Erik Ten Hag and his impact at Manchester United

For the first time in the last decade, Manchester United gives the feeling of being a truly competitive team that can aspire to fight for the competitions in which the club plays in and this is largely due to Erik Ten Hag. The Dutch manager came with a clear idea of what he wants from the team, he has been implementing it and this has translated into results and a more solid and consistent game that we had not seen at Old Trafford for a long time.

Embed from Getty Images

The recent 7-0 defeat against Liverpool is a huge, negative dot in his yet nascent United career, but there is no denying that the Dutchman has managed to implement his vision and even the most notorious detractors have given Erik plaudits in recent times.

Erik ten Hag: “You can lose a game but not in this way. Also, the second half is… unprofessional that is not Manchester United”. 🔴 #MUFC

“It can’t happen, we have to talk about it. I saw 11 individuals losing their heads. This was not Manchester United”. pic.twitter.com/80j2n3n18F

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 5, 2023

From the beginning of the season, when it came to preparing the squad and the work done in preseason, Ten Hag was making it clear what his intention was with the team since he sought to replace veteran players such as Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata or Jesse Lingard with younger players such as Tyrell Malacia, Antony or Lisandro Martínez, who can provide a more versatile and fast-pace style to their football, especially in the area of counterattacks, which is something  that Manchester United have been able to capitalize very well this season.

Ten Hag leaned towards players who were known to him in a certain way, such as Antony or Martínez, whom he coached at his previous team, Ajax, or Malacia and Weghorst, whom he had as a rival in the Eredivisie, which left some uncertainty for the transfers to the fans, but, by and large, all of them have delivered. Even players such as Weghorst and Antony, who have been criticized in recent times, have been viewed positively, in general terms.

The Dutchman made a very important decision in terms of the atmosphere of the dressing room by not giving Cristiano Ronaldo special treatment, looking for the benefit of the team over that of the individual, something that has favored unity among the players. The fact of not having personalities as strong and controversial as those of the Portuguese or Paul Pogba has given Ten Hag a peace of mind that has allowed him to improve the daily dynamics of the club.

In the tactical side of things, the Dutchman has given continuity to the 4-2-3-1 formation, making it almost obvious to highlight the role of Casemiro, who is responsible for balancing the team by giving Christian Eriksen more freedom (before the injury) or Fred/Marcel Sabitzer to join more advanced positions. The Brazilian is an expert when it comes to commanding the midfield, giving it balance, knowing when to press, cut or hold due to his great tactical intelligence.

In fact, the roles of Bruno Fernandes and Eriksen are not very different from those that Toni Kroos and Luka Modric had, saving the distance, when they played with Casemiro at Real Madrid. To get an idea of the importance of the Brazilian in the team, it is necessary to review the statistics of successful tackles in the Premier League where he is among the top 10, unlike last season where the first United player to appear on that list, was ranked 30th (Scott McTominay).

Another outstanding aspect is the performance of Marcus Rashford, who started the season playing inside forward, although Ten Hag began to establish him more as the team’s striker even above Weghorst, who adapted his position to that of a “number ten” (even though he doesn’t fulfill creative duties) to contribute in the pressing side of things. The Englishman, on the other hand, has never excelled much in terms of pressing or defensive duties, which is why Ten Hag has set up the team to cover that flaw and give Marcus a lot more room to run and attack.

Rashford is United’s main attacking weapon and that is highlighted a lot on counterattacks and other kinds of fast transitions, especially with the several good passers the team has such as Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw, or even Lisandro Martínez, despite being a center-back. It is also worth pointing out Rashford’s athleticism and quick pace, which is a stark contrast to the previous season where the team’s attack was centered around Cristiano Ronaldo who, at 37 years of age, did not have the speed of yesteryear.

In defense, the Varane-Martinez partnership has been quite solid, showing a good understanding despite having played together for less than a year. Ten Hag found in this pairing the right players to play his natural style, in addition to both having very good distribution, which is why they help a lot in playing out from the back.

The recent defeat against Liverpool might get some narratives going about Ten Hag and how things haven’t changed at United, but when you factor in that this is his first season at the helm of the club and they already won a trophy after six years, are comfortably in the top four of the hardest league in the world, are in a very good place in the other two cup competitions they are in and most of the squad looks revitalized after a hellish previous season… well, you can’t help but think that things are heading at the right direction at United.

I wish we could play a game today to try and put things right. The result is the result, and we can’t see past that! We must not let it define our season. We have to trust the process and stick together.

— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) March 6, 2023