Okay, Erik, now let's talk about rotation
Prove to us that this team's got variation.
I’ve only been writing pieces like this since August of 2022. I’ve never written for any major publications, and I doubt my student journalism awards would be enough to convince them to give me one (Bit of a humble brag, but indulge me).
Despite that, I’ve recently been researching how I could possibly get a press pass for a Manchester United game. I have friends that are regularly up in the press box, asking questions to the managers post-game in the press conference room. The only time I’ve been up around the press area was during a stadium tour last year, and it was a thrill.
Thanks to all this time spent researching and remembering recently (and maybe that cheese I had a nibble at before bed), I had a dream last night.
I envisioned myself up in the press box, having a laugh with my friends and doing some preparation pre-game. I glimpsed two goals hit the back of the net and heard that unmistakable Old Trafford roar.
Then, I strolled into the press conference as if I belonged, raised my hand to ask Erik ten Hag a question, and got selected. The question shot out of my mouth as if I had been waiting my whole life to ask it:
“Erik, congratulations on the win. Just a quick question first, do you have motion sickness?”
I couldn’t hear his reply but I assume the answer was something along the lines of a confused “No?” based on my next question.
“Then why are you so afraid of rotating?”
That legitimately happened in my brain last night.
And it’s a good question.
Manchester United’s last two games have been an FA Cup 4th Round tie against a Reading side who currently sit 16th in the Championship, and a Carabao Cup semi-final 2nd leg against a Nottingham Forest side that the Red Devils already put six goals past in two games this season, conceding nothing to them also. Ten Hag decided that both of these fixtures necessitated the inclusion of some crucial players from the start, most notably Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
Ten Hag has long been levelled with criticisms about his lack of rotation. It has followed him across his spells at Go Ahead Eagles, FC Utrecht and Ajax. “I think players like to play,” he said after Saturday night’s victory over Reading. “You can build and construct a good team if you play often and in my perspective when you often play the same, you’re getting the routines in.”
Now whatever about the game against Reading. I understand sticking a majority of your best team out there. Anything can happen in the FA Cup and as the only English team remaining in all of our entered competitions, we want to win them all. But for Wednesday night’s game against Nottingham Forest, Ten Hag’s decision not to rotate was a curious one, especially as United have another 8 games ahead of them this month.
There are three reasons why rotation is essential in the modern game. The first is to prevent overload from the number of minutes played. It is commonly agreed that the players who play the most minutes are at a bigger risk of injury, especially injuries which occur because of fatigue.
The second reason is the decrease in physical performance, especially in high intensity, which comes from playing 2 or 3 matches in one week. United fans have already seen the effect of under-rotation during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure, with the likes of Rashford and Bruno Fernandes slowing down coming up to the tail end of the 20/21 season, and the effect that had especially on Rashford, who played through injury during that time also.
Plenty of fans online have made sure to let myself and others know in the aftermath of the semi-final win that Varane and Shaw hadn’t played in 13 days, Martínez and Casemiro had only completed four out of eight 90s since the beginning of the year, and players like Bruno just want to start every game. But here’s where they lose sight of the biggest issue that’s been facing Manchester United this season. Our depth.
The third reason is to create competition within the squad. It’s obvious that, as ten Hag said in an earlier quote “players like to play” but while at first they’ll have difficulty coming to terms with having to rest, they will end up understanding it and even asking to rest, once they realise the importance of rotation in winning trophies.
Manchester United won the Domestic and European double in 07-08 without playing the same eleven in consecutive matches. Guardiola’s Barcelona of 08-09, widely argued to be one of the best teams of all time, made an average of 5 changes to the starting line-up in every league game.
Rio Ferdinand constantly tells this wonderful story of being left out of a game against Liverpool and being unbelievably annoyed until Sir Alex took him aside and told him how important he was going to be for the next game. He then had no problem going into the dressing room a geeing up his teammates. The same could surely be done for the likes of Bruno Fernandes at times, who has only missed two games all season, one of those through suspension.
There is no secret; every team playing a high density of matches has to use rotation to maintain the level of performance, the competition within the squad and to avoid injuries if they want to get to end of the season with a chance of achieving their objectives.
And the funniest thing about all this is that Erik agrees! In a press conference on the 18th of October 2022, prior to the game against Tottenham, Ten Hag was asked a question about rotation and responded:
So Mr. ten Hag, I beg of you, practice what you preach. I realise depth is a major issue for United mainly because of the dip in player quality beyond the first seventeen or so names on the teamsheet, but you won’t build young players like Kobbie Mainoo, Facundo Pellistri, or Zidane Iqbal into first-teamers without giving them the opportunity to play competitively against senior players.
These players have high potential, they just need the game time. If you’re not going to send them out on loan, then you should at least be giving them a half hour on the Old Trafford pitch when you’re already 3 goals up in the tie.
We’ve already seen what can happen when you put essential starters out against weaker sides when Christian Eriksen was injured by a rampaging Andy Carroll last Saturday. Thankfully the club were able to free up the money to bring Marcel Sabitzer in on loan from Bayern Munich to replace him, but that isn’t a possiblity anymore if players like Bruno or Casemiro go down.
Should United get drawn against a team of Reading’s quality through the rest of this season, it’s not worth the risk. I’m not asking for him to go all Dead or Alive and Spin this team Round (Like a Record), but just a little bit for our key players would be enough.