Player Focus: Fellaini Adds Goals and Muscle to Manchester United's Midfield

Whatever about the farcical manner in which his club’s transfer window ended, it’s eminently safe to say this is not the first XI that David Moyes envisaged starting his era at Manchester United with.

The Scot’s intentions were clear. Understood to have had a few reservations about the overall quality of the squad on taking over in early July, he ideally wanted to bring in two different types of midfielder and one marquee signing.

So, without an all-rounder such as Cesc Fabregas or even Ander Herrera in the centre - and particularly without the sparkle provided by someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, as ambitious as it always seemed - the new regime is going to have to wait. Until Moyes brings in a greater amount of his own men, it's going to feel like United are in an even more curious transition between the end of Alex Ferguson’s last team and his replacement’s first one.

As such, it was perhaps appropriate - if also obviously frustrating for a section of United fans and somewhat predictable - that Moyes’ only first-team signing has been one of his old players in Marouane Fellaini.

It will not be until January - or perhaps even next season - that it will be truly fair to judge the new United manager’s reign on anything like its own terms. It’s also not surprising that he has immediately reverted to something very like a style he knows best.

This is not to say, though, that Fellaini does not offer United qualities that they were missing even under Ferguson.

As was vividly illustrated in some of the Old Trafford side’s matches against Everton, not least on the opening day of last season, the Belgian provides a power and heavy industry that the English champions have missed since the loss of Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves, and that the still-raw Phil Jones has only partially covered. Fellaini will greatly increase the muscularity of the team through the middle. Fellaini made more tackles per game (2.6) than any Manchester United player last season other than Rafael (3.1), while only Grant Holt committed more fouls (82 compared to 80) in the entire Premier League. The manner in which United got overpowered by Manchester City in April 2012, or bullied by the Belgian himself at Goodison Park a few months later, now seems much more unlikely. 

Moreover, there are the goals he provides. Notwithstanding the key fact that Fellaini regularly played much further forward than midfield, there was still a stark contrast with all of United’s central players in terms of strike rate last season. As the chart below illustrates, midfield was one of the most barren areas for United. Even more damningly, not one of the side’s true central players got more than two to his name in the league. Tom Cleverley was their top-scoring midfielder with two. That pales next to Fellaini, who hit 11 goals in 31 Premier League appearances.

Even if Fellaini does not play so close to the centre-forward, though, there is the simple fact that he is more suited to goal-getting than all of United’s current midfielders - especially in Moyes’ current system.

That was emphatically illustrated by the game away to Liverpool. To break United’s play down to rather basic levels, they seemed to be maintaining possession around the centre before trying to work the ball out to the wings for crosses towards on-coming midfielders. Except, none of United’s current crop are suited for that role. In the 1-0 defeat, Moyes’ side hit 32 crosses to Liverpool’s 5, but barely fashioned a chance of note out of them.

By contrast, the 4.9 aerial duels won per game from Fellaini last season was far better than any other United player; the closest was Vidic with 4.2. Additionally, only Michu scored more headed goals in the Premier League in 2012-13, with 6 to Fellaini's 5.

The Belgian’s muscularity will also aid other aspects of the new approach. Last season, United played just 59 long balls per game (16th in the league) while Everton hit 64 (third). Under Moyes, the Old Trafford side have so far averaged 73, which is currently the second highest after Southampton. The benefits of Fellaini’s height in this regard are obvious.

It may not be United’s way, but it is also unknown whether it is the way Moyes wants either. That will have to wait.