Erik ten Hag’s To-Do List: Revamping United’s Midfield, Unleashing Rashford, and Monitoring Onana
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Ange Postecoglou last faced Manchester United in a very different set of circumstances.
When United, the 2000 European Champions, withdrew from the FA Cup to go to Brazil and play in the first FIFA Club World Cup, there was fury.
It went horribly. They were defeated 3-1 in the Maracana by South America’s top team Vasco da Gama and effectively eliminated after a dismal stalemate with Mexican team Necaxa in which David Beckham was sent off.
Ange Postecoglou last faced off against United in a very different set of circumstances.
When United, the 2000 European Champions, withdrew from the FA Cup to go to Brazil and play in the first FIFA Club World Cup, there was fury.
It went horribly. They were defeated 3-1 in the Maracana by South America’s top team Vasco da Gama and effectively eliminated after a dismal stalemate with Mexican team Necaxa in which David Beckham was sent off.
In the end, they didn’t perform too terribly, falling 2-0 against a much-rotated United side. Quinton Fortune, a South African, scored both goals.
Vasco needed to defeat Necaxa by three clear goals in order for United to qualify for the third-place play-off, but the Brazilians only triumphed 2-1, sending Sir Alex Ferguson’s team home.
Postecoglou has gone a long way in the past 23 years, both geographically and as a coach, as he gets ready to lead Tottenham against United on Saturday night.
While the 2-2 draw at Brentford last weekend highlighted certain Spurs weaknesses, Erik ten Hag’s opponent has a lot more to think about before the game.
Even though United managed to win 1-0, their performance against Wolves on Monday night fell far short of what is required if they are to contend this year.
We examine some of the pressing problems Ten Hag needs to resolve before United’s journey to north London.
GAIN CONTROL IN MIDFIELD!
One unexpected finding from Monday night’s game was how exposed United was in the middle of the field.
Wolves were given permission to take 23 shots on United’s goal, the most in a Premier League encounter at Old Trafford since November 2005 when Chelsea took 25.
With Casemiro left to try to cover vast swaths of the field, the pace and directness of Matheus Nunes and Matheus Cunha in particular caused United all sorts of issues.
Ten Hag began alongside recent addition Mason Mount, although his focus was on helping Bruno Fernandes at No. 10 and the front line rather than stopping Wolves attacks.
United’s midfield was now unbalanced, and they lacked the requisite bite to thwart Wolves attacks at their source.
Christian Eriksen’s substitution for Mount in the second half helped to calm things down a little, but by the time the game was through, Wolves were still hanging on for dear life.
Given all the openings to take advantage of, Spurs’ quick and inventive players like Son Heung-min, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski will be licking their lips when they watch the video of the previous game.
Ten Hag must make a choice. It seems premature to drop £60 million Mount to the bench, but if he plays at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he will have to shoulder more defensive responsibilities.
Eriksen could offer more balance, given he worked well in tandem with Casemiro last season, or the manager could opt for Scott McTominay, who came off the bench very late on against Wolves.
Whatever the decision, United must get a handle on midfield or they’ll be punished given Postecoglou will set Spurs up to attack at every opportunity.
IMPLEMENT RASHFORD MORE
Marcus Rashford had one of his more quiet nights on Monday after being moved to the center because Rasmus Hojlund wasn’t yet ready to play.
Just 31 touches of the ball were made by United’s 30-goal leading scorer from the previous season, and only eight of those were done so inside the Wolves box.
Alejandro Garnacho, who was playing in Rashford’s customary position on the left and had multiple opportunities to rush at the Wolves’ back line with mixed success, made Rashford appear upset by his lack of involvement.
Rashford wasn’t quite able to have the same kind of impact on the game that he frequently does since United typically moved the ball out to the wings rather than through the center.
He may well return to his left-sided role this Saturday but that means finding someone else to play through the middle, with £72m Hojlund still a few weeks away from action as his back issue is managed.
Jadon Sancho, who came on for Garnacho, played through the center in some of the pre-season games and his pace could cause Spurs issues.
Both Sancho and Rashford netted in the corresponding fixture last season, which saw United toss away a 2-0 lead, so potentially this setup could trouble Spurs again.
STOP GIVING THE BALL AWAY
In their game against Wolves, United turned the ball over 81 times, which is shockingly high.
Fair enough, many of these were the result of Garnacho and Antony attempting to challenge defenders and force a play, which is something that should be praised.
However, sloppiness crept throughout the pitch, which would have infuriated control freak Ten Hag.
Wolves ought to have punished United, but Tottenham will undoubtedly do so. Additionally, caution must be taken when in possession because recovering the ball will be more difficult.
With new custodian Andre Onana trusting his defenders with the ball in tight quarters, there were early indications of the manner Ten Hag wants United to build out from the back.
That led to some hairy moments when Wolves pressed but it’s going to be a work in progress and Onana offers the ability to bypass the press with a long diagonal, or low-zipped a pass to Casemiro or Mount centrally, in a way David de Gea couldn’t.
Get boxed in too many times against Spurs, however, and United will be asking for trouble.
ONANA AND MARTINEZ NEED TO BE CAREFUL
Wolves were rightly annoyed not to be awarded a late penalty when Onana, having totally misjudged a cross, clattered their giant Austrian striker Sasa Kalajdzic.
It led to recognition from referees’ chief Howard Webb that on-field official Simon Hooper and VAR Michael Salisbury got the call wrong even after reviewing all the replays.
It tainted an otherwise encouraging Premier League debut for Onana but he will need to be careful when it comes to charging off his line to take charge of high balls.
Given the events of the other night, it’s unlikely he will get away with charging into an opponent again.
It’s a balance, though, because United explicitly wanted a keeper willing to come off his line and take command of such situations, in a way De Gea was reticent to do.
A similar caution needs to come from Lisandro Martinez. Playing competitively for the first time since he fractured his metatarsal against Sevilla in April, the man nicknamed ‘the Butcher’ was booked for a reckless tackle on Pedro Neto.
Ten Hag took him off at half-time but said afterward it was because the Argentine was suffering from an ankle tendon issue.
Injury or not, given the way Wolves were charging at the heart of United’s defense, Martinez’s 17th-minute booking left him walking a tightrope and Ten Hag doesn’t need that worry.
BE PATIENT IF SPURS DICTATE
In terms of possession versus Wolves, United barely prevailed (51% to 49%), which fell short of the level of dominance Ten Hag would have preferred.
Spurs, in contrast, controlled 70% of the possession against Brentford, but they were unable to secure a victory.
This was a blatant example of how Postecoglou wants them to play considering they only had 50% of the ball on average under Antonio Conte last season.
Due to Spurs’ desire to dominate in front of their own supporters, it means United may not have much of the ball on Saturday.
With their quick wide attackers, they are effective on the transition and the counter, but they will likely also need to put up with a lot of pressure and wait patiently for openings to present themselves.
Remember that Harry Kane, Spurs’ primary offensive threat, has just been neutralized, but there will still be a danger as Richarlison, Son, Maddison, and others strive even harder to fill that vacuum.
