Darren Fletcher is the latest name to take on the gauntlet of being Manchester United’s manager, albeit in an interim capacity, so here’s what fans can expect from Fletcher’s style of play and tactics.
Ruben Amorim’s sacking was simultaneously expected and shocking because his performance merited it, but the process that led up to it was shocking.
Man Utd are now left to face another season of uncertainty, as Darren Fletcher has been drafted in from the U18s setup to manage the team against Burnley.
What are your hopes and expectations with Darren Fletcher in charge at Man Utd?
Darren Fletcher replaces Ruben Amorim as interim boss
It isn’t clear how long he will stay in charge, but we can get a fairly good idea of what Darren Fletcher’s style of play and tactics are by seeing his work with the academy.
Darren Fletcher tactics and style of play
Before saying anything else, Man Utd fans can rest easy knowing that Fletcher is a back-four manager, so, barring something surprising, United will return to that system.
In the academy, he has switched between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3. Both formations are built on a solid and aggressive defence.
Fletcher likes to press high immediately after losing the ball, which is a common theme of elite teams these days, but retreats into a mid-block if the immediate efforts are unsuccessful.
This allows the defence to regroup and get in shape instead of conceding transition opportunities by leaving gaps on the pitch.
That structure has paid dividends, as the U18s have conceded the fewest goals in the U18 Premier League despite playing the most games. (11 in 14)
So the defence will be more secure, and we get to the attacking part of his style of play.
United’s U18s are also the third-highest scoring team in the league this season, and while that reflects well on Fletcher, he has been blessed with some truly elite attacking talent for that age group.
Fletcher likes to set his team up in a 4-2-3-1, but one of the defensive midfielders regularly joins the attack, which saw Amir Ibragimov reinvent himself this season into a box-to-box phenom.
The wing-backs regularly overlap instead of inverting, because the wingers cut inside to form a five-man front line in possession.
Fletcher used Gabriel as a striker/false 9 at times this season to use his close control and dribbling skills, which speaks of an adaptable manager who puts players in positions to succeed instead of putting square pegs in round holes.
Fletcher’s appointment is being unfairly looked at as one of “jobs for boys,” because he has cut his teeth in coaching at United for the last few years under multiple managers, before impressing as a head coach this season with the U18s.
Which players stand to benefit from Fletcher’s style?
Right off the bat, Benjamin Sesko will have more support from either wing, and the full-backs overlapping means he won’t have to run the channels as much.
He can be more of a penalty box threat and do what he does best, lay the ball off and get in the box to finish the final pass.
Ruben Amorim’s BIGGEST MISTAKE at Manchester United was ________________
✍️ Fill in the blank…
Patrick Dorgu will find much more joy as an overlapping full-back instead of a winger tasked with creating and scoring.
His ability to win fouls in his own half and create overloads out wide by overlapping will make him a good partner for Matheus Cunha, who will now presumably play off the left.
Kobbie Mainoo should find a role for himself as an orchestrator in a three-man midfield again, with Casemiro sitting at the base, and Bruno Fernandes playing the box-to-box role in a 4-3-3.
Even if Fletcher plays a strict 4-2-3-1, Casemiro can easily play alongside Mainoo in the pivot because this pivot is different from the two midfielders in a 3-4-2-1.
Finally, Bruno Fernandes continued to silence doubters in a deeper position, but Fletcher will let him do what he does best, which is to wreak havoc in the final third without burdening him with tracking runners.
Sometimes, the simplest answer is the right one. Fletcher will simplify the roles and demand commitment to those roles.
With the squad’s quality, that alone should be good enough to launch an assault for Champions League places.
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