Should Manchester United consider starting Marouane Fellaini at forward?
At the moment, Manchester United's best attacking strategy involves playing direct football with big man Marouane Fellaini standing tall in a forward position. This is United's reality as the 2014-15 season firmly roots into February.
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These days, Fellaini wanders dangerously high up the pitch into positions that make defenders uncomfortable. By design, the Belgian waltzes forward and waits for the floated delivery. While the tactic is often used as a late-match option, at present, sending Fellaini up top to pressure opposing defenses appears to be the only tactic that is consistently working for manager Louis van Gaal.
If anything, Van Gaal should consider increasing the 27-year-old's attacking role and possibly starting him as the focal point of the attack.
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When playing in the advanced role, Fellaini usually finds his way into a No. 10 role defensively. As a withdrawn forward, the skilled ball winner can regain possession in a dangerous position. And once United has the ball and hits the break, he finds his way into the box and serves as the distinguishable target for the Red Devils' pointed attack.
More often than not, the Belgian and his afro win aerial duels, or at least pressure defenders into making errors.
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This is not the beautiful game. It is ugly, honestly. Prehistoric football, some call it.
Watching Manchester United resort to route-one tactics against Sam Allardyce and West Ham United last Sunday felt odd enough, but hearing "Big Sam" talk about struggling to deal with Man United's "long balls" and "thump it forward" game plan sounded surreal. Allardyce admitted the change, surreal or not, "paid off for [United]" in a 1-1 draw at the Boleyn Ground.
In theory, Manchester United should only resort to these tactics late in games against superior sides and away from home. In reality, Fellaini started and played in advance roles in United's most recent victory, which came against a lower league opponent in Cambridge United.
In the Red Devils' 3-0 win over Cambridge, Fellaini played the critical role in deciding the tie. United did not break through until Fellaini set up the opener with a knockdown header that Juan Mata maximized in the 25th minute. Seven minutes later, Fellaini helped the hosts double their lead as his blocked shot found the feet of Robin van Persie, who flicked a ball that found Marcos Rojo's head for United's second goal.
In the first half and against a small side, Fellaini created goals and came up big as the Manchester club's best attacking option.
Against West Ham, Fellaini won the foul that provided the Red Devils an important free kick late in the match. Then, his mere presence in the box gained a valuable point at Upton Park. West Ham defender Carl Jenkinson nervously attempted to cut off the floated ball targeting Fellaini in the box. Jenkinson's nervy attempt at a clearing header found an onrushing Daley Blind, who hit a spectacular one-time equalizer.
Without Fellaini in an advanced position to psychologically push Jenkinson off balance, Manchester United likely loses to West Ham and falls into a tie with Tottenham Hotspur for fourth place. If Fellaini started in that forward position or came on sooner, United may have even collected all three points to stay third. Instead, Manchester United sat alone in fourth place.
Whether he plays in the first half against a small side at home or comes on in the second half against a strong side away, Fellaini is causing havoc in the final third and creating goals for the Red Devils. Currently, he is Manchester United's most in-form forward ahead of both Radamel Falcao and Van Persie, having been involved in the buildup of three of the team's last four goals.
Sad as it may be, a long ball aimed at Fellaini in the box is Manchester United's best attack at the moment. So, perhaps Van Gaal and the Red Devils should fully embrace the tactic from the start.
Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. He has previously written about the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup and regularly provides opinions on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA
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