Explained: Marouane Fellaini’s new pseudo-centre-back role that hides Man Utd’s problem area

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Manchester United’s problem at centre-back is certainly not a new revelation and the effect it has on the side has likely contributed to the rapid greying of Jose Mourinho’s hair. 

During the course of Mourinho’s Old Trafford reign so far, he has used a multitude of different pairings at the back, with the likes of Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and more all coming in and out of the side with varying degrees of success.

In United’s last two games, however, Mourinho has settled on Lindelof and Smalling as his centre-back pairing and has seen his side win both games, against Burnley and Watford, conceding just one goal – a massive improvement on the seven goals they shipped in the three games before then.

But it isn’t the defenders who should be taking the lion’s share of the credit for this turnaround in fortunes as, sitting in front of, and often in-between, that defence is a player who has probably endured more criticism and been written off on more occasions than any other player  during his time with Man United: Marouane Fellaini.

When Fellaini originally signed for United in 2013, the Belgian was more of a second-striker-cum-target man and in his final year at Everton, he bagged 12 goals in 36 games for the Toffees.

Since his move to Old Trafford, Fellaini has been a consistent and unwavering performer but has always been a controversial figure at the club and among the first to be rumoured for an exit. However, Jose Mourinho has never lost faith in the 30-year-old and, in the last two games, the Portuguese tactician may just have found the perfect role for Fellaini.

In the past, we have seen Fellaini starting high up the pitch, providing a physical presence in attacking areas for United, or brought on from the bench as a last resort when Mourinho’s side are frantically searching for a goal. Meanwhile, Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic has been the one charged with the ‘Regista’ role, sitting in front of the centre-backs and protecting them against counter-attacks, while helping the side transition between attack and defence.

There is no doubting Matic’s ability to carry out this job and, in fact, he has been one of the most consistent players in the Premier League in that position over the past few years. However, for all of Matic’s footballing abilities, arguably far in advance of Fellaini’s, he is often slow to distribute from the base of midfield despite being adequately competent at it – Matic completed 2281 passes in the Premier League last year, more than Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and N’Golo Kante, with only four players completing more.

Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that Matic should be receiving the first pass from midfield rather than playing it himself.

Matic’s footballing prowess needed unlocking, while greater protection had to be given to United’s high-blood-pressure inducing back-line. And, with his giant afro and 6.36ft frame, Fellaini has been hiding in plain sight all along. Last season, the 87-time Belgian international won a team-high 5.59 aerial duels per 90 minutes, compared to Matic’s 1.64, and made 2.21 tackles per-90 compared to Matic’s 2.02.

United’s last two games have seen them travel to the bear-pit that is Turf Moor and then to Vicarage Road to face an in-form and confident Watford side. Both games were expected to be huge challenges for United in their own right, but Mourinho’s tactical switch has seen them come away with six incredibly valuable points.

Switching back to a 4-3-3 for the 2-0 win over Burnley, Mourinho moved Matic further up the pitch alongside Paul Pogba, while dropping Fellaini so deep that he almost became a third centre-back. Fellaini was allowed the freedom to press when the opportunity presented itself, but he would always retreat back between Smalling and Lindelof as quickly as possible – especially when it came to winning headers.

The difference this made to United’s defensive play was tremendous, with Fellaini winning seven headers against the Clarets, while Matic completed a team-high 60 passes that day. In turn, the Red Devils restricted Burnley to just two shots on target, while having nine themselves, all despite Marcus Rashford being sent off in the 71st minute and ever-increasing pressure from the home side.

When United travelled to Vicarage Road to face Watford on Saturday evening, it was a similar story. Admittedly, they had to ride the storm against a side that had won all of their league games to that point, but Mourinho’s men restricted the Hornets to five shots on target while outpassing their opponents 520 to 387.

Fellaini was again the key in Mourinho’s game-plan, sitting between Smalling and Lindelof, often protecting the latter from the physical presence of Troy Deeney, until an opportunity to win the ball arose and playing the midfield destroyer role to perfection.

Furthermore, he came away from that game with another seven aerial duals won, as well as making three tackles – both a team-high. Meanwhile, despite getting sent off in the 93rd minute, Matic’s sway was again felt further up the pitch with the Serbian combining with Paul Pogba to complete 112 passes between them and helping United to dominate with 58% possession.

Against Young Boys in the Champions League, Mourinho may feel the need to give his new pseudo-centre-back a rest, giving another play a chance to stake a claim to the No.6 role – perhaps even putting their own unique spin on it.

However, Man Utd will be without Matic for their game against Wolves at the weekend. With the likes of Fred and Ander Herrera able to come into the side, the Red Devils’ manager is unlikely to change shape given Fellaini’s effectiveness in this withdrawn role.

It may only be a transient solution but, having been unable to make the centre-back signing he craved over the summer, Jose Mourinho will be grateful that Marouane Fellaini has eased United’s problems through the middle, while the player himself will be revelling in his new-found importance to the side.

The post Explained: Marouane Fellaini’s new pseudo-centre-back role that hides Man Utd’s problem area appeared first on Squawka News.



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