Brentford 4-0 Man Utd: A Disaster for United

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Erik ten Hag made a slight change to his line up since the disaster against Brighton. But the defensive problems persist and Thomas Frank's men were able to pressure with ease and come away with a 4-0 win.
How is this possible? What needs to be changed?
Jon Mackenzie explains.
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#MUFC #BREMUN

[@aenz1268]

As an Arsenal fan, the problems Ten Hag is facing remind me a lot of what Arteta had to do in the first year managing Arsenal. He tried to play pretty, possession football at the very start, but after a while he realized he just didn't have the personnel for it. Mustafi, Sokratis and co. simply can't pass out of the back like that. So he switched to a 3-4-3 formation, which was a lot less reliant on smart passing, and more focused on very industrious wingbacks patrolling the entire flank and offering a ton of support in defense. At the time, I think a lot of fans were disappointed by how blunt our attack was, but I think that in hindsight it was a really good idea. We stopped conceding tons of goals, and then we have sought to build back our attacking prowess over time. I wonder if Man U may end up trying something similar. I don't know if their fanbase/ownership has the patience for our kind of slow rebuild.

[@aromedoghenechristian1072]

So you think you are built ATM? Watch

[@zoutou123]

This comment - exactly what came into my mind. Good job son

[@otto_jk]

@@aromedoghenechristian1072 ?

[@AhmedMohammed-vu9vw]

I agree his trying to get rid of dead wood that we call our first 11

[@Azza.10]

United just need to utilise Varane and Martinez together and hopefully de jong infront. Then we’ll see a much more composed reliable trio. Maguire and Fred are suited to different roles than what they’re currently being asked

[@ireplytostupidpeople4750]

What amazes me is that none of the midfielders dropped back to help eriksen when he was being constantly pressed. Like they didn't drop back to offer themseleves as a passing option from the CBs or relief some marking pressure from eriksen, they jus literally watched eriksen get hounded and chased down

[@ILikedGooglePlus]

Because they've had to do it for years, and they were always they one to get outpressed and concede possession. They were selfishly grateful someone else was taking the heat

[@otto_jk]

Just what Ten Hag said the team lacked responsibility and belief

[@jameswolfe7413]

In general it was lack of running off the ball that did them in the 1st half. I thought Dalot and Maguire were coming off at the 1/2....

[@CurtisPEERS]

@@collin9356 attacking midfeilders. if you're a midfeilder you attack and defend. its pathetic from mcfred and bruno.

[@DanielDova]

@@collin9356 Nonsense. Newcastle play 3 attacking-minded midfielders and all 3 can still defend and cover for each other.

[@neemnoa303]

Frank de Boer won 4 titles in a row with Ajax, he was sacked after 10 weeks at Palace. Palace lost their first four league matches of the season without scoring a single goal - the first team in 93 years to have begun a top-flight season in such a fashion. Whilst at the club, De Boer attempted to implement a possession-based style of play; after his sacking, he criticised the club's players for their resistance to his approach, arguing that the club had signed only two players to fit his philosophy. Palace winger Wilfried Zaha commented on De Boer's brief time at the club, stating "There wasn't really the right mixture of players for the way we wanted to play." Does this sound ominously familiar?

[@Stampistuta]

It really does. But Ten Hag won’t be sacked even if he lose his first 4.

[@obdios]

Wow.... Seem like history will repeat itself again. 👋 ETH

[@totothedoggo]

You are also forgetting that United’s players are proven to be shitbags who aren’t good enough.

[@131457c]

Oddly, dutch managers often have a hard time in the Prem.

[@otto_jk]

@@131457c Outliers caused by a low number of samples

[@RTPxPJ]

If Maguire has shown anything in the past 2 years at United it's that he is not good enough to be a starting centre-back in this team, let alone wear the captain's armband. Whichever defender is next to him (in this case Martinez) has to constanly cover for him which means they cannot focus on their own game. Having one useless centre-back results in two useless centre-backs no matter how good one of them is.

[@bri1085]

How have you seen that game and singled out Maguire?

