Game of Numbers #31 – Scoring goals from central midfield like Scott McTominay

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Throughout his time as a starting character for Manchester United, Scott McTominay repeatedly faced doubt. No one could ever question his heart and desire to play for a club of the stature of Manchester United. But many questioned his ability, and continuously called for the Red Devils to bring new men into their midfield. However, McTominay has something special about him, and that something special has started to manifest in 2023 in the form of goals galore. Here is Game of Numbers #31, first detailing how to score goals from midfield like Scott McTominay.

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SCOTT MCTOMINAY’S GOLDEN TOUCH

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With an imposing 6’4 frame, McTominay always had unique assets to be a potentially dangerous weapon inside the penalty area. Combining that with his underrated ability to get about the pitch and maneuver box to box, he then only needed to back those physical attributes with a greater tactical understanding of where and when to arrive.

Historically, the United midfielder has actually held more of a defensive role, occasionally filling in at centre-back, or playing as what we call a ‘Shuttler’ – that defensively-minded player that still has box to box responsibilities. He hasn’t always been given license to roam forward. But after impressing for Scotland with 6 goals in 8 appearances this year, Manchester United have started to recognize his attacking potency.

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One of his greatest assets to score goals is that imposing physicality. At 6’4, McTominay has certain height advantages to bully his way around defenders. But he’s also grown in his control within those aerial battles, such as his chest control and heading technique. This inherently makes him an increasingly dangerous threat from set-pieces.

His goal at the weekend comes from sheer physicality to win the battle against two defenders and arrive to the ball first, but also a level of magnificence to assess the space available for his first touch into space, with his chest.

The way he pops the ball high in the air gives him plenty of time to readjust against the unbalanced defender, and he then nicely gets his body between defender and ball to strike at goal.

This is where positioning a 6’4 threat like McTominay inside the penalty area can be so valuable. But coming from central midfield, much of his goals come from late arriving runs, where he can go a bit unnoticed.

From these positions, the 26-year-old has an excellent eye for the long-range hit. Despite all the brilliance surrounding his heading ability inside the penalty area, the Scottish midfielder has also scored several goals outside the penalty area as of late – often through sheer energy to collect the ball and then strike before the keeper has time to react.

But then channelling his inner Frank Lampard, Scott McTominay has also grown in his understanding of how and when to arrive inside the penalty area. For Scotland, much of their threat comes down the left-side with the double attacking armory of Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson. As you can see in the image, McTominay’s nowhere to be seen when Tierney delivers the first bite of the apple.

The other Scottish heads attract all the attention, and McTominay reacts before anyone else to catch the loose-ball in the air.

Similarly, as Scotland’s striker attracts all the attention in this move, McTominay can pop up at the top of the box with acres of space to finish off Andy Robertson’s cut-back.

For this type of goal, it’s all about reading the space available and arriving at the right moment into that space. McTominay doesn’t rush into the box to receive closer to goal, instead he slowly maneuvers forward and then gives himself half a yard of space away from the defender at the exact moment Robertson pulls the ball back.

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But had Robertson actually crossed the ball to Lyndon Dykes, McTominay’s positioning could have easily allowed him to gobble up a rebound in the same vein as the previous goal. In fact, he’s been thriving off being that secondary figure.

Many of his goals have come after another player has headed the ball or flicked it onto him. His starting position as a central midfielder naturally allows this kind of potency to thrive, as he can see the space available from an ideal vantage point (deeper and centralized in front of goal) before the cross is played.

We’re starting to see that increased tactical understanding translate over to other aspects of his game, such as in his first touch. He possesses an excellent awareness of how and when to push the ball past defenders, and has turned several players inside-out in a Scotland shirt this year.

This has always been in his locker – I discussed as much a year ago in ‘How good is Scott McTominay?‘. But I think we’re seeing an increased level of risk-taking and bravado than ever before. So moving forward, Erik Ten Hag might need to consider reinstating the Manchester midfielder back into his starting eleven more regularly. He’s the top scorer for both club and country at the moment, and that could be invaluable for a team that’s struggled to hit their best form so far this season.

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MORE TO FOLLOW!

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So there it is! Game of Numbers #31 – so far featuring Scott McTominay’s golden touch in front of goal. Be sure to check back for part two of this article, and follow on social media @desmondrhys to never miss an update. Thanks for reading and see you soon!

-> Game of Numbers #30 – Defending the world’s best striker – Gabriel Magalhães
-> Game of Numbers #29 – Scoring goals is easy! – Ollie Watkins & Lautaro Martinez

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