CSKA Draw Shows 4-3-3 Is the Best Formation for Manchester United

Manchester United's best performance this season came on Saturday at Everton. During the first half in the Arena Khimki against CSKA Moscow, Goodison Park seemed a very long way off, as CSKA easily swatted aside United's attacking play and looked threatening with almost every counter-attack.

It took a moment of madness from Anthony Martial and an instant of inattention from Phil Jones to combine for CSKA to make the breakthrough. Martial conceded the penalty with a handball made all the more obvious by the flash of the orange highlights on the fingers of his black gloves.

Jones looked ill-prepared to deal with the possibility of David De Gea saving the penalty, which allowed Seydou Doumbia the freedom of the box with which to tap in the rebound.

At half-time, United looked dead and buried. When television pictures showed that Marouane Fellaini's arrival was imminent, the immediate fear was that he would replace Ander Herrera at No. 10, and United would be reduced to lumping it up to the big man for the second 45.

This fear turned out to do an injustice to Louis van Gaal's nuanced thinking. Fellaini did come on, but for Bastian Schweinsteiger. For the first time this season, Van Gaal deployed the 4-3-3 that had been so successful during United's best run of form last season.

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It was a tonic for the Red Devils' game. Fellaini and Herrera played ahead of Morgan Schneiderlin—superb in last season's Michael Carrick role—with Fellaini on the left and Herrera on the right.

Having two attacking midfielders to deal with meant CSKA could not double up as easily on United's wide-players, something they had been doing to great effect in the first half, particularly when facing Martial. This was also helped when Van Gaal brought on Daley Blind for Marcos Rojo at left-back.

Rojo had a poor game—symbolised best by his attempt to head a ball clear that instead struck his arm in the box. Because Mario Fernandes, CSKA's right-back, had been so dangerous going forward, Rojo seemed reluctant to commit himself to support Martial when United had possession.

The impact of the change in formation is seen in the statistics. United had four of their seven shots in the second half—hardly earth-shattering proof of improvement in attack. However, they restricted CSKA to just two attempts on goal in the second half compared to five in the first. 

The paradox that United were more defensively effective with an ostensibly less defensive formation—one holding midfielder instead of two—can be explained by a combination of individual performances and how much better United were at retaining possession in the second half.

United managed 65.3 per cent possession in the first half, but that jumped to 72.2 per cent in the second. That increase was tangibly felt while watching the game—the Red Devils just looked much more comfortable, particularly after Martial's brilliant goal.

This change in United's fortunes offers food for thought for Van Gaal. The Everton performance did not come after a dramatic change in system—rather it was a tweak in personnel that changed the balance in United's side.

However, the second half of the CSKA match was another great advert for the 4-3-3 formation that gave such a good account of itself last season. And unlike last season, one injury will not upset the apple cart as it did once Carrick was unavailable to play the holding-midfield role.

Schweinsteiger or Schneiderlin could play at the base of the midfield or in the role occupied by Fellaini last season and again against Moscow. There are a plethora of options in wide positions—especially given Jesse Lingard's involvement against Everton and in Moscow.

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Martial and Wayne Rooney can cover the No. 9 position between them—although the merits of moving Martial to the left to accommodate Rooney are questionable.

Last season, 4-3-3 was the key to turning United's previously static possession into something more penetrative, particularly against more challenging opposition.

United have been able to score relatively freely for much of this season, scoring three goals in five of their last six domestic fixtures. However, the game against Arsenal saw them dramatically fail their biggest test. Everton should have been a similarly tough game, but Roberto Martinez's side was not at the races.

Manchester City at the weekend will surely be a testing opponent. It was in this fixture last season that United's 4-3-3 was perhaps at its best.

The solidity of the back six—goalkeeper, defenders and defensive midfielder—made United a difficult unit to break down, particularly with Fellaini and Herrera contributing defensively from their more advanced positions.

Going forward, United worked triangles of possession into attacking opportunities,which is something they should be even better equipped to do now given the improvements in the squad.

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In truth, the most likely scenario is that Van Gaal will revert to 4-2-3-1 against City, and 4-3-3 will be reserved for times of need, but it would be good—both in terms of the enjoyment of the football on show, and its potential effectiveness—to see United plump for the more attacking choice against City, and beyond.

All advanced statistics per WhoScored.com