Statman Dave's video: Why Full Backs are SO Important to Erik Ten Hag s System

Manchester United are always linked the most players in world football but the most frequent names of late have all been full backs. This is because the position has arguably become the most important in the modern game, especially for possession based sides but why is that the case? Join me today as I explain Why Full Backs are SO Important to Erik Ten Hag’s system before creating a profile for the players that he could bring to Manchester United… Statman Dave Clips ➡ http://bit.ly/StatmanClips In general, modern football teams like to play out from the back and with the opposition looking to prevent central progression, full backs tend to have a lot of time and space on the ball. Meanwhile if the opposition try to pull wide to press them, spaces tend to open up in advanced areas in between the lines and good, ball playing full backs are able to exploit these spaces. Erik Ten Hag likes his sides to dominate possession and his full backs tend to have the most time, space and opportunity with the ball at their feet. Because of this, Ten Hag puts a lot of responsibility on his full backs: Blind and Mazraoui. In possession, Blind tends to operate almost as a wide centre back, as he tucks in to create a back 3 whilst Mazraoui is more of an inverted full back, stepping into central midfield to create a double pivot. When building out from the back, the full backs are key to manipulating the opposition’s shape through positional rotation as well as ball progression through carries and forward passes. But they are just as important in attack. Their positioning creates balance within Ten Hag’s team, offering options to recycle the play but also protecting against the counter attack. They also continue to rotate positions and have been integral at creating wide overloads in the final third, creating passing triangles between themselves, the winger and attacking midfielder. Meanwhile without the ball the full backs are just as important. Again they provide balance to Ten Hag’s pressing but when the need arises they have to be ready to engage and join the press. ► SUBSCRIBE to STATMAN DAVE: http://bit.ly/StatmanDaveYoutube So what does this mean for Manchester United? Assuming that Ten Hag implements a similar system and strategy at Old Trafford, a change could come at full back. Blind’s role is easier to come by. A composed player in possession with a good eye for a pass, the likes of Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot could both fulfil this role but nobody can operate like Mazraoui and Cancelo so at least one transfer is required. Borna Sosa is an attacking wing back and he may need to adjust his game to fit Ten Hag’s preferred inverted style or alternatively, he could evolve Ten Hag’s philosophy. Meanwhile Tyrell Malacia has the potential to become a proper inverted wing back and with the right coaching and guidance Malacia could become one of the best full backs in Europe. And finally, more of a Blind replacement is Nordi Mukiele. Not at Blind’s passing level, Mukiele is a defensive unit. Powerful, quick, strong in the tackle, a goal threat and fairly technical, the Frenchman’s contract is set to expire next season and is reportedly available for just 10 million. ► CHECK US OUT ON TWITCH: http://bit.ly/SMDTwitch But what do you think? Are full backs the most important position in modern football? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Socials: 🐦Twitter: https://twitter.com/StatmanDave 📸Instagram: http://bit.ly/StatmanInsta 🖥See more at https://statmandave.com ________________________________________________________________________ ► Artist Attribution Music By: "After The Fall" Track Name: "Pieces (Extended Version)" • ATF LinkTree - https://linktr.ee/AftertheFall • DOWNLOAD @ https://www.chilloutmedia.com/atf License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) - Full license here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... • Music released by: Chill Out Records @ https://goo.gl/fh3rEJ & https://www.LoFi-HipHop.com • (C) Copyright Notice: This is FREE (Royalty Free Music) that has been publicly released by Chill Out Records - No Copyright Music (Chill Out Records LLC) for use by content creators within their own YouTube and TikTok Musical.ly videos. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)