Manchester United have had a mixed start to the season.
While there have been some improvements to structure and organization, technical ability and decision-making have ultimately let Erik ten Hag down in certain games.
After the opening two losses to Brighton and Brentford, Ten Hag returned to taking a more pragmatic approach in the following games.
United are used to playing defensively.
His success under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been primarily with a counter attacking style of play.
Winning Liverpool and Arsenal at Old Trafford was not a big surprise. Fans have seen ‘smash and grab’ results from this side in years past.
However, this is not in tune with Ten Hag’s footballing principles.
Athletic’s Carl Anka highlights how the United boss has to choose between philosophy and pragmatism.
“A punishing loss to Manchester City on Sunday provides another checkpoint for the United manager – does he re-embark on a run of pragmatic changes or stick to his initial tactical plan?”
“Sunday’s 6-3 loss was due to United’s poor execution of an ambitious, if naive, game plan. ”
The Dutch manager probably expected too much from a team that lacks the tactical intelligence to follow his plan.
In the center of the field was where the derby was truly lost. Christian Eriksen didn’t have the defensive awareness to track down his running back, and Scott McTominay was completely overlooked by Man City’s skilful players.
Midfield was a short-term solution that worked for a few games, but ultimately lost to a champion team.
“Eriksen, who has been a boon in attack for United, found himself a defensive problem, unable to track City’s multiple midfield runners for the first goal and being outplayed by Haaland on a corner for the second. ”.
Ten Hag is likely to modify his tactics to accommodate United’s existing players and get the best possible results.
For the Dutchman to implement his philosophy, it will take time and fans need to be patient.
