Why Mazraoui started at centre-back over Shaw against Chelsea

Mazraoui was positioned next to Heaven, despite never having played as a centre-back in a back four for the Red Devils before.

He frequently featured as a defender in a back three under Ruben Amorim, and his only previous appearance in that role in a back four before the Chelsea outing came for Bayern Munich against third-tier Preussen Munster in September 2023.

Still, the experienced Moroccan looked comfortable and imposing against the Blues, never shying away from challenges.

Why Noussair Mazraoui started at the heart of defence

According to The Athletic, United did some work with Luke Shaw as a centre-back at Carrington, but Carrick decided to limit the number of players switching positions.

The change involving Shaw would have also forced one of Diogo Dalot and Mazraoui to play at left-back.

Additionally, the interim head coach decided to maintain balance by combining a right-footer (Mazraoui) with a left-footer (Heaven), allowing Shaw to continue in his preferred role and Dalot at right-back.

Furthermore, Carrick revealed that to develop an understanding between Mazraoui and Heaven, preparation focused on “more meetings, clips, discussions” than training. All these decisions led to a well-deserved clean-sheet against Chelsea.

Featured image Alex Pantling via Getty Images

online polls

The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social