The four losers of Man Utd’s change to a 3-5-2

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 31 Oct 2021 13:46 CDT
• 4 min read

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s formation change against Tottenham on Saturday worked wonders as Man Utd thrashed their opponents 3-0 in north London.

Solskjaer had gone into the game at risk of the sack but goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford has at least bought Solskjaer time.

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After a dismal run in which Man Utd had gone two months without keeping a clean sheet – conceding 11 goals in their previous three games – Solskjaer opted for a more conservative approach.

He switched to a 3-5-2 system, adding an extra defender, and scrapping his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.

This certainly brought the best out of Ronaldo, who grabbed a goal and assist, and the previously forgotten Cavani, who had barely featured in the opening months of the season.

However, while this formation change may benefit Ronaldo and certainly Cavani, it will prove detrimental to a number of other attackers.

The reason for this is because Man Utd boast a host of wide forwards or wingers who need to play in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 in order to show their best.

Who are the losers of Man Utd’s change to 3-5-2?

These four players are Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford.

Sancho seems set to be the biggest loser of the four as he seems completely incompatible in a two-man attack.

Martial was not even named on the bench against Tottenham, despite his wife stating on social media that he was fit.

Martial, Greenwood and Rashford – the latter actually scoring as a substitute versus Spurs - can and have all featured as central attackers but in all three cases it is not their natural roles.

This is a concern that was raised after the match by Man Utd legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.

"There is no doubt this [formation change] is not Ole’s plan,” Neville said on Sky.

“Leaving Sancho, Greenwood and Rashford on the bench is not the plan. That wasn't the plan in the summer for the recruitment, it wasn't the plan in the summer for Ole, that’s not what he was thinking he was going to play.

"He's played 4-2-3-1 for 37 matches so this isn't his plan to go 5-3-2, but the change of system did look like it benefitted Cristiano Ronaldo because it took the pressure off him from a defensive point of view.

"Seeing him up front against Liverpool or Leicester the week before on his own against three centre-backs and two — Van Dijk and Konate — he looked like a little boy but today suited him perfectly, to allow him to be a part of them moments.

"So I think it was a good day for him not just because of the goal but because it looked like he played in a team he was part of, rather than last few weeks he's been exposed, being asked to press when he can't do that."

It remains to be seen in the coming games whether Solskjaer sticks with his 3-5-2 but, if he does, then Sancho, Martial, Greenwood and Rashford are unlikely to be too happy.