Monk proves tactical intelligence as Swansea beat Manchester United again

Garry Monk's change in formation from 4-2-3-1 to a diamond 4-4-2 following Manchester United's opening goal today inspired a brilliant comeback from Swansea. The wins means Monk is the first manager in Premier League history to lead his side to three successive wins over Manchester United. The 36 year old Swans manager has proved during his year and a half at the Welsh club to be an intelligent tactician, evidenced by the fact they did the double over Manchester United and Arsenal last season.

This was a victory of stability, long term planning and a coherent tactical approach over big money spending and continued tactical tinkering by Van Gaal during his time at Manchester United.

After being appointed player-manager following the sacking of Michael Laudrup in February 2014, Monk helped the Swans avoid relegation. Last season, Monk's first full season as a professional manager, a number of pundits questioned whether he was too inexperienced to lead a top flight side. He went on to lead the club to a record top flight points total despite losing star striker Wilfried Bony to Manchester City in the January transfer window.

Swansea currently sit 4th in the table, level on points and goal difference with third place Leicester, and have gotten a draw away to Chelsea and a win over Manchester United while playing some magnificent, free flowing football.

Monk is known for his tireless work rate and extreme attention to detail. In a Guardian piece this summer on Swansea's preseason training regimen it was revealed he wears a microphone to training sessions so he can listen back to himself and make sure he's making his points clearly enough.

That commitment to improvement he demands of everyone at the club combined with the club's outstanding business organization and community-focused outlook have created one of the Premier League's more objectively likable sides.

Monk proved his managerial proficiency today, outfoxing one of the game's most celebrated managers.

Manchester United opened the scoring three minutes into the second half through Juan Mata. Swansea had been the more dangerous side in the first half- Gylfi Sigurdsson put a shot just wide of Sergio Romero's right post before Bafetimbi Gomis struck that same post in the opening half.

United's goal came when left back Luke Shaw collected possession on the left channel, got the better of Kyle Naughton's weak attempted 50/50 challenge and provided a chip across the face of goal for Mata to smash home.

Ten minutes after that opener Monk made a substitution and tactical change that would ultimately turn the game on its head. He brought on Ki Sung-Yueng for Wayne Routledge and changed shape froma 4-2-3-1 to more of a diamond 4-4-2. Jack Cork played at the base of midfield with Jonjo Shelvey to his right and Ki to his left. Sigurdsson played higher up the pitch in the tip of the diamond, Jordan Ayew joined Gomis up front.

In the 4-2-3-1 Swansea had started the game with they defended with a midfield bank of four, leaving the striker Gomis and Sigurdsson higher up the pitch. After the change to diamond 4-4-2 they defended with only a narrow midfield three of Ki, Cork and Shelvey, leaving Sigurdsson, Gomis and Ayew in attacking areas.

That narrow midfield three meant United's fullbacks no longer had a direct opponent marking them and were therefore given space in the channels. It was a risky move from Monk- it meant giving Shaw, the provider of United's goal, free reign on United's left channel and forced Ki, Shelvey and Cork to do an immense amount of defensive work in midfield. Almost immediately after making the change, Mata nearly doubled United's lead.

However the change in shape would prove to be a touch of brilliant tactical understanding from Monk. By encouraging Shaw to take the space he was being afforded on the left channel, Swansea's shape opened up space down that sideline to counter into in the area vacated by Shaw's forays forward. With Sigurdsson, Gomis and Ayew all high up the pitch they had the numbers to exploit the space. One player could float into the channels behind United's advanced fullbacks, collect an outlet pass and have two attacking players to aim crosses at into the box.

For Ayew's equalizer, Shaw was high up the pitch down United's left channel when they conceded possession. Sigurdsson floated into the free space behind Shaw and provided the well weighted cross for Ayew to finish. The second goal was similar. Shelvey provided a brilliant outlet pass to Sigurdsson after Swansea won the ball back in midfield. Sigurdsson touched it to the right channel for Ayew who provided a curling outside of the foot ball in behind the United defense for Gomis to run onto and slip in.

