INTRODUCTION
Danish striker Rasmus Højlund has seen a drastic improvement in performance, scoring seven times in the last six games. To really quantify just how big of a change this is, we should keep in mind that Højlund went goalless in his first 14 Premier League appearances for United. What has caused his upturn in form?
A still of the Danish striker
THE PROBLEM
To put it simply, it is the increase in creative players close to and in the final third. During Højlund’s goal drought, it was obvious that it was caused by a lack of delivery. Back in late 2023, United played in a formation that had 18-year-old Mainoo isolated in the midfield, generally in between the front two of teams pressing in a 4-4-2, with Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes playing much higher up. Mainoo is a very technical player, who prefers to be able to control the tempo of the game. With Mainoo isolated, decoy runs would not prove useful, as a forward would remain in the middle to prevent the ball from finding the feet of McTominay or Bruno, leaving Højlund stranded in the final third, without a service.
Kobbie Mainoo, a very talented midfield prospect for United, is just 18!
THE SOLUTION
Recently, Ten Hag has made a tactical change, replacing McTominay with Casemiro, who now swaps positions with Mainoo, leaving Mainoo to stay a little higher up – although, not to the extent of McTominay. Additionally, Diogo Dalot has begun to invert more frequently, and now, the problem of isolation in midfield has been solved, with Casemiro (sometimes Mainoo) and Dalot being able to make decoy runs in the midfield and manipulate the forwards away from the center, allowing the center backs to find the feet of Mainoo or Bruno, who then lays it off to Højlund, or directly play a ball to Højlund. This factor, combined with Bruno sinking a little closer to the center has seen Højlund taking more touches than ever.
Portugese right back Diogo Dalot has played a crucial part in United's winning formula
THE RIGHT WING
The next factor is the replacement of Antony on the right wing with Garnacho. To put it bluntly, Antony is not a very creative player, and has become extremely predictable on the right flank. This has led Ten Hag to make the commendable decision to place Garnacho on the right wing instead. The results speak for themselves, with Garnacho scoring 4 times in his last 7 appearances, with 2 assists. His influence on the right wing can easily be observed from his performance against Aston Villa, where he scored a brace, had a passing accuracy of 81% and found a teammate 21 of 26 times. The presence of Garnacho, a player who likes to take on defenders and cover ground to hammer in crosses, has increased the threat of Højlund in and around the box.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, it is the increase in creative players, namely, Bruno, Mainoo and McTominay in and close to the final third, as well as the inverted position of Dalot that has led to Højlund’s surge in form.