[@user-oo5vd7ce6y]

He is suitable to be Captain as well. I don't know why the coach team cannot see this?

[@thelonelyloner7]

@@bri1085 because he's consistently been the worst. All of them were very bad. But he has been consistently the worst for over 18 months.

[@huegrizzy676]

@@bri1085 he's the captain

[@loki4236]

@@bri1085 6:07 Maguire mistake means Martinez can't play in his position he has to cover for Maguire.

[@jameswolfe7413]

My only problem with this analysis is the 4th goal.....in game you can see Erickson tell Maguire to track back right before the play.

[@damilaresanusi5430]

The guy is an absolute dunce. Totally Useless

[@felixbache5369]

Why does everyone misspell Eriksen's name? It's really not that difficult

[@arturzathas499]

@@felixbache5369 lol

[@Hogiebear7]

I was genuinely just about to comment on this exact thing! He's pointing at Toney for a good 2-3 seconds before the ball is even played and was going mad at maguire after the goal was scored

[@sbuda02]

Maguire doesn't scan. Which is beyond me at this point. For someone without the physical attributes that could bail him out for that technical ineptitude just shows you at what level he should be playing at.

[@zakoid1]

I can only give huge credit to Brentford today. They pressed, countered, were clinical and just bullied us all game long 👏. Could have been worse but they sat back and asked Utd "What have you got?"..... Nothing.

[@marcelanoryadi9110]

Brentford were the better team. Yeseterday was evidence

[@AkaThePistachio]

@@marcelanoryadi9110 Not hard to be better than united clearly

[@BradPixelManH]

I think we'd make any team look like prime Barcelona at the moment. Brighton game was the same.

[@silviod4nte]

@@BradPixelManH Not really. Brighton and Brentford are just genuinely good teams atm. Go against Everton and you guys would most probably win

[@Stampistuta]

The last thing Ten Hag needed was to De Gea to have a performance like that. He was dreadful.

[@warrioroffpeace3673]

It wouldn’t have mattered as long as we have spoiled weak English players like maguire, Shaw, Rasford & Scott we won’t win anything. The last games really exposed these scammers, they are really weak..

[@gerhardsmith7892]

@@warrioroffpeace3673 Except that it would have mattered that your keeper can't play passes and now can't stop shots either

[@valsan1323]

@@warrioroffpeace3673 Not just English players. Bruno and Fred and DDG and Dalot all pisspoor.

[@spsawyer22]

At the same time, without De Gea and Ronnie singlehandedly winning United around 20 points last year, maybe the Glazers realize how much work needs to be done?

[@dracomessup]

This is a calculated team effort to lose, they want Ronaldo to go so that they can play their own game.... 😂

[@allydoodah]

My favourite aspect about Manchester United is that they’ll lose like this but 30 mins later their social media accounts start posting about how they’re having a sale on this seasons kit. Very cool!

[@hnz5404]

This has become a commercial club ffs, all the owners care about is profit.

[@kly826]

What?! 🤣🤣🤣 I bet they offer 50% off on mcfred shirts 🤡🤡

[@allydoodah]

@@hnz5404 and to make it even better the kit they played in against Brentford was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Very big and serious football club, VERY cool!

[@jonpaul3868]

Don't you remember? They said our performances on field dont effect our ability to generate money 😂

[@gust2036]

A bad result is still a publication anw 😁

[@alexcoyg3281]

Someone needs to study keeper blunders like the first goal, as a keeper, i want to understand what happens there, its some sort of mind/body glitch, i know for 100% that if the shot had more power he would have saved it, it happened to me on a couple occasions with a similar shot, i think he did not need to dive at all, just make a step and pick up the ball...

[@TheTruthTeller99]

I thought this!!! If it was a better shot he would have saved it it's like he thought so little of the shot.

[@SECRETORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR]

It was the SUN 🌞 that got into his eyes apparently??? But the 2nd goal was absolutely DE GEAS FAULT making a stupid pass while ERIKKSON was closed down immediately with BRENTFORD capitalising on UTD error

[@baririzqullah5782]

This happens on Leipzig against Köln as well when Timo scores

[@BarriesChannel]

@@SECRETORDEROFTHEKNIGHTSTEMPLAR This is why Carlo Nash wore a baseball cap.

