David de Gea’s suitability for Erik ten Hag’s ultimate vision has been called into question again, with some interesting tidbits about Manchester United’s defensive habits emerging.
@Utd_Analytics recently made the following tweet:
“United has one of the deepest defensive lines in the league. If you think De Gea doesn’t stop us, you’re naive or you don’t understand football.
“United will not be able to ‘step up’ while De Gea is in the net. Proactive Gk’s support high lines; the graphics support it.”
United have one of the deepest defensive lines in the league. If you think De Gea doesn’t stop us, you’re naive or you don’t understand football. United will not be able to “step up” while De Gea is in the net. Proactive Gk supports high line – graphics supports it. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/lSh9QOGuj8
— ManUtd Analytics ⚽ (@Utd_Analytics) September 19, 2022
The accompanying graph shows that the Red Devils have had the lowest defensive line in the Premier League, with only average numbers for intensity of pressure, measured in Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA).
That is a far cry from the early signs that were shown during United’s pre-season tour, in which the level of intensity in pressing high on the pitch and dominating games promised a quick turnaround to a proactive, modern style of football.
De Gea is well known for his passive style of goalkeeping, which is presented as the reason for United’s dismal position in the chart above.
In truth, there is a bit more to it than that. For one thing, United have only played six games this season, so the sample size is quite small.
Notably, four of those games have come against the four teams that played the highest defensive lines in the league during their early stages. Playing against a high line often requires dropping their own to escape the pressure and find space back, so it mitigates the depth of United’s own line somewhat in those games.
There is also a strong possibility that the profile of Manchester United’s attacking players, as well as their goalkeeper, may have influenced Ten Hag’s tactical setup.
“I’ve tried, because of the speed of Martial and Rashford, to cause space not by pressing straight away, but by going back a little bit, not by parking the bus, but to the halfway line and then to the defenders in the middle of our own half.”
Those quotes are not taken from Ten Hag, but from a former Dutch manager at United: Louis van Gaal. He realized that, lacking supreme technical quality, he was wiser for his team to “create space” to get the most out of their speedy attackers.
The current manager has probably realized the same thing: he has the same players after all.
None of that is to say that suggestions that De Gea will need to be replaced at some point are without merit. United currently avoid the Spaniard at all costs when building up the game and doing so for good reason. A goalkeeper who could contribute with the ball would certainly be a blessing.
But more relevant to United’s defensive line, a number one who excelled at shot prevention (claiming crosses and sweeps out of his penalty area) would give United the option of boosting their defense on the pitch.
That would be a positive step in bringing the pre-season pressure game into the ‘real world’ of competitive football, but it is important to note that Ten Hag will need several more attacking players capable of producing quality in tight spaces if that is to be the final game.
As of now, he has Jadon Sancho and new signing Antony. Over the course of a long season, that’s unlikely to be enough.
For now, the height of United’s defensive line is likely to change depending on the needs of the attackers and the limitations of the goalkeeper.
