Despite holding one of the best defensive records in 2021/22, Manchester United have leaked too many goals and it is one of the reasons why the Premier League club is struggling to find their place in the top-four. In the ongoing campaign, Harry Maguire is criticized and blamed for the defensive errors. Whenever he is found out of possession or lost the possession, he fails to recover with his pace. By playing two defenders alongside Maguire, they can overcome his problems. Also, the player has thrived in the three-man defense system. We have often seen this in the English national football team setup.

Scott McTominay and Fred have always played in double pivot and have won the ball consistently. However, both are the best players while going forward and are not great while playing the defensive midfield. Fred has played in more offensive positions under Ralf Rangnick and has even raked multiple assists in 2022. By playing three men in the defense, this would help Fred/Scott McTominay to penetrate the opposition midfield.

Ralf Rangnick has employed Gegenpressing and it needs full-backs to carry out the offensive operations. To fill the wing-back roles, the club has multiple players to select from. Alex Telles and Diogo Dalot have performed better than the other fullbacks in the ongoing campaign and should form the four in front of the central defense.

Cristiano Ronaldo often struggles while playing as a CF and one can only address this by employing a two-striker system. The Portuguese talisman gets surrounded by the defenders and cannot use his ability at the best. By playing either in-form Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani, CR7 can have a free run and score multiple goals. Bruno Fernandes can play in his usual No 10 or False 9 role in 3-4-1-2 formation.

Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): David de Gea, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Diogo Dalot, Fred, Scott McTominay, Alex Telles, Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo