Why Tom Cleverley is so important to Manchester United

Expert Opinion

08Mar

Why Tom Cleverley is so important to Manchester United

by Michael Cox

It’s easy to categorise Manchester United’s natural central midfielders. Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes are passers – they sit in deep positions, control the tempo and spread the play. Anderson and Darren Fletcher are runners, or shuttlers – they provide energy and compete in a more combative manner.

Sir Alex Ferguson generally favours a passer and a runner. Two passers is certainly viable, though they depend upon energy from higher up the pitch, and can be overcome by powerful opposition. Two runners rarely works – the side lacks discipline and shape.

At least, that situation was true last season. This campaign, there is Tom Cleverley, who fits into neither category. He’s not a passer like Carrick or Scholes – he plays higher up, he’s more mobile, he’s more direct on the ball. But he’s not a runner like Anderson or Fletcher either – his technical quality is much greater, he’s creative, and his passing is more incisive.

So what is he? He appears to be something between a box-to-box player and a driving central midfielder, with an added touch of finesse. In that respect, it’s probably not appropriate to compare him to a past Man Utd player but instead include him in a group of similarly-aged players who possess similar attributes. Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere and Dortmund’s Sven Bender are comparable – they start deep in midfield but carry the ball forward to turn defence in to attack. And that might be the best description for Cleverley – a carrier.

This type of player has a crucial role to play in modern football, because of the importance coaches place on attacking transitions – the moment when a side wins the ball and can launch an attack quickly without resorting to pointless long balls (also known as verticality). Coaches want directness when the ball is won, an initial burst of pace and incision from the central midfield zone.

The good thing about this verticality is that it can cause the opposition problems, whether they want to press high up the pitch or sit very deep. If it’s the former, it’s possible to escape the first press. If it’s the latter, it’s possible to attack the defence before they have time to become settled and stabilised with two banks of four. Cleverley appears particularly talented, in that his verticality can come either from passing or dribbling with the ball.

There are just two question marks. The first is who to play him alongside. The passer-runner model worked well because the two types of players were completely different, so they complemented each other and formed a good relationship. If Cleverley is somewhere in-between, he doesn’t have a natural partner – when fielded alongside Anderson early in the season, United had lots of attacking thrust, but their shape was poor, and they were conceding more shots than any Premier League side. Cleverley alongside Scholes or Carrick seems more natural, but we’re yet to see this.

The second problem is fitness. Cleverley has only played nine times this season, and only twice for the duration of the game. Were it not for injuries, he would have made his England debut by now, and a place in the Euro 2012 squad is still not unthinkable. England will need that quality at transitions from either Cleverley or Wilshere, and the Manchester United player is currently in the better position to stake his claim.

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Eoghan

Who realistically would you think would be United’s best option for a centre mid to partner Cleverley? I’m thinking Javi Martinez, can be disciplined and energetic, can intercept can pass and can tackle and is mobile. Struggling to see anyone who would be a better match
http://www.facebook.com/wesleyjpowell Wesley Powell

Paul Scholes only became a sitter in the last few years of his career, he certainly wasn’t a sitter in 2003, he was playing just off the front man & scored 19 goals in the process.
http://twitter.com/grifftannen Griff

Do you think Wilshere and Cleverley could work together for England, or too similiar? Maybe in a three with someone more defensively minded.
Parkie_7

People take the piss out of me for it, but Cleverley is one of those players in the same mould as Andres Iniesta. Small, moves the ball quickly, short passes, picks up the ball in space in the final third of the pitch. Obviously he isn’t anywhere near the class of the Spaniard, highlighted by his dreadful scoring record. But Iniesta never scored enough goals, and it was only in the last 3-4 years he’s been respected as the top player he is, so with the right training and attitude, Cleverley could go on to emulate the kind of play we have seen from the Barca man.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WOSTLI6ACONNNLVIZGNZIY4POI Kyle

About the here and now
Anonymous

In terms of ‘kind of play’, very hard to emulate or even be similar to as United’s game is very different to the more shorter and tighter way Barca play. Tough ask.
Especially now, with Fergie going back to a more orthodox 4-4-2 with more wing play, after a few years of counter attacking, rise of Park’s tactical importance (especially in a unorthodox 4-4-2 set up) and 3-man central midfields in the era with Ronaldo and a season or two afterwards. United have a soft belly in central midfield now, because of the change in tactics (Park not used as much to help out a 2-man central midfield from the wing (mostly ineffective this season), no 3-man central midfield, etc). Can’t afford to be gung-ho as the likes of Giggs, Cleverley and Ando have been at various stages this season. Carrick has been the best player this season, arguably anyway. But he can only do so much in such a open 4-4-2 and it has shown such as the game against Newcastle, where he and Giggs just couldn’t get to grips with the midfield battle, partially due to the overall shape of the side as well as the downsides of playing the cavalier Giggs in a two-man central midfield. We have seen Rooney or Welbeck dropping off heavily to in front of the central midfield (and the left wing too at times, especially when Giggs is there) to try and stem the flow. But we definitely have a big issue defensively that needs solving in central midfield. The midfield has made life difficult for the defence and goalkeeper behind them, a defence which has suffered from injuries. With the way we use the wings and the creative movement of the Welbeck and Rooney, I rather a more defensive improvement in central midfield, instead of a creative one. Not sure whether that ‘improvement’ will play alongside Carrick or instead of him. He has been a big player for us this season.
Anonymous

I like him, in the few games I have seen. Regardless of his compatibility with Cleverley, we certainly could with a central midfield of his type. I am not fond of the more creative options (such as Modric) for the issues we have in central midfield and the midfield as a unit.
guest

with parker behind them, its possible. cleverley could play higher up and wilshere could play behind him. It worked with Fabregas and Wilshere so Cleverley and wilshere could definitely work.
http://www.sofaball.com/?p=2941 March 8 – bonus afternoon links – Sofa Ball

[...] Michael Cox looks at Tom Cleverley’s important to Manchester United while Gareth Bale says he “tends” not to dive. Hahahahaha. [...]
Paulfuller9

Fabio, Raphael – Too small, easily brushed off the ball, clumsy and guaranteed a booking – Liability
Anderson – Why?
Berbatov – Lazy, not worth a Red Shirt
Nani – Please – No more.. 1 step 3 steps uneccessary, and a Ronaldo Wannabe
Carrick – Would love to play from a Deck Chair somewhere – always getting caught with the ball
Welbeck – Styled between Peter Crouch, Dion Dublin and a bloke with one leg, clumsy and awkward
What does that leavce us? The Old Guard
Never ever, since we were owned by the Yanks have we struggled like this – for the right players – To Compete!!!
Some real deadwood to move on from this club – if we are to stay at the top
Ian

I completely agree with Paul and last nights performance against a very dynamic and confident Bilbao proves it. Rafael should NEVER play for United’s first-team again – he has played a lot of games now, never learns from experience and still regularly lets the side down. It angers me to see solid full-backs like Danny Simpson and Phil Bardsley having been shipped out of the club recently while we continue to endure the Brazilian Jedwards ! Cleverley has a long way to go yet to find his best (any?) position in the team. Welbeck is not a goalscorer. Young, Smalling and Nani are inconsistent and unreliable. Carrick and Berbatov are too ponderous. Evra goes awol too often. Park runs round aimlessly. Hernandez is a headless chicken outside the six-yard box. Anderson is simply not a footballer! Of all the young players, only Phil Jones shows signs of becoming a true United regular (in midfield by the way, not at centre-back). We are missing Fletcher badly and still counting on the “veterans” + Vidic, Rooney and Valencia to carry the team.
Danny Dyer

Michael, you’ve plagiarised and contradicted your earlier Guardian column on United’s midfield. Top work.
Psychofiq

Yup, the players you described are the same group of people who had led Manchester United to the league title in 2011, as well as the UCL final against Barca. And the same team is only 2 points behind the so-called “Invincible” Man City. =P Leave this bloody deadwood talk to the summer transfer window, and get behind our bloody team for crying out loud.
Psychofiq

Welbeck only enjoying his 1st full season as a Manchester United player, and you have to admit he’s a big game player, based on who he scores against (Man City, Arsenal, etc…)
http://www.manchester-united.otz0.com/manchester-uniteds-cleverley-ive-got-a-lot-to-learn-goal-com.html Manchester United’s Cleverley: ‘I’ve got a lot to learn’ – Goal.com | Manchester United

[...] could return for Bromwich clashZee NewsCleverley, Anderson boost for UnitedESPN STAR SportsWhy Tom Cleverley is so important to Manchester UnitedLife’s A Pitch (blog)all 6 news [...]
http://onside.co.kr/blogs/no7legend/2012/03/11/%ed%86%b0-%ed%81%b4%eb%a0%88%eb%b2%8c%eb%a6%ac%ec%9d%98-%ec%a4%91%ec%9a%94%ec%84%b1/ 톰 클레벌리의 중요성 | No. 7 Legend 컬럼블로그

[...] 2012년 3월 8일 Life’s a Pitch에 Michael Cox 기자가 Why Tom Cleverley is so important to Manchester United라는 제목으로 작성한 기사의 [...]
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=684891334 Anonymous

trust me when i say he is NOT important..

we spent an entire season without him and look at where united is? they are now right at the top where they belong… give me modric and sneijder any day, they are way better and definitely not as injury prone as this kid.. his not even 25 and already gets injuried for fun like michael owen currently does.. god knows what will happen as he gets older..
chris

interesting article,we shall see
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berno

he is shit injury prone has done nothing but other united fans think he is going to be the best midfielder ever he played about 6 games got injured so how cud you say he is going to be great if he hasnt even played that much at the end of the season he was fit so y didnt fergie play him if he is as good as everyone is saying
berno

smalling is better than jones. simpson and bardsley are shit. fletcher was shit plays like park runs around aimlessly dives into tackles. if anderson wasn’t a footballer y does Fergie always play him when he is fit .phil jones is shit in the midfield has no clue wat to do better defender nani is just shit

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