Ten Hag happy his United base is in place
Boss believes he has laid foundations for success ahead of Arsenal clash
When he headed down the tunnel at Leicester late on Thursday night, Manchester United’s football director John Murtough was not exactly chest- bumping like his new centre half Lisandro Martinez does when he pulls off a tackle.
Rather, there were understated celebratory pats on the back, a recognition of another hardfought victory but ultimately — against a beleaguered Leicester City — a game United should expect to be winning if they are to right recent wrongs.
Murtough oversaw a transfer window that kicked into life after the 4-0 defeat at Brentford and ended as the club’s most expensive in history. Meanwhile, erik ten hag has made unfussy progress on the pitch. The Dutchman is quietly enthusiastic after three straight wins, with two clean sheets along the way.
‘I see structures are coming,’ he said ahead of their clash with Arsenal at Old Trafford tomorrow. ‘I have seen some good stuff. We are constructing and that’s good to see. We have to do that and improve from game to game. That’s work on the training ground, work on the video and work in the games.
‘It’s about formation, about creating lines and making the right decisions. The decisions on the ball.
But also out of possession, we are making good steps. We have a base but there’s still a lot of room for improvement.’
Base is the vital word. United have resembled a more functional unit over the past few days, with 1-0 wins at Southampton and then in the east Midlands. Tomorrow, when Arsenal roll up with their 100 per cent record, will show quite how many steps forward United have taken recently. As against Leicester, they may cede more of the ball. David de Gea will probably hit longer passes with more regularity once again. There is a likelihood of those components continuing over the coming months as the new boss strives to imprint his vision on a squad which was left devoid of all clue last season. If they manage to do that while continuing to retain control of games, then Ten hag (left) can point to properly laid foundations. It has been clear in brief moments going forward and more obviously, as a collective defensive unit, that they have listened to the man who sent them on that punishing jog last month.
‘ I would say (there is) more information (this season), a clearer plan and what to do, especially in some areas of the pitch,’ Jadon Sancho said. ‘We’re playing in the style which the manager wants. everyone is loving it at the moment.
‘The style of play in training is what we’re working on. Some of that you see, some of it is the intelligence of our players, creating and knowing each other well. We knew we had to wake up after the Brentford game, we’ve got three wins in a row now and we have to keep this up.’
how Ten hag goes about engineering that will be fascinating. he has picked the same team for the last three games, but the smart money must be on Casemiro making a full debut tomorrow. Antony, an £85.5million deadline day signing from Ajax, offers a much-needed option on the right, yet his fee dictates that time allowed to settle might be finite.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been reduced to cameos from the bench; he was a threat on the break on Thursday during his 22 minutes yet wasted a third of his 12 passes and gave cheap possession away in the build-up to Leicester’s best chance.
The Ronaldo ruckus will not quieten. he will get starts but when will be intriguing. Sancho and Marcus Rashford are deserving of another go against Arsenal given their encouraging link-up.
‘For us Arsenal is a good test,’ Ten hag added. ‘You can see this is a team who are together longer, who have a coach bringing his philosophy to the team.’
Only Manchester City and Liverpool have scored more than Arsenal’s 13 goals so far and United require a sturdiness once again. ‘Collectively, I see the whole team is defending and that makes it easier for our defenders,’ Ten hag said. ‘ It’s difficult for opponents to create chances.’
Not since Arsene Wenger’s defending champions in 2004-05 has an Arsenal side started a season with five straight wins. Back then, the Gunners would go into games with a plan to start strong, score early, and steamroll opponents into submission.
It feels as if Arsenal are trying to recreate that now under Mikel Arteta — and it has ignited a new-found belief among the squad and the fans, uniting a club that’s rebuilding its reputation. the Emirates atmosphere for their last two victories against Fulham and Aston Villa was electric, with the fans sensing they have a side who can compete with the best. Manchester City are the team others aspire to be like and it’s a compliment that Arsenal are being compared to the champions in their style and shape. they’ve got some way to go before they come close to achieving what City have. But they’ve got a manager in Arteta who spent three years at Pep Guardiola’s side and, by bringing in Gabriel Jesus and oleksandr Zinchenko, he’s been able to fast-track some of the ideas he took from his time as an assistant. the signings of Jesus and Zinchenko, along with the return of William Saliba after his three loan spells, have lifted Arsenal to a new level. Combine that with the young talent which was flourishing last year, such as Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, and Arsenal look a real attacking force. though they can be compared to City — and there are similarities — this is a team striving for its own identity. that starts with Jesus who, unlike at his old club, has been given the chance to play in his
favoured position as a roaming striker. Credit must go to arteta for that and he’s been the one, above everyone else, setting new standards at arsenal. Others benefiting from Jesus’s presence include Martin Odegaard, who is playing with a renewed confidence after taking the captaincy. His vision, creativity and finishing have all grown.
When he moves out to the right, he creates an overload and is at his most effective. On the right-hand side, Saka stays wide, almost fixed to the touchline. With that discipline, he pins back the opposition full back and that allows Odegaard to operate in the pocket of space created by his width. down the left-hand side, Zinchenko has been a revelation, though it is a sign of arsenal’s strength in depth that Kieran Tierney was able to seamlessly step in at left back during his recent absence. Without Zinchenko against Villa, Tierney was flying down the left flank, Martinelli was moving inside, and the reinvented granit Xhaka (left) was bursting forward to join the front line. On one occasion, this movement resulted in Tierney crossing for Xhaka, who laid the ball off with a cushioned header for a textbook Martinelli strike that was saved by Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez. down whichever flank arsenal elect to attack, they have their ever-moving striker Jesus, who makes himself available to receive to feet or run in behind. Old Trafford tomorrow hosts a match steeped in history. Throughout my career, this fixture was forever significant, and it still is. Win and arteta’s arsenal will only enhance their reputation as a team who can challenge for the top four and maybe beyond.
For United, it’s about extending their mini revival. Significant changes have been made — it’s a very different team to the one who started the season with a home defeat by Brighton. Positionally, Marcus Rashford has moved from the flank to the middle, Jadon Sancho has swapped wings, and Christian Eriksen is now in his rightful place in midfield rather than acting as a false nine.
In terms of personnel, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire, luke Shaw and Fred have lost their places, and now new boys Casemiro and antony are waiting in the wings to come in. Few fixtures can rival this one in English football, and as always, there’s a great deal riding on it for both teams.