For some Manchester United fans, the issues of most concern are up front. For others, it is the defence that has undermined the club’s hopes of a solid start to the 2018-19 season.
However, it is slap bang in the middle of those two departments, in the engine room on which so much depends both with and without the ball, where United have arguably been found wanting the most this term.
It is true of most football teams that their ability to play the game at their favoured tempo comes primarily from the centre of midfield and, at United, it has been largely left to Nemanja Matic to be the man dictating the play since Jose Mourinho signed him from Chelsea in the summer of 2017.
Initially, he had quite the impact, with United suddenly looking hard to break down through the middle and more capable of building coherent attacks. His form drew many an onlooker to suggest that Chelsea had made one of the biggest cock-ups in football history.
“Whoever made that decision needs sacking, because it’s the poorest decision I’ve seen probably in the Premier League,” said England Women’s boss and former United defender Phil Neville to BBC 5 Live.
“He’s not over the hill, he’s still got loads of football, he’s still got loads of quality. I wouldn’t have let him out the building. I’d have chained him to the training ground door and said ‘You’re not going anywhere.'”
But since those halcyon days 12 months ago, Matic’s form has noticeably fallen away to the extent that he repeatedly allowed Paulo Dybala to run free at the United back four in the recent loss to Juventus, including when the Argentine advanced to tap home the only goal of the game at Old Trafford.
All across Europe there are clubs whose game plan is primarily based around the tempo dictated by their anchor in midfield, whether that be it’s the metronomic passing of Jorginho at Stamford Bridge or Pjanic with Juve, the dependability in both phases of Fernandinho at Manchester City, the energy of Jordan Henderson for Liverpool or the cohesion of Casemiro at Real Madrid.
Top sides generally have central midfielders who embody what that team is about and reflect the nature of their club’s game.
Getty/Goal
For United, Matic’s role generally appears to be to supply a rough and ready element to their play more than replicating Michael Carrick’s ability to spray passes into deeper attacking areas.
Sure, he can give the appearance of a cultured player on the ball from time to time, but those moments are all too infrequent, while his form out of possession is hardly anything to write home about.
And perhaps that is where United’s issue lies when it comes to giving the appearance of a fluid attacking outfit or a sturdy defensive unit. Right now, they are not raising the tempo nearly enough from the base, while there have been far too many occasions this season when opposition teams have easily got the run on them between the defensive lines.
Only twice have they scored more than two goals in a game in 14 matches, while their league return of a single clean sheet in 10 is a figure which reflects as badly on the midfield cover every bit as much as it does on the defence.
The stats don’t make pretty reading for Matic either. The Serb has delivered 28.14 successful passes per game in the opposition half this season compared to Jorginho’s 58.2 per game and Fernandinho’s 36.7.
When it comes to penetrating the final third, Jorginho racks up 24.8 in each game, Fernandinho 17.3 and Matic just 11.71.
Getty
Meanwhile, Matic’s five interceptions in seven Premier League appearances were matched in a single game by Andreas Pereira on the opening night of the campaign against Leicester.
And when it comes to sticking his foot in, Matic has won just six tackles this term in seven matches at a rate bettered by 40 midfielders across the division.
For players like Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to truly thrive, United need to be distributing the ball on their own terms and right now that is not happening.
And whatever their defensive pairing has been at various stages this season, they have not been given the protection they need in front of them either.
United are not necessarily short on options, especially now they have Pereira back following his season-long loan spell at Valencia in 2017-18. While the Reds were not exactly dominant in the fixtures in which the Belgian-born Brazilian started, there was at least a different dynamism about their midfield play.
It is an issue Mourinho must fix sooner rather than later if his side are truly going to find their best form.
Matic may need to smarten up quick or else forego his place in the United line-up.