Mistakes made by United boss
THERE is no disputing the fact that Erik ten Hag has moulded a Manchester United squad that played as individuals into a team – the camaraderie is there for all to see.
Ten Hag even has the
Sir Alex Ferguson knack of getting a performance out of players who know they are not part of the long-term plan.
However, one has to question some of his decisions. He must have convinced the club to part with £82million for
Antony, which based on his performances looks like
£50million too much.
Like Jadon Sancho, he rarely takes the full-back on, preferring to venture so far then pass the ball back or infield. It is not going to end well.
Why when we have young players waiting in the wings like Alejandro Garnacho are we bringing in players like Wout Weghorst on loan for half a season? It is hard to see him contributing many goals and he doesn’t fit into our style of play.
Christian Eriksen shouldn’t be expected to play in every game – he didn’t look up for the fight at Arsenal.
It looks like Ten Hag has found Luke Shaw’s natural position – playing at centre half he is anchored and disciplined.
His defending at left-back leaves a lot to be desired, as highlighted at Arsenal against Bukayo Saka.
He is often out of position, too far upfield or infield, unable to prevent the winger from crossing the ball.
Saka was continually in the box before Shaw engaged with him and Ten Hag must take some blame for not rectifying the problem. If both full-backs had been supported better in the latter stages of the match we might have come away with a
draw.