1 lead that Swansea surely would not have recovered from had his opposite number, Swans captain Williams, not produced a stunning lunge that put the ball out for a corner. This show of commitment provided the base for Swansea to go up the other end and score the winner minutes later. 

UNSUNG HERO

It will be a rare occurrence on this blog, one would imagine, that the winning team's lone striker will be worthy of an 'Unsung Hero' award. Swansea's Wilfried Bony's performance this afternoon, though, was a display of selflessness, guile and experience which had a much bigger impact on the result than meets the eye. Throughout the game his movement off the ball created space for Swansea's three attacking midfielders to exploit, be it by sucking the United defence into the box and leaving space behind the wing backs, or by dragging Jones, Smalling and Blackett towards the byline, leaving space for Sigurdsson or Ki to run into for the goals. 

Nowhere was his footballing mind so well displayed, however, as his block on Phil Jones in the lead up to the first goal of the game.  

Bony didn't touch the ball at any point during the build up to the goal but his careful positioning allowed Ki's placed finish to find the corner, as he turned Jones' tackle away from the path of the ball. It falls well within the rulebook as Bony didn't step out of his natural path or make any movement directly towards the onrushing defender, but rather stood his ground and granted his teammate the time and space to fire the away side into the lead. Textbook unsung brilliance. 

By Kwaku Osei-Afrifa and Robbie Brown

NEXT TIME

You don't have long to wait for your next installment of Unsung Analysis as last year's nearly-boys Liverpool show of their newlook squad against the team from which they bought three players over the summer, dark horses Southampton. It promises to be an intriguing clash tomorrow, as two of the most changed teams of the new season square up.