Harry Maguire reportedly feels that Michael Carrick’s choice to switch to a back five during Manchester United’s match against Brentford contributed to the team’s victory.
Since his appointment in January, Carrick has used a back four, but on Monday night, he made an in-game adjustment.
Carrick chose to employ the system that Ruben Amorim steadfastly adhered to during his 14 months in charge, and Noussair Mazraoui took Amad’s place at halftime to enable the change to a back five.
See Also: Rooney Claims Arsenal Star’s Return ‘Absolutely Huge’ In Title Race
In his post-match press conference, Brentford manager Kieth Andrews stated that he was “not sure” why United changed formation, although the tactical shift seemed to strengthen the defence in the second half.
Maguire Believes Formation Change Helped Man United
Maguire was asked about the formation change during his post-match interview with Sky Sports, and the defender said he thought it was key to helping United see out the win.
“I think the formation change has helped us a lot, to be honest,” said Maguire.
“I think the results spoke for itself. So I think we’re comfortable that we can play both formations. But I think we didn’t cover the pitch well enough in the last 20 minutes of the first half, and were letting too many balls into the box, and then they were putting a lot of numbers in the box as well.
“I think it was good that the manager recognised that, and we changed the second half, and I felt like it was a lot more comfortable.”
COMMENTS