Harry Maguire has revealed that Michael Carrick changed his tactics for Manchester United's game against Leeds because he wanted to "match them up without the ball".
Carrick's Tactical Switch
United drew 1-1 with Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon, with the points being shared in West Yorkshire despite the Reds having had a one-goal lead at half-time thanks to Bryan Mbeumo.
Leeds equalised through Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 51st minute when the striker lost his marker, Carlos Baleba, from a corner, meaning United have now gone six games in all competitions without a win.
There were still some positives to take from the game, though, including Carrick's tactical change which surprised Leeds.
Maguire's Explanation
"We worked on it this week," Maguire told Sky Sports of the tactical switch. "We wanted to match them up without the ball and go quite aggressive. It was a bit of a five without the ball and a bit of a four with the ball."
"Fluid in midfield. We knew we could get a lot of joy in the middle of the pitch with them only playing two in there. That's probably the area of the game where we could've done more. We could've been a bit braver with the ball and taken the ball under pressure."
"But we're in a circumstance where we are not as brave as we should be, and we have to get that back because to win games for Man United we have to have that bravery and composure."
Performance Assessment
Speaking about the performance, Maguire said: "You can't question the togetherness, the spirit, the fight. This is a tough place to come. Leeds have been flying in the league."
"We can be better. We have to show more quality with the ball. When you come to places like this, you can't be beaten on set plays and we conceded a set play which got them back in the game."
"Throughout we felt comfortable in our shape. They didn't create too many chances. To concede a set-piece after half-time is disappointing. We had to dig in. We got a foothold at about 70 minutes and probably looked the more likely to go and win it but a draw is probably fair."
