Manchester United overcame Nottingham Forest with a 2-0 victory in their semi-final second leg to reach the Carabao Cup final.
Second-half goals from substitute Anthony Martial and Fred meant the Red Devils won 5-0 on aggregate and will now face Newcastle United at Wembley on February 26.
United entered the contest thanks to a resounding 3-0 win at Forest and while many expected Erik ten Hag to make big changes, the Dutchman stood his ground.
Sancho returns as an advanced midfielder
He did trade a few players, but it was a very strong team which was necessitated in part by the Dutchman’s need to avoid any kind of complacency and a lack of proper backup options.
After a lackluster first half in which both teams failed to create much, the Dutch boss went in for the kill and brought in in-form Marcus Rashford and long-term absentees Jadon Sancho and Martial.
Interestingly, there were some adjustments the former Ajax manager made that could be employed in the coming days considering the number of games the team will have to play.
Sancho in tenth position and Lindelöf playing as DM. pic.twitter.com/3Vmvf3MMAj
– the. (@UtdEIIs) February 1, 2023
Ten Hag had revealed at a recent press conference that due to injuries to Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek, he might have to get creative to plug those holes.
Bruno Fernandes has been an ever-present player in the starting lineup but will need to rest at some point and it was encouraging to see Sancho play as the forward playmaker with the Portuguese shifted to the right flank.
Earlier in the season, Ten Hag had hinted at playing the English winger up the middle due to his pace, tricks and ability to find a killer ball or finish, and it could be the case in future.
Lindelof introduced as defensive midfielder
Another interesting change and tactical adjustment was the introduction of Victor Lindelof instead of Casemiro. The Brazilian has arguably been United’s player of the season and his absence was sorely felt during the Arsenal game.
The former Real Madrid player does not have an equal replacement and the Swede played as the deepest midfielder after coming on.
Lindelof certainly has the passing ability, but whether he can handle it physically and in terms of athleticism and pace remains to be seen.
But it could be an option that Ten Hag could use more when United have taken a comfortable lead to allow Casemiro a breather.
