Man Utd weekly: Will Solskjaer try a back three against RB Leipzig or Arsenal? | OneFootball

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Stretty News

·27 October 2020

Man Utd weekly: Will Solskjaer try a back three against RB Leipzig or Arsenal?

Article image:Man Utd weekly: Will Solskjaer try a back three against RB Leipzig or Arsenal?

It’s another busy week for Manchester United with two fixtures pencilled in. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side host RB Leipzig in the Champions League and Arsenal in the Premier League, although we are convinced the manager is still unsure of his best XI.

The defence feels as though it is going through a stage of trial and error. This was inevitable once it became clear that United were not trying to sign a new centre-back during the summer, but there’s hope that Axel Tuanzebe will stay injury free this season and feature regularly in defence.

Last week we got to see Solskjaer trial a back three (not for the first time) against Paris Saint-Germain. It’s too early to say after one performance that Solskjaer should be set on a new formation but I’d definitely encourage him to build on last week’s win and reap the benefits.


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We’ve got two good full-backs, in their separate ways, who should be starting games every week. Alex Telles is an upgrade on Luke Shaw and it was a shame not to even see him on the bench against Chelsea. Wan-Bissaka could improve in the final third but I can’t fault his defending.

Against Leipzig, I would like to see a line-up like the following: De Gea; Tuanzebe, Maguire, Lindelof; Wan-Bissaka, Telles, Matic, Van de Beek, Fernandes; Martial, Rashford.

If Solskjaer sets up with a back three and United win again, surely that could be enough to persuade him to try it against Arsenal on Sunday? Not only does it make it possible to cushion Maguire/Lindelof with pace, it offers us more protection from the middle and should result in greater possession against lesser teams.

It worked really well for United last week and I’m hoping to see us line-up similarly tomorrow night.

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