Sunday’s performance against Arsenal has left most Manchester United fans in a state of shock. United were taken completely apart in the opening 20 minutes by a rampant Arsenal side, and the result has proved to many that they are still some way off from being the finished article. The main problem at the Emirates at the weekend was the midfield pairing of Carrick and Schweinsteiger being overrun by their Arsenal counterparts. One would expect such an experienced partnership to excel in such an important game like the one on Sunday and take control of such a vital area of the pitch, yet unfortunately that was not the case. This indicates that Carrick and Schweinsteiger are a pairing to forget for Louis van Gaal.
Defensive Problems
Possession is one of the key factors in van Gaal’s philosophy. However, this was not a problem for the Reds against Arsenal. In fact, this is one of the benefits of having the two in the same side. United had the lion’s share of possession with 62.2%, highlighting the fact that both Carrick and Schweinsteiger are rightly renowned for their passing abilities. It was off the ball where the problems occured. Defensively the two were exploited by the London side and inevitably it was there where the game was lost.
Between the two of them, neither Carrick nor Schweinsteiger dropped deep enough to protect their back four, leaving the likes of Özil and Alexis to take full advantage of the space that opened up. Carrick and Schweinsteiger are not true defensive midfielders; their qualities lie with the ball at their feet, not chasing it.
They both lack the mobility truly to play the position and that was evident during the game, with Arsenal repeatedly getting in behind the pair and Özil using the space to devastating effect. The midfield duo were too easily bypassed and did not have the pace necessary to catch up with the game. The epitome of was being Alexis’ second goal, where the midfield left the back four completely exposed, allowing the Chilean to drift in from the right before powering a drive into the top right hand corner.
Although statistically Michael Carrick had the worse game, according to Squawka Schweinsteiger only managed to make one successful tackle during the whole 90 minutes against Arsenal, down from his average of 1.50 for the season. The German also made no interceptions over the course of the game, down from an average of 1.65 when often partnered with Morgan Schneiderlin.
It should not have come as a surprise that the pairing would have not worked out as hoped. Schweinsteiger, as highlighted by Jamie Carragher, already experienced a similar problem when paired up with Xabi Alonso at Bayern Munich last season. In a similar game to that at the Emirates last year Schweinsteiger, when partnered with Alonso in a 4-1 defeat to Wolfsburg, managed only two tackles and no interceptions — again down from his season’s average when partnered with a more defensive partner such as Alaba or Lahm. It seems that for Schweinsteiger to be at his World Cup-winning best he needs to be partnered with a true defensive midfielder.
What Needs To Be Done
Juan Mata wrote in his blog: “Arsenal started with more intensity, they scored very quickly and with no time for our reaction they scored the second goal. A start like this from us is unacceptable; if we want to fight for big things we must learn the lesson as soon as possible.” A double pivot of Carrick and Schweinsteiger lacks the intensity required to match top opposition like Arsenal.
The answer it seems, then, was sitting on the bench last Sunday in the form of Morgan Schneiderlin. The frenchmen is statistically United’s best defensive midfielder. Averging over two tackles and almost three interceptions every game with Schnedierlin alongside him, Schweinsteiger can have the license to be more aggressive, press higher without the worry of being so easily bypassed. This is because Schneiderlin is more defensively minded, more athletic and is able to traverse the pitch laterally with greater effectiveness in order to protect the German when he ventures forward.
When Carrick and Schweinsteiger play together, they must play in tandem and they must remain close together, protecting one another, which neither of them did on Sunday. When one is out of position great chasms open up in the midfield that the other cannot protect.
Van Gaal himself admitted “The problems did not start at the back, they started in midfield. The midfielders, especially Cazorla and Ozil, had too much space.”
Renowned for his ruthlessness, van Gaal must come to realise that he needs to axe one of his midfield two, leaving either Schweinsteiger or Carrick on the bench in place for Morgan Schneiderlin. Alternatively, if the Dutchman truly believes in fielding both of them at the same time, he must adapt his formation to a midfield three to accommodate a more mobile midfielder such as Schneiderlin or Herrera. Either way, as a duo it seems they simply do not work. They are a midfield pairing to forget if the Dutch coach wants to succeed at Old Trafford this season.
