Why Romelu Lukaku And Nemanja Matic Can Bring Fergie-style Football Back To Manchester United

Why Romelu Lukaku And Nemanja Matic Can Bring Fergie-style Football Back To Manchester United
11:10, 18 Aug 2017

An iconic era in football is usually easy to capture with a few select symbols. The brevity of managerial cycles tends to ensure that those defining teams, from Johan Cruyff’s whirlwind Holland to Pep Guardiola’s Messi-inspired Barcelona, are demarcated fairly simply in the collective consciousness.

But when an era spans 27 years it becomes difficult to sift through the decades and pinpoint a consistent through-line that defines it, and indeed perhaps the greatest emblem of Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure as Manchester United manager is its absence of emblems. The sheer scale of his tactical evolution rejects any attempts to compartmentalise his time in charge, thereby highlighting his unique genius.

His success came in waves and, stylistically, each veered significantly from the last, although there is a general consensus that each incarnation shared certain traits: his was primarily attacking football centred on speed and bravery. Whether during the counter-attacking and striker-less days of Tevez/Rooney/Ronaldo or during the possession spell when Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes controlled central midfield, one thing remained consistent: fear. The visiting team at Old Trafford were invariably awed by the atmosphere and intimidated by the hosts’ aggressive intent, and four years after Ferguson’s retirement this is still the attitude expected by the Stretford End crowd.

It is also the reason why so many were dismayed by Louis van Gaal’s patient approach and were sceptical about Jose Mourinho’s appointment. His defence-first philosophy doesn’t sit easy with this club, or so the theory goes, and after a summer in which two more giant footballers – Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic - were added many feared that Mourinho was entirely abandoning the mantra of exhilarating attacking football laid down by Ferguson.

This is a complete misreading of the situation: Mourinho’s reputation for dull defensive football is an unfair reflection of his tactical approach. His first Chelsea side were fascinating to watch and played wonderfully fluid attacking football through Arjen Robben; his title-winning Real Madrid team scored 121 La Liga goals; and his second Chelsea squad were thrilling during the first half of the 2014/15 season, when Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa helped the Blues score three or more goals on 10 occasions.

Romelu Lukaku scored twice on his Manchester United debut
Romelu Lukaku scored twice on his Manchester United debut

Unlike Ferguson, Mourinho has been stylistically consistent throughout his career, but it is incorrect to label him as a purely negative tactician. This prevailing opinion is the result of his negative approach in big matches, when 0-0 draws or sneaky 1-0s wins are earned via extremely cautious, and boring, performances. But across the season he instructs his forwards to roam freely and looks to play in a very fast, counter-attacking style – which is not dissimilar to the wing-focused counter-attacks that we often associate with the Fergie years.

More importantly, the signings of Lukaku and Matic have been widely misinterpreted by the media. They may be tall and powerful players, but both will speed up United’s attack considerably. Matic recorded seven dribbles in the 4-0 defeat of West Ham United last weekend (the second most in the division), highlighting his intelligent ability to break through the lines and instigate a rapid counter. Lukaku’s speed, meanwhile, is a much-underrated part of his game and he, along with Marcus Rashford, should see United transform into a pulsating attacking team in 2017/18.

There may not be many easy symbols that define Ferguson’s tenure, but after last Saturday’s performance the current United squad might already have one of their own. Their opening goal of the season – a Matic tackle, three surging runs, and a blistering counter-attacking goal – is emblematic of what United fans can expect this season from a manager who is wrongly seen as purely defence-minded.

Come May, we might look back on that goal as the defining moment in which Mourinho’s United project came together – and the moment when the quick, fearful, and attacking Manchester United of the Ferguson era triumphantly returned.

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