[@adamcetinkent]

You'd be better off studying it for betting irregularities.

[@BigMadAndy]

De Gea with 2 assists today, top performance.

[@hnz5404]

It's not his fault he was asked to play out from the back, def not his strong suit.

[@ashdude3058]

@@hnz5404 playing out is almost a necessity at a top club these days, it’s a major weakness and most certainly his fault. However United have way more pressing issues so yeah they should play around it for now 😭

[@bungaIowbill]

@@hnz5404 I mean no one expects him to make brilliant assists or opening passes like some of the top keepers, but he literally just needs to check if someone in the backline or 6 is free, and if they are: pass to them, if they are not: hoof the ball away. Sure, he's not a sweeper keeper, but he's a professional footballer. It's not that complicateed. They obviously just didn't practice doing this under pressure enough, he literally seems unable to process visual information about where the opponents are sometimes

[@thesameways]

Lingardinho would be proud

[@krish4246]

@@hnz5404 there is a reason why he isn’t even a substitute for his national team & no top team wants him

[@danhudson4614]

It reminds me of when Emery took over at Arsenal, he was trying to play out from the back. Arsenal defence weren't capable . Also the dressing room was a mess and the team weren't up to playing that style. Many similarities!

[@jubjubbird1855]

Every past United managers noticed this massive weakness, gave up fixing it, swept it under the bed and stick to their strength which is counter attack. The problem is that kind of gameplay can't win them the league anymore and has created another mess too. I hope United & ETH will really spend time & effort fixing this. Since the spotlight & pressure is higher as United's manager, he has to be an absolute genius & hoping that the luck is on his side too otherwise he'll just be another scapegoat. Right now the favour is not on his side yet. De gea is fans' favourite, club has spent so much on Maguire, Fred is the most energetic midfield, mcTominay is homegrown player, Rashford used to net 20goals/season twice & god knows the list just goes on for United to remain the same 🤦‍♂

[@danhudson4614]

@@jubjubbird1855 And sorry for the bombardment but as a long term Arsenal fan it peeves me! I watched and remember 89 live as it happend! Artetta's process or project is blatant! Don't get an OZIL or a Sanchez! Only get players who want to play their heart out for the badge or in general. IE Bergkamp..went into a summer with Arsenal while out of contract! He'd forgot to even sign one! Which is why the Wenger era fecked up imo . Never buy a player to just get them...it'll end in tears!. Only get players that play for you because they want to and will have a good attidute on and off the pitch! Which is why pep let players go with no BIG upset! That's the only process player mentality.

[@Ray03595]

​@@danhudson4614 Well said Dan. Though I can't complain much about Sanchez, he never put in a lazy performance for us. He was just foolish and arrogant enough to be persuaded by United and the name of the club alone. Ozil, a total disgrace of a footballer and I never really enjoyed him for a single season he was here. He never hid his bad attitude and general lack of interest in playing for us. Same attitude he brought to Fenerbache as well. Really surprised another team picked him up after that. His lack of interest is so so clear. To end on a positive, yes, I am so glad Josh Kroenke cares about this club and is heavily involved. We wouldn't have this squad right now without a more committed ownership and a change in culture.

[@TheKatangeseDollar]

@@Ray03595 unfortunately Ozil fans will never saw it that way. They blame Arteta for his poor form and not giving him a chance to show his “greatness.” I’m not Arteta’s biggest fan because his questionable decisions, but when 3 other managers point out Ozil’s poor attitude and work rate then the player is at fault.

[@coffeyallday]

Brentford's 2nd goal was identical to one Watford scored against Arsenal in the 2019/20 season, which just confirms my theory that United is where we were 3 years ago. At least we had Saka and Smith Rowe on the verge of breaking into the first team

[@EhThisIsAGoodName]

United has youger players with potential, they just don't get to play... James Garner, Tahith Chong, Axel Tuanzebe... they might not be world beaters, but they won't become world beaters if they're never given the chance to try

[@thelinedrive]

I’ve been saying since last year that United and Spurs basically flipped in terms of how they expect to operate and what they expect from themselves. Spurs were decisive and went and got Conte while United decided to not appoint a coach until the end of the season.

