Why Mazraoui started at centre-back over Shaw against Chelsea

Michael Carrick picked up all three points at Chelsea despite having only one fit senior Manchester United defender available.

During the midweek, United received confirmation that Harry Maguire would serve a one-match ban. Lisandro Martinez was also suspended after receiving a red card against Leeds United.

Leny Yoro , meanwhile, suffered a late injury blow, leaving Carrick scrambling for solutions at the back.

Michael Carrick eventually settled on Noussair Mazraoui and Ayden Heaven as Manchester United’s centre-back partnership to face Chelsea.

The 19-year-old Heaven displayed maturity beyond his years, outmuscling Chelsea striker Liam Delap with relative ease.

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.

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

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