How is Man Utd under Ten Hag in form?

Man Utd under Ten Hag are in a marked decline in form having lost 4 of their opening 6 games in the 2023-24 season, marking their worst start to their campaign in all competitions in 36 years. They have also conceded 3 or more goals in 3 consecutive games for the first time since 1978 and a total of 14 goals – more than any other team in the Premier League.

What is the Man Utd DNA that Ten Hag mentioned?

After suffering a 3-0 defeat to City at Old Trafford in October 2023, Erik ten Hag has admitted that it is impossible to adopt the same style of play as when he took charge of Ajax for Manchester United, due to squad differences.

"When I came here, I brought with me the philosophy of ball control, but also wanted to incorporate the identity of Man Utd, the players and their play," the Dutchman said. "Last season, we showed beautiful football. This season, the philosophy hasn't changed, it's just that I want the team to play more directly. We want to create pressure from a lot of areas, then make direct attacks."

Manchester United have always been renowned for their direct, fast and powerful attacking play on both wings, a legacy that extends from Sir Alex Ferguson to Sir Matt Busby. This is the "DNA" that Ten Hag refers to.

Thus, Man Utd's play under Ten Hag can be interpreted as adopting low ball control ratios, encroachment tactics, the emergence of pace strikers in attack and imposing pressure from defence to take advantage of situations that shift from defence to attack.

Man Utd attacked head-on not well

Eighth in the Premier League table and 13 points behind the top of the table, Man Utd under Ten Hag have managed just one win in their last six games, showing that Erik ten Hag's tactics are not working. However, despite the difficulties, their style of play is still recognizable.

• Man Utd under Ten Hag have made 50 face-off counter-attacks this season, ranking third in the Premier League, with an average speed of 1.89 metres per second, the fifth highest. This far exceeds their 1.35 m/g in 2022/23, leaving them 13th. 57 offsides, the most in the Premier League, is another indicator of Manchester United's desire to attack quickly.
• Defensively, Manchester United are second in the Premier League with 208 possessions and fourth with 134 possessions in the bottom third of the pitch. They also rank ninth with a pass allowed per defensive move (PPDA) stat of 12.5.
• These statistics show Erik ten Hag's demands for an immediate attack based on a carefully deployed midfield, as a kind of "spring-like energy accumulation" type pressure, ready for counter-attacks when opponents attack and let their guard down.
• The 2-2 draw against Tottenham was the best proof of this. The visitors controlled the ball 63 per cent and were proactive in attack, creating huge gaps in full-back positions for Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho to take advantage of.
• Both of Man Utd's goals under Ten Hag came on the counter-attack, one after a counter-attacking situation and another from stealing the ball in the middle of the pitch. From there, the Red Devils encroached on the final third of the pitch before Tottenham had to retreat defensively.
• Accordingly, Bruno Fernandes is tasked with initiating counter-attacks with long passes to Manchester United's trio of speedy strikers. This is a surprisingly simple tactic, based on the philosophy that Erik ten Hag developed at Ajax and, so far, has not had the expected effect.

Weaknesses of face-to-face play this season

There is no denying that Man Utd under Ten Hag have no tactics. Simple initiation passes are also a form of tactics, however, they also run into some problems.

The adoption of counter-attacking and frontal play often disorganizes the central area of midfield and makes it difficult to control and plan passing. Therefore, it is rare for any big club in Europe to play in this style.

"Until recently, I only saw the coordination of play and passes lose such rhythm under Louis van Gaal," Neville said. "What I see at Manchester United now is a series of single passes, leaving the receiver looking for the next partner, rather than knowing where they are."

Neville made it clear that what worries Manchester United fans is a lack of discipline and organisation, which is the flip side of the tactics Erik ten Hag is taking.

In theory, the Red Devils could develop some sort of ball deployment mechanism from the bottom line to the forward line through Bruno Fernandes, with well-organised coordinated attacks. However, fast, face-to-face gameplay is often amorphous, requiring flexibility and the ability to react quickly in each situation, as it relies heavily on reaction rather than pre-planning.

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The bigger problem the team has

Man Utd's defensive problems under Ten Hag can be better understood through comparisons to Manchester City. One of the core principles of Pep Guardiola's style of play for the Blue Man is a slow and precise deployment, to ensure that every player participates in a uniform unit.

They move up and down evenly, gradually building offensive waves, but remain perfectly positioned to defend when they lose the ball.

Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag's fast and direct style at Manchester United is completely different. Their forward trio are often highly attacking, relentlessly running into spaces behind opposition defences, while Bruno Fernandes is often tasked with passing long balls to the forward line, resulting in Man Utd's system under Ten Hag  being stretched along the pitch.

As  result, the gap between Manchester United's defence and attack is often huge, and as opponents approach the bottom third of the pitch, their wingers often fail to step back in time to support defenders.

Another serious problem from the system being stretched vertically is the large space that central midfielders have to shield between the defense and the attack.

Both of these problems were evident in Manchester United's 2-2 draw against Tottenham, especially in the situation that led to the visitors' second goal. In the photo below, it is clear that Manchester United's midfielders have plenty of space around them, and neither Garnacho nor Rashford appear in the frame.

Wrapping Up

Man Utd under Ten Hag have made some progress, but there are still many problems that need to be improved and have not reached the form of the previous glory days. To return to the top, Man Utd need to improve their defense, build clearer and more effective play,  At the same time, it needs stability in form. Hope the information that V9Bet homepage brings will be useful to you.