[@bri1085]

@@EhThisIsAGoodName Chong is like 24 now

[@otto_jk]

@@EhThisIsAGoodName Id play Hannibal over Mcsauce

[@zerofox641]

@@thelinedrive that match back in November really was a turning point for both clubs. It prevented Ole from getting sacked for a few more weeks and was the end of Nuno. And it meant Spurs finally went out and brought in Conte. Now Spurs look a completely transformed side and United are a hot mess

[@FrontPageFootball]

Like it or not, what United needs is the kind of clear-out and squad rebuild that Arteta has overseen at Arsenal, as well as significant investment in PRIORITY positions (new no. 6, another striker etc.). That performance last night was shambolic.

[@thema.sosoudid2229]

Thing is, that it took him 3 years and Manu fans are going to have to get used to it

[@MrTux0]

Who wants to play for man u at the moment? No one

[@edwinbrace4681]

Honestly Martinez can slot in the no.6 position and Varane can come in at CB, Maguire should be replaced by Lindelof

[@Ray03595]

@@aaquibtayyabi united are making a big mistake on not cashing in on rashford. if they dont do it now hes going for free. he has no future at united and no interest anymore. Seen it with so many Arsenal players and 3 years on from now we are FINALLY getting rid of the last of that lot. Start the clearout NOW and at least earn some cash back.

[@pecansandies9521]

The odd thing is that every manager since sir Alex, Man U fans have thought 'this is the rebuild era.' In reality, the rebuild will only come when all first team players are gone, that were bought with the same 'big name, good player' mentality

[@farhadchaudhry]

There's been a fair bit of churn. The problem is that player recruitment is terrible as well

[@pecansandies9521]

@@farhadchaudhry agreed. I think any competent United fan would agree that 1 CB, 2 CM would massively improve the team

[@farhadchaudhry]

@@pecansandies9521 1CDM 1 CM 1 RB 1 RW . In terms of the first XI. Possibly 1GK. And then a willingness to drop some influential players and put them on the transfer list. Sunk cost.

[@hnaku8748]

Only Phil Jones and De Gea remain from the squad Sir Alex left. That's not much. Not a United fan, but I think the people in charge up top is the main issue.

[@seb2750]

3:55 I must say, their green kit is working well to camo their players. DDG must feel its a 11 v 1 game against him, he cant see his players

[@gabrielgonzalez4470]

When Rangnik wanted to build a pressing-based system, they weren't good at pressing, and now it turns out they aren't good at possession either. What exactly is it that they're good at?

[@ukie713]

People, particularly our board, seems to think this team actually has quality because they finished second under Ole without really analysing how bad the Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea were that season. They need to get rid of Macguire as the first step. They have quality backups in that postion but they fail to utilise it. At this point ETH is digging his own grave.

[@ironicvirus1496]

@@ukie713 I still have United fans chastising me for saying they aren't hood enough to compete because they finished 2nd under Ole. That 2nd is probably the worst thing that could've happen to United because average players are still believed to be good

[@ierbutza21]

Counter ,thats how they hit teams in the season they got 2nd(fake 2nd considering the problems of others but still 2nd )

[@simplesimonhadapie]

Losing in a way to amuse the rest of us i think

[@suyashneelambugg]

@@ironicvirus1496 Also, they had Cavani and Bruno carried his form form Portugal into the first season. He's like the rest now and Cavani is gone. Also De Gea's from has dropped. The reason Cavani is gone is Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a better goal scorer but inferior in possession unlike Cavani who played the ball slightly better but would miss chances that Cristiano doesn't. So the team should have also shifted their style around Cristiano but it seems the team is not able to shift to any style except what they once played and they were lucky that season because so many others were playing poor. Everyone has some role to play in this mess but that biggest role is that of Harry Maguire and Fred. One can't defend at all and the other can't create anything with the ball. Liabilities.

