Like Klopp, Solskjaer was right not to rush into buying a new centre back

How time flies. It was just last Saturday that all eyes were on Chelsea after Frank Lampard’s side conceded three times in the opening half an hour against West Brom. That day they fought back in the second half to earn a point, before the following afternoon Manchester City pulled the attention away from Thiago Silva and Marcos Alonso by giving away three penalties in a 5-2 defeat to Leicester. The defensive frailties shown by two of England’s top teams were startling, if not entirely surprising.

This Sunday saw the two other teams to have finished in last season’s Premier League top four show similar symptoms. After the final whistle at Old Trafford, where Manchester United had lost 6-1 to visitors Tottenham, it seemed their defeat would be the talking point of the weekend. Instead, Liverpool did their best to steal the limelight with an incredible 7-2 loss at Aston Villa.

However, while the champions’ incredible form over the last two campaigns suggests their meltdown was merely an outlier, it is easier to question their old rivals’ rearguard. Nonetheless, both clubs were right not to panic on deadline day and acquire expensive reinforcements.

New season brings new problems for United

Before we begin to criticise too heavily, it is worth remembering that United conceded just 36 league goals last season; only the two sides that finished above them, Liverpool (33) and Manchester City (35), shipped fewer. Of those 36 goals, just 13 came in the second half of the campaign, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side did not suffer a single defeat in their final 14 games as they climbed to third. In the ten league matches played against other sides that finished in the top six, they let in a total of six goals.

We’ve had the caveat - now begins the criticism. It has been very different this term. The Red Devils have conceded 11 goals to date and been outplayed in all three of their league matches. Crystal Palace exposed their high line on the counter in a 3-1 win at Old Trafford, before Brighton came close to handing them a second successive defeat of the season when they hit woodwork five times, despite Solskjaer’s men running out 3-2 winners.

Instead, that result was simply postponed by eight days. And how. The opening minutes of their match against Tottenham foreshadowed a game riddled with errors when Davinson Sanchéz clumsily upended Anthony Martial to concede a penalty inside the opening 60 seconds. That was when the visitors’ troubles ended, though. Any hopes of United avoiding a “disasterclass” of their own evaporated just three minutes later as the visitors drew level, and the game was not yet seven minutes old when Son Heung-Min’s goal made it clear that Jose Mourinho’s side were the better organised.

The only notable change to the hosts’ backline was the reintroduction of Eric Bailly alongside Harry Maguire. Trusted in place of Victor Lindelöf, it was his awful error that handed the visitors a third goal moments after Martial had seen red. This was Bailly’s first Premier League start since a 2-0 victory over Chelsea in February, when Solskjaer deployed him in a back three. That performance was a prime example of the defensive stability such a system brought in big games, also bearing fruit in a derby win over Manchester City three weeks later. In both cases Luke Shaw operated as the third centre back on the opposite flank.

This time, in his usual position on the left of a back four, Shaw had a game to forget. Having been caught in a tangle to allow Tanguy Ndombele’s equaliser, he was so far out of position for Tottenham’s fourth goal that Maguire had to cover for him (see below). This was not an isolated incident. Serge Aurier was left unchallenged on the right channel throughout, a recurring theme that yielded further joy for the visitors when the Ivorian netted their fifth of the afternoon. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s pass bisected the space between Shaw (positioned almost exactly centrally on the edge of his area) and Paul Pogba, allowing Aurier time to pick his spot and fire past a helpless David De Gea.

Shaw follows Tottenham winger Erik Lamela inside (circled), leaving space for Aurier (top) to exploit and assist Son. Image: Sky Sports on Youtube.

A cynical foul on Lucas Moura did not earn Shaw a red card; it may be cruel to say, but perhaps the greater punishment for himself and his teammates was for him to remain on the field for the closing stages. The path to first team football for the incoming left back Alex Telles seems clear; the only question remains, why was an upgrade not brought in sooner? Mourinho criticised the former Southampton defender as far back as 2017 and, while at the time these seemed like cruel jibes to make the player a scapegoat, his performances since have not done enough to suggest that he can be relied upon.

Stationed between Bailly and Shaw stood the captain Maguire, the world’s most expensive defender. Unfortunately, this display has handed critics any ammunition they need to comment that United paid over the odds last summer. Replays of Spurs’ equaliser showed him atoning for a weak backpass by comically dragging down Shaw just as his teammate went to clear. He could have been sharper, too, to intercept Harry Kane’s quick free kick which put Son clear for Spurs’ second, but credit must go to his namesake for the ingenuity. Unfortunately, in this instance it was not just his ability that was called into question, but his leadership too. In games such as this, especially when the team is down to ten men, a captain is truly required to organise and direct, let alone lead by example. Maguire’s performance did not meet those criteria, raising further doubts over whether he is the best candidate for such a role, at least in United’s current state. In fairness to him, though, who else would be?

