A midfielder is in brilliant form with the national team but is having difficulty replicating that form at Manchester United – this story is no longer new.
Scott McTominay is one of the players with the most impressive performances in national football this year and in Scotland’s recent gathering, that sublimation was continued with 1 goal and 1 goal. assist. Currently, this midfielder has 6 goals in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, this achievement is second only to Romelu Lukaku, who has 8 goals (McTominay’s new teammate at Man United, Rasmus Hojlund, also scored 6 goals for Denmark). Circuit).
The 28-year-old star seems to have been strongly revived in an attack-oriented role in Scotland, thereby raising the question of whether Old Trafford head coach Erik Ten Hag should test McTominay in other areas. Is it a higher position to take advantage of his full potential in club football?
WHY CAN MCTOMINAY SHINE IN SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL TEAM?
McTominay’s recent excellent form for the national team comes from head coach Steve Clarke placing him in a higher position in Scotland’s 3-5-2/3-4-2-1 system. Instead of asking the Man United midfielder to receive the ball from the center-backs and contribute to the ball’s development, McTominay was given more reasonable responsibilities in the national team, where he often sought to execute situations. late penetration into the penalty area and finishing crosses.
McTominay’s goal against Cyprus in the recent FIFA Days is a typical example of this.
After years of playing center-back (in a three-center defense) and defensive midfielder for Scotland, McTominay has now been given a free license to enter the final third of the field.
It’s the kind of scoring situation that helps explain why the midfielder’s long-time teammate at Man United, Eric Baily, gave him the nickname “McDominate” and why a part of the team The club’s fans call him “McSauce” (smart McTominay). McTominay’s height of 1m93 and physique make him a formidable threat when making quick rushes into the penalty area. His finishing – while inconsistent under pressure – can be highly effective if given the space to execute properly.
However, McTominay’s goalscoring record will lose some of its luster when considering the opponents Scotland have faced so far in the Euro qualifiers (3 out of 6 goals scored in 2 matches against Cyprus, the team ranked 118th on the FIFA rankings, and had 1 goal scored against the 78th ranked team Georgia, the remaining 2 goals were scored against Spain). Of the 6 goals scored, 4 were scored with his left foot – McTominay’s non-dominant foot.
WHY DON’T ERIK TEN HAG USE MCTOMINAY IN THE SAME WAY?
In fact, Ten Hag has tested this option.
McTominay made 39 appearances for Man United last season, playing a total of 1,687 minutes and including 16 starts. At the start of that campaign, he continued to take on the role of the team’s lowest-ranking midfielder in a vulnerable midfield before late August signing Casemiro gradually replaced him. However, deeper into the season, Ten Hag used McTominay as a number 10 in the closing stages of matches, while Bruno Fernandes moved to the right wing of the 4-2-3-1 system.
The strike that brought victory to Man United against Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League group stage also contained many of the positive characteristics that were present in McTominay’s best performances for Scotland.
Once again, he was free in a dangerous area near the penalty spot while opposing defenders were focusing on Man United’s other attackers, including Cristiano Ronaldo.
McTominay made a similar move to Ronaldo towards the near post, expecting Jadon Sancho to launch a cross from the left wing.
But Sancho decided to cut the ball inside and finish it himself. The shot was blocked by the opponent, and the ball flew into the path of McTominay, who was positioned as an auxiliary striker:
Next came some good ball control and a shot that sent the ball into the near corner of the goal after cutting through a crowd.
McTominay’s only Premier League goal last season – in a 2-0 win over Everton in April – showed similar qualities.
After Marcus Rashford’s unsuccessful breakthrough attempt in the middle, Man United sent the ball to the right wing.
The Scottish midfielder made a good off-the-ball run towards the near post to take advantage of an opening up space
then latched onto Sancho’s pass and scored with a one-touch finish.
Ten Hag is not the only Man United head coach to have used McTominay in this way.
One of McTominay’s best attacking performances for the Old Trafford club came in the 6-2 win over Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United in December 2020 – the Scottish star scored two goals and had one. assist – when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer allowed him to freely participate in the attack, while Fred took on a more defensive role.
McTominay has already shown that he can fully take on the role of an attacking player for both club and the national team. The problem is that he probably won’t be able to recreate the sublime form he had when playing for Scotland throughout a season for a team of Man United’s caliber. As we saw in Scotland’s 3-1 loss to England in Glasgow, McTominay’s attacking ability will be severely limited in matches where the midfielder’s team cannot control the ball. Turn the opponent around and give him the freedom to hunt for space in the penalty area.
The fact that the Scottish star plays better when taking on the role of an attack-oriented box-to-box midfielder is not simply because it can take advantage of his strengths (physicality and tenacity, ability to good finishing ability when not under pressure, and aerial combat ability) but it also helps erase the limitations that McTominay has shown when playing deep. However, when asked to play high, due to this midfielder’s extremely poor creativity, he only has one use when Man United organizes an attack: to be the finisher.
It is true that the transformation from “piano carrier” to “piano player” is a very impressive change, but in the end, McTominay can only perform a certain number of “songs”.
Many United managers have avoided assigning him to this advanced role because 1) the team’s lack of defensive midfielders means they need him to play in deeper areas, and 2) they already have A Fernandes is capable of providing much of what McTominay can do in advanced positions, with the Portuguese star also providing additional creativity.
However, the arrival of Sofyan Amrabat could open the door for McTominay to be used in a more advanced role again.
Ten Hag can pair the Moroccan star with Casemiro to form a “dual axis”, while also pulling Fernandes to the right wing to support McTominay (we will discuss this topic later). The 26-year-old midfielder’s ability to move intelligently without the ball and late penetrations into the penalty area can completely help Man United increase their ability to attack deep-lying defenses.
There has been some discussion about making McTominay an emergency center forward option. However, this midfielder’s ability to move without the ball can only be most effectively promoted when he plays the role of an unexpected threat to the opponent’s goal, not as the focal point of the attack. , and he is also not the type of player who feels comfortable receiving the ball under pressure with his back to goal, so McTominay will certainly struggle when he has to act as a midfielder. target direction.
If we had to point to Premier League clubs that are truly suited to using McTominay in this direction, we would find them in the English capital. The Scottish star can work for Crystal Palace like Conor Gallagher did when he played for this team on loan from Chelsea in the 2021-22 season. And if West Ham gets McTominay’s services in the summer transfer window, David Moyes will likely use him to attack the penalty area like Tomas Soucek did during his most explosive period at this team.
McTominay is still a name that causes many mixed opinions, being the center of many debates among Man United fans.
Many people see him as an extremely professional player, they believe that sooner or later the day will come when he will follow in Darren Fletcher’s footsteps and become an essential element of the starting lineup. There are also many people who believe that with this young man’s serious limitations in both the on-ball and off-ball phases, he should be pushed away to make room for another midfielder who deserves to be on a good team. of more stature than Man United. However, the decision to reject the offer from West Ham shows how the Old Trafford club views McTominay, and the role he may take on as the 2023-24 season progresses further.
This season, there will certainly be games where McTominay’s strength, off-the-ball movement, and intelligence around the penalty area could provide Man United with a useful weapon against stubborn defenses.
The Scottish star may not be on the field every week, but he is still a player with a lot of quality to take advantage of.
