Premier League Tactics: United’s high press destroyed City in the Manchester derby

Manchester United pressed high up the pitch to unsettle and ultimately overwhelm Manchester City during Sunday’s 2-0 derby win at Old Trafford.

Many people may still be wondering how he did it, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no doubts about why he got the better of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City for a third time this season.

Solskjaer had Manchester United use a high press to beat their rivals 2-0 in the derby at Old Trafford on Sunday. It sealed the Red Devils’ first Premier League double over their neighbors since the 2009-10 season.

The tactical blueprint was all about unsettling City with pressure from the front. Solskjaer explained how well it worked, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

"But I felt at times in the first-half, when we put the press high up we made them make mistakes. The first 15 or 20 minutes were maybe harder than we should have made it but we started harrying them a bit more higher up and creating chances. We had some big ones.We have tried before to do that. The more you can keep them out of their rhythm and make them make mistakes gives you a better chance. But they are so good and Pep wants them to play out from the back."

To put the press into action, United adopted a 3-4-1-2 shape that emphasized width and pace on the counter. Wing-backs Brandon Williams and Aaron Wan-Bissaka had key roles to play in subduing City’s wide forwards Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling.

Wan-Bissaka was exceptional in denying Sterling time and space. He repeated his stellar showing against City’s danger man from United’s 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium back in December.

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Meanwhile, split strikers Anthony Martial and Daniel James were responsible for getting in behind City full-backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo. Martial and James needed to exploit the channels with pace on the break and attack down the sides of center-backs Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi.

United were slick, swift and collaborative on the counter. They released Martial and James with direct passes into the channels and routinely got runners from the heart of midfield like Fred up in support.

Fred has been outstanding during the second half of the season, and the Brazilian was often United’s man over in the final third. His buccaneering endeavor should have been rewarded with a penalty, but both referee Mike Dean and VAR inexplicably ruled Otamdendi’s clumsy challenge in the box was legal and that Fred had dived and deserved to be booked.

Not deterred by the injustice, Fred continued to power forward whenever United sprung a counter. His energy levels made City’s midfield artisans look plodding by comparison.

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Fred having the freedom to join James and Martial in the City half may have left the Red Devils exposed, had the visitors been able to win the ball back. Yet, Fred and fellow midfielder Bruno Fernandes had the license to roam because of the player underpinning the Solskjaer structure.

Nemanja Matic has rarely shown his Chelsea form since donning a United shirt in 2017, but the Serbia international was a colossus in the derby. Matic made timely interventions and never deserted his station as the screen for the United back five.

His presence usually translates into an easier day for those along the back line:

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Matic’s defensive awareness, coupled with Fred’s industry and recovery pace, allowed Fernandes to stay further forward. The former Sporting CP star has been a revelation since arriving during the January transfer window, and Fernandes made the final third his domain against City.

United’s new main man was creative, direct and relentless in the way he supported Martial and James, both on the ball and off it. Fernandes teed up Martial’s goal for the opener, while he also provided an extra body for the press, one City’s defenders were rarely able to bypass.

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Fernandes’ high starting position and breaking runs through the middle usually occupied the attention of City holding midfielder Rodri. This meant Martial and James could stay wide and isolate Fernandinho and Otamendi in unfamiliar territory.

A great example of the effectiveness of the United press came when Williams forced Cancelo to go back to goalkeeper Ederson in the second half. Cancelo retreated, while infield Martial was stuck on Fernandinho and James was in close proximity to Otamendi.

Rodri was behind the play because he had tracked Fernandes. Cancelo’s pass under pressure was mis-controlled by Ederson, and Martial almost nipped in to turn the ball over the line.

City just about cleared their lines, but Wan-Bissaka, Fred and Matic were hovering around to provide a second wave of pressure.

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United kept City smothered for most of the game, but even when the hosts dropped deeper their shape was too rigid and densely populated to yield any space.

Solskjaer had opted to play left-back Luke Shaw as one of the three nominal central defenders. His presence meant United could shift into a back four if needed, with Shaw and Wan-Bissaka at full-backs bracketing Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof in the middle.

Williams then operated on the left wing, while James moved further over on the right and Martial became a lone striker. United morphed into a 4-5-1 when needed and challenged City to play though some pretty daunting numbers.

The deep rearguard action meant City’s ownership of the ball counted for naught:

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Solskjaer had crafted the ideal plan for nullifying a team dependent on bossing possession. His players carried out the tactics flawlessly, even if purists may be uneasy about a home team defending so deep and relinquishing the play as easily.

Guardiola knows his players need an answer to a setup Solskjaer has used to get the better of them three times already. Yet, the City chief will also know how much Kevin De Bruyne’s influence was missed while the Belgian was rested and David Silva was left on the bench.

City don’t have quite as much guile and flair as many thought, but United have found a roadmap for frustrating their main rivals in big games.