Manchester United are looking for their first Premier League title since 2013, and Jos\u00e9 Mourinho is looking for his fourth in total. The club have just returned from their pre-season tour of the United States. Pre-season is a time for experimenting and trying different systems and formations, but which will work best for the Red Devils?<\/p>\n
4-2-3-1 was the most common system last season. It relies on a base of two holding midfielders to cover the back four. The remaining four attacking players then have licence to be creative and express themselves in the final third.<\/p>\n
As the season went on, a major problem became clear: the side didn’t have a recognised holding midfielder in the squad. Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger were frozen out and that left Mourinho with only four options in midfield.<\/p>\n
Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera established themselves as the first choice duo in this formation, but weaknesses started to emerge with this pairing. Pogba’s attacking instincts were often stifled when asked to play a more defensive role in a midfield two and\u00a0Herrerahad similar issues; his unlimited energy and sheer determination is a major asset, but the defensive role limits his on-the-ball capabilities.<\/p>\n
Marouane Fellaini has also been used in this position several times, but he has\u00a0a lack of mobility which hinders him when asked to be the midfield anchor. Although he has his uses, he\u00a0slows\u00a0down the fast, fluid football United want to play.<\/p>\n
The club have just completed the signing of Nemanja Matic <\/a>from Chelsea for \u00a340 million. The Serb was\u00a0a key player in Mourinho’s last title-winning side at Chelsea, and\u00a0should he start to reproduce his displays of two years ago he will be a vital asset in helping his side challenge for the Premier League.<\/p>\n His presence in the side could allow Paul Pogba the space he needs to be the creative outlet which United bought him to be. Matic being in side will also allow more balance as he is a natural defensive midfielder; something the club haven’t had since Owen Hargreaves left in 2011.<\/p>\n A quality number ten who can get in behind the opposition and pick up the ball in space is vital to the 4-2-3-1 system, and\u00a0United tried a number of players in this role. Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard were all used, but\u00a0none showed the consistency to make the position their own and the position has been continually rotated whenever the formation was used.<\/p>\n One bright spot was the signing of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian struggled at the start of his Manchester United career but during the second half of the season he showed his class. His pace and movement gave United a different outlet and he contributed 11 goals in all competitions. His upturn in form gave United a different dimension in the attacking third. On numerous occasions he led counter attacks with his pace and direct running whenever he received the ball. If Mourinho wants to continue with a 4-2-3-1 then Mkhitaryan will be a key man in order to link the midfield and attack and give the side fluency going forward.<\/p>\n A back three is becoming more and more popular in the English game, and Mourinho experimented with it during pre-season.\u00a0The current squad of players, however,\u00a0may not be best suited to it.<\/p>\n A 3-5-2 system relies heavily on wing-backs who are able to get up and down the pitch\u00a0on a regular basis. Antonio Valencia has proven he can do this role with the greatest of ease, even at 32 years of age. The opposite flank, on the other hand,\u00a0is proving to be far more difficult to fill for Mourinho. Luke Shaw can do the job but his continued injury problems have hampered his progress; Ashley Young is struggling to show enough quality in the final third; other options\u00a0include Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Henrikh Mkhitaryan but all three are forward-thinking players who have a lack of discipline defensively.<\/p>\n When the opposition winger and full-back attack simultaneously, one of the central midfielders has to cover the wing-back or one of the centre-backs\u00a0has to move out of position.\u00a0If either the wing-backs or the central players on their side\u00a0aren\u2019t defensively aware enough, the system can be exposed.<\/p>\n One\u00a0argument in favour of using a 3-5-2 is that\u00a0Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford would be able to play up front together. Both have exceptional pace and Rashford’s guile and ability to beat a man, coupled with Lukaku’s raw power and strength, could tear defences apart. Most teams have\u00a0grown accustomed to playing against a solo striker and a formidable pairing like that would give opposition managers plenty to think about. United always set up with a front two under Sir Alex Ferguson, and this system could be a throwback to that.<\/p>\n A balanced three in midfield allows for the side to be secure and dictate the tempo of the play. Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera all offer something different and compliment each other well. Young midfielder Andreas Pereira,\u00a0<\/a>having\u00a0had a successful loan spell at Granada where he scored five goals in 35 appearances. He should be a solid cover option for the ageing Carrick.<\/p>\n A midfield three\u00a0will help to protect United\u2019s back line. Central defence has been a problem area over the last few seasons. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have both looked shaky and won’t be regular partners for Eric Bailly, whilst\u00a0Victor Lindelof is still finding his feet. Having\u00a0protection in front of him could be\u00a0just be the thing he needs in order to settle into English football.<\/p>\n United will look to be on the front foot in the majority of games, but having a system which can easily switch into a 4-5-1 where the wingers tuck in and help the defence will prove very useful over the course of the season.\u00a0The club are back in the Champions League, so having a system which can double up into a more secure shape will help greatly.<\/p>\n Deployed\u00a0slightly deeper and using his intelligence to find the space, an additional midfielder can confuse the opposition and make up for the lack of a number ten. Using someone like Juan Mata or Mkhitaryan\u00a0in this way can be a nightmare for the opposing team to mark. It will be unclear where\u00a0either will\u00a0pick up the ball and what spaces they will try to run into to receive it.<\/p>\n There are plenty of options\u00a0from which Mourinho can choose,\u00a0which is always needed in the modern game. If United are going to challenge for the title the players will have to be flexible enough to adapt to different styles which will help them throughout the season.<\/p>\n Main PhotoNumber Ten<\/h3>\n
3-5-2<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4-3-3<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>