Michael Carrick’s management of Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount could be the key for Manchester United to effectively break down a low block against them.
The Red Devils returned to Premier League action on Monday for the first time under interim boss Michael Carrick since the end of the March international break.
However, Manchester United hosted rivals Leeds United in their Premier League clash at Old Trafford and the 10-man Red Devils side lost 2-1 on the night.
Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount had very different experiences around the match, but Leeds United brought in a low block to stump Man Utd hard.
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Gary Neville’s point around the Leeds United low block against Man Utd is where Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount were needed
Noah Okafor put Leeds United 2-0 up in the first half after he netted a superb brace against Manchester United on Monday evening’s Premier League clash.
The Red Devils were met with a Leeds low block early in the second half at Old Trafford, with Daniel Farke’s men attempting to nullify the Red Devils’ threat.
Inside the first 10 minutes after the break, Gary Neville saw Michael Carrick’s men struggle against the “5-4-1 shape” that Leeds were implementing against United.
“It’s a slightly different pattern since half-time with Leeds just sitting back in that 5-4-1 shape and making it very difficult for Man Utd to find passes forward,” he said on Sky Sports.
United would pull one back against Leeds much later in the second half at Old Trafford after Casemiro netted a stunning header from a Bruno Fernandes cross.
However, Mason Mount remained an unused substitute during the entire 2-1 defeat and the Man Utd No 7 or Fernandes could have been an effective ‘plan B’ approach.
The attempt to cause major issues to Leeds’ low block could have happened sooner if Carrick had adopted a ‘shoot-on-sight’ policy with Fernandes or Mount (or both!).
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Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount could have broken the Leeds United low block effectively with their Man Utd shooting range
Gary Neville pointed out that United were finding it difficult to play a pass forward with the low block in place and Carrick should have pivoted with his tactics.
Using Fernandes on his own, bringing Mount on as an option or combining the two together, the Man Utd duo could have caused problems for the low block.
Both Fernandes and Mount possess long-range shooting in their respective arsenals and could have pulled out Leeds players from the low block if they shot.
Leeds would have been unable to sit deep in their midfield and the movement of one player alone would have opened up the space United were looking for on the night.
Fernandes and Mount could have individually or collectively created the pockets of space needed for a through-ball if they were told to adopt a ‘shoot-on-sight policy.’
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