Manchester United Must Revert to the 4-4-2 Diamond for Visit of Chelsea

Manchester United head into their first meeting with one of last season's top four this weekend, with Louis van Gaal's charges looking to bounce back from a dramatic, if a little disappointing, draw at West Bromwich Albion on Monday evening.

United welcome title favourites Chelsea to Old Trafford on Sunday with the need for a much-improved performance in order to take anything away from the clash. Van Gaal ordered a change of system against West Brom, and it appeared to have a negative impact on performances, which leads me to believe that the return of the 4-4-2 diamond is essential ahead of the meeting with Jose Mourinho's side.

One of the more memorable disappointments of the 2013-14 campaign was United's style of play. Sir Alex Ferguson labelled it "slow" in the recent additional chapter of his autobiography, as reported by The Guardian's Daniel Taylor, with supporters having become increasingly frustrated with the reliance on hopeful crosses to the back-post over the course of Moyes' 10 month tenure.

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The reason for playing at speed was that United players had been accustomed to operating that way.

If the tempo slowed for any reason, I would be into them at half-time. 'This is not us,' I would say.

Playing with speed never hindered our results. It was our way: energy and determination in the last third of the pitch.

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The system David Moyes used throughout last season was the very much in vogue 4-2-3-1, yet without elite wingers adept at taking on their adversary defenders as well as a strong midfield pairing, the system was very limited. Van Gaal's decision to revert to that system on Monday evening was from the start a worry, and the subsequent performance showed precisely why.

Despite Van Gaal's assertion that this was United's best performance of the season, as per BBC Sport, the tempo was slow in comparison to United's recent victories, and West Brom's defence were given a relatively easy ride.

The only real improvement within the 2-2 draw at The Hawthorns from the previous victories over West Ham United and Everton was that United's defence was rarely under significant pressure. Perhaps this is the balance Van Gaal mentioned in his Friday press conference? Alas, despite this newfound balance, there were still sizable defensive errors which cost United two points, and United's attacking play was stifled by having just one up front in the form of Robin van Persie.

The problem with the 4-2-3-1 is that unless you have two physically domineering midfielders in the double-pivot position, you are always going to lose the midfield battle, simply because there will be too much for the pairing to do. Often they are given next to no help from the three attacking midfielders, as the system is geared to get the optimum out of those players in an attacking sense.

If United were to set up in a similar formation against Chelsea, it is difficult to see the hosts not being overrun through the middle. Within the 4-4-2 diamond system, quite the opposite occurs with each midfield having a defined role.

For example, Daley Blind as a holder is fully aware he is in position to protect the defensive line and recycle possession whenever possible. The two players just ahead of him, usually Di Maria and Herrera, know their job is to dictate the game through clever ball retention and forward passes. It is an incredible benefit that a player as gifted running with the ball as Di Maria is so comfortable in this position, as it opens up a whole other line of attack from midfield.

Finally, the player at the tip of the diamond, either Wayne Rooney or Juan Mata, has the attacking responsibility of feeding the two forwards just in front of him. It is these stringently set roles which have given United's attacking play structure thus far this season and have improved production numbers in comparison to last season. Of course, different personnel are a key part of the success of the system, but the effects of the formation itself cannot be ignored.

Returning to the 4-2-3-1 against West Brom brought back the indecisiveness of David Moyes' United. Aside from trusting Di Maria to make something happen with the ball at his feet, it was often the case that Blind and Herrera would look to find Januzaj on the right-hand side, appearing undecided on what his next move would be on numerous occasions.

Van Persie, aside from a number of good physical battles mixed with good fortune, was marked out of the game, and it was only through the introduction of Marouane Fellaini that United's system slightly shifted, causing play to improve.

If we look at where Chelsea are strong in midfield, it is the partnership between Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas. Chelsea appear to have adopted a fluid 4-1-4-1 system this year, which allows Fabregas full creative control in a deeper position just in front of Matic, with the utmost confidence that the Serbian powerhouse will clean up most opposition attacks.

Fabregas can then drift slightly further forward and bring the likes of Hazard, Oscar, et al., into play, whilst at the same time outnumbering an opponent's defensive line.

Looking at the one match in the Premier League Chelsea have failed to win this season, a 1-1 draw against Manchester City, it was interesting to note that City matched Chelsea in the middle of midfield with the physical pairing of Fernandinho and Yaya Toure, leaving Mourinho's team unable to dominate as they had in previous matches.

If United return to the diamond system with four in midfield, then at the very least Fabregas and Matic can be matched on a man-for-man basis, leaving two of the four then to focus on either defending against the other attacking threats or being effective on the counter-attack. A midfield pairing in a 4-2-3-1 would simply not be able to do this.

It is understandable that Van Gaal is looking for a solution to United's defensive worries. Hanging onto results against West Ham and Everton, whilst important, is not a sustainable manner of maintaining a charge towards the Premier League title, or even a top-four finish.

Whilst I can see Van Gaal is trying to find a system which attempts to protect the defence, it is important that this search for protection doesn't limit United's biggest threat, the forwards. It might simply be a case of United needing a simple shake-up of personnel in defence rather than a protective system to guard the defenders.

Manchester United supporters were handed a sizable boost this morning as it emerged that the knock picked up by Di Maria on Monday was nothing more than "a kick," as reported by Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail, and the Argentine is expected to feature on Sunday.

Sunday's meeting with Chelsea is a real test for United, maybe not in terms of United's ability to qualify for next season's European Cup, but certainly in the assessment of just how much work needs to be done to turn United back into annual title contenders.

There can be no questioning Van Gaal's tactical acumen, but with Chelsea so powerful in midfield, yet also lacking in forward power heading into Sunday's matchup, according to Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail, then United might be best served to revert to the 4-4-2 diamond and look to make best use of their fantastic attacking prowess, particularly in front of what is likely to be a raucous Old Trafford crowd.