The goals were a result of Monk's calculated gamble. He risked sacrificing one midfielder in defense so that his side would have an extra attacker up the pitch when they countered. The diamond shape invited United's fullbacks to take the space they were given, but in doing so left the visitors shorthanded at the back when possession was turned over.

It was the move of a clever manager with real tactical nous. Van Gaal rarely misses a chance to pat himself on the back when he makes a formation change that impacts a match. Today he should tip his hat to his opposite number. Monk was the better manager, his side more prepared and more determined. Swansea are in good hands with him at the helm.

Van Persie, Falcao not the right striker pairing for diamond 4-4-2

Daley Blind got a late equalizer to earn Manchester United a slightly fortunate 1-1 draw with West Ham at Upton Park. Louis Van Gaal's side created some good scoring chances in the final 10 minutes after throwing on Marouane Fellaini and adopting a direct approach but they looked bereft of ideas in the attacking third for much of the game despite boasting a starting 11 that included Wayne Rooney, Angel Di Maria, Adnan Januzaj, Falcao and Robin Van Persie.

Machester United's major issue in the attacking third seemed to be a lack of any type of threat from wide areas. They never got in behind West Ham's fullbacks Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Creswell and forced them to turn towards their own goal. As a result, Creswell and Jenkinson were able to maintain narrow positions close to their center backs making it very difficult for Man United to play any penetrating passes between gaps in the West Ham back four.

That lack of width was in large part due to Van Gaal's use of a diamond 4-4-2 which naturally doesn't provide for width from the midfield. Angel Di Maria played at the tip of the diamond with Van Persie and Falcao up front; behind them Rooney and Januzaj played the shuttling roles and Blind sat deep in front of the back four. A diamond midfield is a system that can allow for possession dominance because with four midfielders in narrow positions there is generally going to be an unmarked player to pass to. However, it's also a system that requires dynamic movement from the two front men to work the channels in order to provide the width that can stretch defenses. Falcao and Van Persie don't provide that sort of dynamic movement. Both are happy to drop off deep into central areas in midfield to get on the ball but neither make runs in behind the opposition fullbacks. This lack of a threat in behind on the channels allows the opposition fullbacks to support their center backs in central areas and makes the penalty area crowded enough that it becomes very difficult for the attacking side to play their way through.

The graphic below shows the passes received by Falcao and Van Persie over the 90 minutes. When they received the ball in wide positions it was deep in midfield towards the halfway line, not in dangerous areas behind the fullbacks. Both players received passes in the channels in the attacking third just twice. As a result, all of Manchester United's possession was happening in front of the West Ham back four making it very comfortable on them- they were rarely forced to turn their backs and sprint to towards their own goal to track Manchester United runners.

I think if Van Gaal is going to continue with the diamond 4-4-2 he needs to use one striker that offers a little more movement into the channels and behind the opposition back four. James Wilson isn't yet the talent that Van Persie or Falcao are but he's more suited to operating alongside one of the two star strikers in a diamond 4-4-2 than the two are to playing alongside one another. He brings a pace and willingness to make diagonal runs behind the opposition fullbacks that give the side much more of a vertical threat. Manchester United are a less rigid, static side when he is in the squad.

The movement of Di Maria in his role at the tip of the diamond was also a bit disappointing. His pace and crossing ability make him a dangerous threat in wide areas, which we saw glimpses of when Van Gaal changed systems near the end, but I thought he could have done more to move across the width of the pitch to create overloads in the channels. Instead, he maintained fairly narrow positions and received the bulk of passes in the middle of the pitch. Di Maria is a better player when he is able to receive the ball in space and run at the defense. He is not an especially clever passer in crowded central areas and with West Ham defending compact and narrow it was a situation he found himself in frequently today. It was a #10 role that would have better suited Juan Mata, a player comfortable finding pockets of space in tight areas and finding clever penetrating passes.

Van Gaal has yet to find the right system for his side. For a squad with such an embarrassment of attacking riches, too often they struggle to convert possession dominance into goal scoring opportunities. Strangely, it is that abundance of attacking options that is probably partly to blame for Manchester United's occasional tepid attacking displays as Van Gaal attempts to adopt formations that get as many of his star attackers on the field at the expense of a system that will create more cohesion going forward.

