Three common patterns of play.
#1. Build-up and Possession play @ deep positions.
^ De Gea and back 4 passing the ball around keeping possession with short passes and kept on switching sides. The two CDMs also help. Long passings are made by the two CBs and two CDMs while the FBs only play short passes. When the FBs hold the ball, the wingers will drop deep to receive the passes. At times, Matic or Fred/McT will slot into the CBs forming into 3 CBs and when this happened, the two FBs will push further up leaving one CDM at the centre. Pogba never drop to CB.
Build-up are made by all the back 6 (two CBs, two FBs and two CDMs) in transitioning possession next up. While the two FBs will only build-up with short passes, the two CBs and two CDMs may make long passes for quicker build-ups.
Clearing the ball or pumping the ball up into our front three is second option but very likely when we are faced against good organised high press teams. This will be made by the back five (including GK).
Sometimes, two unique play may happen, a) the #10 CAM will moved back to help build-up and possession play. Also b) one of the two CBs will bring the ball upfield conducting attacks higher. Lindelof is best at doing this while Maguire tend to just pass and stop.
Interestingly, Pogba rarely dribbling-bombing forward from deep which is really interesting. Matic also rarely does this, but both of them may tend to dribbles in tight spaces in order to retain ball and continue possession/build-up. Even more interesting, only McT and Fred that tend to dribbles and bring the ball to the front.
#2. Possession play further up.
^ Simply keep the ball around, kept on switching sides and occasionally try to make the killer passes but interestingly, different players have different tendencies in what degrees they're making safe passes, forward passes, back passes, killer passes, high passes, short passes, crosses, etc.
Random.
Moves are mostly random but few repetitive patterns are repetitive but it's not clear when this will happened, seems willy nilly
eg. a) the front three switching positions but mainly retain their main position, many times you'll find them in one area eg. Martial and Rash both on LW, both Rash and Greenwood on LW, both GW and Martial inside the box too close with each other. Rashford also seems the likeliest to drift to the RW at times during the games.
eg. b) the CF usually hold his position up, but are given license to roam to the wings at times and he did, even drop deep to CDM area sometimes.
eg. c) FBs always hug the touchlines. They tend to play like side-midfielders and always overlap when the two wingers hold the ball and side-midfield near the touchline. They will also position themselves nearest to the corner flag or rush to the empty spaces (if empty) when the wingers moved infield to join in the CF and midfielders playing around outside the box. This is very often.
Positioning of the two CDMs are haphazard, they can even switch their side around, and moving inside and outside the box or remain outside, go to the wings, overlaps to the touchlines, etc. The #10 CAM Bruno's movements and positioning is always random. Similar with Mata. When Pereira and Lingard play there though, they tend to stick near the CF (Martial) and inside the box or just outside at the centre, instead of floating around like Bruno and Mata.
#3. Counter-attacks immediately.
^ This is situational, usually instigated by Bruno and Pogba. Sometimes Matic and Fred. Rarely the other players at the back. It depends on the front three mainly to attack by bursting accelerating into spaces further up or rushing up the wings. Bruno at #10 would tend to immediately start this as soon as he receive passes from deep after we regain possession.
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One thing which is clear is the patterns of play are heavily individuals-based but not 100%, more like 95% individuals-dependent.
#4. Shape/Structure?
Bird-eye view will show that the shape is really bad especially the midfield and attacks inside/near the box.
The shape of the wings and defense are fairly good in general.
#5. Coaching?
Coaches has some influences with #1 making some players to be more discipline and risk-averse, therefore having a minimal influence in the shape.
and for #2, they only instruct the players to keep possession and passing the ball around while giving license to front four and two CBs, and instructing FBs to always join in attacks.