The three-pronged attacking midfield of di Maria,Mata and Januzaj didn't work

Despite 90 minutes of nail-biting action, the first 30 minutes were most telling, and set the tone for the remainder of the game while summing up Manchester United's season so far.West Bromwich Albion dominated United for the opening period, leading the game at the half-hour mark and leading every physical battle to boot.Part of the problem was the load on midfielder Daley Blind as United attempted to spring forward using the three-pronged attacking midfield of Januzaj, Mata and Di Maria.Januzaj, starting his first game under Van Gaal and not known for his defensive capabilities, was cemented to the right wing for the first-half, moving slightly inward in the second-half as United improved ever so slightly.Mata, playing in the absence of the suspended Wayne Rooney, saw very little of the ball throughout, and was bypassed by United's deeper midfielders and defence. On the opposite wing Di Maria was not an individual problem. In fact the Argentine was superb again, providing the assist for Marouane Fellaini's equaliser and delivering several dangerous balls having found himself in space.He did exactly what Januzaj didn't when 'stuck out' on the wing - making use of the situation to full effect - with the Belgian picking up a 5.5/10 rating bySportsmail. Di Maria at least attempted to move in and penetrate the penalty area more than once, as shown in his heat map.Mata, meanwhile, is an ongoing dilemma - a £37.5million midfielder without a defined place in Van Gaal's system to justify the price tag - and it showed again at the Hawthorns.The only man directly between Mata and goal, striker Robin van Persie, was given no support by the Spaniard and nothing to feed off. The two played too far apart, forcing (or enabling, Van Gaal would argue) United to use the flanks even more. Too wide and not clinical enough, United were stretched. Space behind the striker that Rooney would often fill was vacant, meaning United struggled to win the ball high up the pitch. Albion's only roadblock to goal when winning the ball in midfield was an out-of-position Ander Herrera and an exposed Blind.The Januzaj-Mata-Di Maria trio made just one tackle between them, compared to five by West Brom's attacking midfield three of Chris Brunt, Stephane Sessegnon and Graham Dorrans.It was no surprise both goals came on the break with the trio chasing shadows, and the second goal in particular cut through the heart of United, as can be seen below.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az