Why Manchester United under Erik ten Hag isn’t working… yet

August 22, 2023 Sports 1 Views

Manchester United have started the season poorly, but the team could actually be on the verge of something great.

Following a ropey display against Wolves, Manchester United’s first defeat of the season arrived in embarrassing fashion at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.

When looking past the poor performances and individual errors, however, things might not be so bleak for Erik ten Hag and his squad. Or at least, not yet.

Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United looks on during a training session at Qualcomm Stadium on July 25, 2023 in San Diego, California. — Ten Hag’s tactics haven’t worked because his players have lacked intensity so far (Image credit: Getty Images)

Ten Hag has previously stated that he wants Manchester United to become the best team in the world at transitions. Related to executing a plan when possession is overturned, transitions are essential for teams looking to catch the opposition out of position and expose gaps in their defence.

However, the main problem the Red Devils have at the moment is their intensity in their actions. With Ten Hag loading plenty of information into them, United’s players are struggling to adhere to instructions for the duration of 90 minutes. Should this problem continue, then that might be a time to panic.

For now, though, it’s not. That’s because, as FourFourTwo‘s Adam Clery highlights in the video above, the tactics adopted by Manchester United in the first half against Spurs actually worked really well. While they failed to take advantage of this with a goal, United looked sharp and pressed Tottenham’s players largely without fault.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou applauds the fans after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 19, 2023 in London, England.

Spurs heaped pressure on United after winning 2-0 at the weekend (Image credit: Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)

The second half is where things started to unravel, however, and it all related to their intensity. Failing to track runners and putting less intensity into their defending, Spurs managed to find gaps and ultimately capitalised with two goals that Ten Hag will undoubtedly feel were avoidable.

As previously mentioned, Manchester United fans shouldn’t be panicking yet. After all, they have three more points than they did at this stage in the Premier League last year, and their Dutch manager will hope the overload of information he has heaped on his players will eventually seep in, click and result in an even better season.