Liverpool take over for evening entertainment

It seems strange to even be contemplating it, but similar questions could be levelled at Virgil Van Dijk after his side’s display at Villa Park. With Jordan Henderson only fit enough to be named amongst the substitutes, nobody batted an eyelid as the Dutchman took the Liverpool armband in his stead.

What followed were an inept defensive display and all round lack of leadership that, given the high standards set by both himself and his teammates, seemed almost unbelievable to not only the viewers at home but the opposition players too.

Granted, Adrian’s error gave the hosts an early lead, but this should not have led to such a collapse. Liverpool have overcome bigger setbacks than this, after all. In fact, it was after the corresponding fixture last season that Jürgen Klopp labelled his side “mentality monsters” for their perseverance in overturning a one-goal deficit in the final minutes to win 2-1. Eleven months on, their high line was exposed time and time again (including at set pieces). As occurred at Old Trafford hours earlier, this can happen, especially when chasing the game but a captain, no less a centre back, should have been alert to the danger and sought to mend it, rather than attempt to mount an unlikely comeback on such shoddy foundations.

Liverpool line up 25 yards from goal to defend a free kick. The delivery over the defence allows Aston Villa to score their fourth goal. Image: Sky Sports on Youtube.

This was a caricatured throwback to those dark days, pre Van Dijk. It was a reminder of the wild if ultimately fruitless 2013/14 campaign, when Brendan Rodgers encouraged Luiz Suárez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling to simply outscore the opposition. Only this time they didn’t.

As noted following their opening day win against Leeds, Liverpool have nothing to worry about. Klopp’s side are still rightly favourites to win the title but their style, built on overloading the opposition both in possession and out, invites pressure as well as applying it. It was this that led to their first defeat of the title-winning campaign at Watford, while the signs were there against Leeds too. As recently as last Monday night Ainsley Maitland-Niles exploited the space left by Trent Alexander-Arnold for Arsenal’s opener; here, Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins did the same, with a well-deserved reward of five goals between them. More often than not Liverpool’s approach works and they have the silverware to prove it. A little more organisation, be it from coach or captain, can minimise problems such as those experienced on Sunday night.

Where do Solskjaer and United go from here?

The case for United is more confusing. Telles was the only defensive signing made on deadline day, while free agent Edinson Cavani, a striker, and young winger Amad Traoré also joined. The club did not seek to bring in further centre backs.

Furthermore, such a solution (or attempt at one) would be an overreaction and does not tell the whole story. Even excluding Maguire, the defence fielded against Tottenham was far from cheap. His £80m transfer fee aside, the three men beside him set the club back £102m, while Lindelöf joined for a reported £30m in 2017.

Bar the two academy products in attack and fellow graduate Scott McTominay, every United outfield player who featured cost minimum of £27m, the amount paid in 2014 for Shaw as he became the world’s most expensive teenage player. That record was broken a year later when the club invested £35m in Martial’s services. The starting midfield trio cost £180m, while Fred (£47m) and Donny van de Beek (£35m) were introduced from the bench. In short, the club have been here before, and spending money does not solve all problems. Without ticket revenue from the largest club stadium in England and an uncertain future, now is the worst possible time to demand further deals.

Granted, they seem to be left wanting in terms of a top-level centre back, but it is a position in which they are already overstaffed. Solskjaer can still call upon Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones, while moving them on has proven tough given their high wages. Liverpool, who only boast three senior centre backs on their books, did not panic either, and rightly so. Which realistic targets would have improved either side? Kalidou Koulibaly has been linked to both clubs in recent years, but the Senegalese defender is now 29 and Napoli have apparently been unwilling to let him leave for anything less than £70m. Few other names offer any guarantee of bringing the stability which United in particular seek.

Considering his defensive qualities, could Aaron Wan-Bissaka be moved to the centre? He is a fine tackler but his quality in the final third has long been questioned. It would also offer him an easier route into the England side while Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to excel on the wing. The added benefit for Solskjaer would be the opportunity to field the promising Brandon Williams on his preferred flank.

Perhaps a back three should be considered again. The obvious drawback of the system is that it would mean sacrificing a midfielder, most probably Pogba or Fred. Nonetheless, it is a system which has worked for Solskjaer in the past and would limit, if not entirely remove, Shaw’s positional problems. The change of formation might be seen as regression, or weak-minded against smaller teams, but Arsenal have done something similar under Mikel Arteta and results have improved. Admittedly, this does not seem to be a long-term solution for the Spaniard, particularly following Thomas Partey’s arrival, but nor need it be for United. The Gunners are also supposedly further behind in their rebuild than United but, given the number of managerial appointments since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, is that true?

In Solskjaer’s post-match interview with the BBC, he commented that:

“The players there are better than what we are showing at the moment and we’ve got, of course, to come out fighting as a group. That’s my main concern.”

The Norwegian has proven that he can improve the team, not just once in his honeymoon period in early 2019 but again a year later. Furthermore, he has done it in defence. Whether he can do enough to convince the board (and the fans) that recent results are just a blip or not could decide whether chairman Ed Woodward’s next big signing is a new player or a new manager.