Raheem Sterling offers far more than just pace

After a breakout season in 2013-14, Liverpool attacking midfielder Raheem Sterling has continued where he left off notching 2 goals and an assist in Liverpool's opening three fixtures. What was so impressive about his performances last season was that at just 18-19 years old he proved to already be more than just a raw pacey and athletic player. He certainly exhibited pace in abundance but combined that with a promising composure on the ball, an ability to play a final ball and an adaptability to take on different roles in Brendan Rodger's use of different formations. He was the only bright spot in England's short World Cup campaign this summer and was England's best player in their tepid 1-0 win over Norway Wednesday. With Wayne Rooney still looking off the pace, it probably wouldn't be much of a stretch  to say that along with Liverpool teammate Daniel Sturridge he is.

What's impressed me so much about Sturridge since he hit a fantastic run of form last December that has continued to now is how complete a player he looks. He's far from a slightly built fast player that stays in the channels, sprints past defenders to the endline and plays balls into the box, although he's certainly capable of strong wing play. Despite being just 5'7" he has deceptive strength which has allowed him to play centrally at the top of a midfield diamond when Rodger's has gone with a diamond 4-4-2 without being bullied out of games by more physically imposing holding midfielders and center backs. Since the start of last season he gets dispossessed 2.0 times per game, an impressively low number for a player that runs at defenders as much as Sterling. By comparison Sturridge is dispossessed 3.3 times per game, Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey is dispossessed 2.3 times per game. The arrival of Mario Balotelli means Liverpool have two strikers that will expect to play each week so the diamond 4-4-2 should be a formation we see plenty of from Liverpool. They played it in last Sunday in Balotelli's debut in a 3-0 win over Tottenham with Sterling in a central role. He scored the opener but equally impressive was his willingness to compete in crowded central areas.

Sterling also possesses decent vision and passing range in the final third. He's played 2.3 key passes per game this season which puts him in the top 20 in the Premier League. His 5 assists last season was an impressive tally and one he'll expect to better this campaign. He showed his full range of passing in the Norway, twice setting up Sturridge with good goal scoring opportunities. The first of those opportunities came from a clever perfectly weighted backheel in the penalty area (0:34 below), the second from a perfectly weighted diagonal ball over the top that Sturridge tipped over the bar (0:49).

He often has the poise in front of goal of a good striker (his bizarre baby strike that led to his manager's "he was in the box like Ricky Villa and finished it like Ricky Gervais" comment aside) best illustrated by his outrageously patient opener against Manchester City last season in which he twice simultaneously takes Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart the wrong direction to slot in comfortably. The finish is all the more impressive considering it came in Liverpool's biggest match since Istanbul and, again, this from a player that is not yet 20.

His ability to beat defenders is the area of his game that receives the most attention and for good reason. He's a nightmare for defenders when games open up and Liverpool are allowed space to play quickly on the break. His 3 successful dribbles per game this season is second only to Eden Hazard. However, his movement off the ball is also noteworthy. He times his runs well and gets himself into dangerous goal scoring positions in the box.

The one area of his game that needs the most improvement is the consistency of his passing. His 80% pass success rate from last season to the start of this campaign is hardly poor for an attacking midfielder, particularly because Liverpool often played a very quick, vertical passing game that doesn't call for possession for possession's sake. However, he is a bit too loose with his passing at times and doesn't always select the right pass. When inferior opponents defend deeper and force Liverpool to patiently unlock them, it'll be important he's just a bit tidier in possession.

It will be important for Liverpool's success that Rodgers uses Sterling wisely. At 19 he's likely to feel some fatigue after his first season of weekly involvement in the first team and a summer without a break. With Liverpool also competing in Europe Rodgers will need to find games to get him some rest to get the best out of him. Last season we saw a decline in the form of Chelsea's Oscar after a tremendous debut 2012-2013 season due largely to fatigue attributable to the number of games he accumulated over the previous season and two previous summers with Brazil. As tempting as it is to select someone as gifted as Sterling every match, he'll need recovery time to avoid a similar second season decline. However, if managed well all signs are that he should have a bright future ahead.