[@myasaee]

Still not seeing fight and aggression from the players. Not agression in terms of causing fouls but agression in terms of intensity. Too soft. Softness in passing, pressing, taking on players and shots. Mentality is weak and defeatist. Just look at Malacia when he came on, had the drive, determination and edge that was missing across all the other players.

[@farhadchaudhry]

Don't worry, Malacia will lose that too. Just give him time.

[@brothatisfunny]

United looks like a team 50year olds

[@TheDarkKnightRacist]

to say a disaster for united is disrespectful, i already saw this coming a weak before simply because Frank and Potter are 2 of top 5 tactician in EPL, they eat weak defense team like Man Utd for breakfast, look how Brentford press, they literally has been training for that as they knew what will happen, so instead of saying a disaster from man utd, i would called those last 2 game as a masterclass from 2 great tactician, Brentford was able press Chelsea, beat Arsenal, and play an open play against Liverpool with a squad that cost 1/100 of their opponent, Frank is a great manager.

[@oceanorvital5373]

Who's your top 5 tacticians??? How is frank and potter in your top 5 when they dont win games consistently the way the top teams in the premier league do

[@TheDarkKnightRacist]

@@oceanorvital5373 because they are bottom 5 in terms of money spent, in EPL, brighton keep losing players to others EPL team yet keep survives in EPL each season while playing offensive football, and just check on the Brentford record against the top 4. the other 3 are Pep, Klopp, and Tuchel.

[@BenAnderson48]

If United are having problems with Brighton and Brentford's pressing, I cannot WAIT to see how they deal with Liverpool's pressing. I coach at the high school level, and interestingly my coaching philosophy is fairly similar to Ten Hag's, where I like to have a more creative 6 to make short build up easier, and I try to play 4-3-3 throughout. However, I've made sure to teach my girls ways to adapt when plan A, getting the ball to that creative 6, isn't working. Granted, I know I'm playing against a bunch of 4-4-2s and not having to worry much about tactics at that level, but it still seems odd that when plan A didn't work, and they were 2-0 down, that there didn't seem to be a plan B.

[@mdthelegend9882]

The biggest problem Erik has is that he doesn't have the necessary players who can properly implement his footballing philosophy. The current players aside from Erikson and Martinez are just not capable of playing that type of football. Most of the United players are leftovers from Mourinho and Ole managerial days (counterattacking and defensive types of football). If Erik wants to get the type of possession based play he wants in United, the higher ups at the club must sell most of the current players and get those who can implement Erik's football philosophy. There is no way someone like Maguire, Rashford, McTominay, Fred, etc. can play this type of football simply because they are not capable. Unfortunately the club wasted two months chasing a player who doesn't want to play for them and prefers to play for a club that qualifies for CL football. They should have had a plan B incase plan A (trying to get De Jong) doesn't work. Instead they are panic buying players like Rabiot.

[@xRolyJoel]

Absolute facts, he's inherited a broken mess of a team. You can see how uncomfortable De Gea is playing out from the back.

[@BradPixelManH]

I wish he'd replace some of them with our youth players, some of them are very exciting and will be far more hungrier than our current ones. Especially Zidane Iqbal, Garnacho and Garner. All very good in possession.

[@jelanicampbell1438]

When Pep jus came we were making alot of errors at the back but we made up for it in attack ...then we got the right personelle for our playing style....the Club needs to back Ten Hag with signings

[@SlimeJime]

Felt like every goal came from a completely bizarre scenario

[@samzuckerbraun3496]

The 4th goal was just a great counter attack

[@ireplytostupidpeople4750]

They pressed the hell out of Eriksen as he was the deep lying playmaker. ETH has to learn that DLPs don't work in this league, you cannot have your cdm be your focal build up player or your ball carrier

[@murphymarlowe]

@@ireplytostupidpeople4750 It works fine in Football manager

[@ireplytostupidpeople4750]

@@murphymarlowe if football was the same as FM then we would all be managers innit?

[@Micfri300]

@@ireplytostupidpeople4750 for a start jansen took the ball of eriksen who was facing de gea meaning he had no idea who was behind him. In regards to a deep lying midfielder if you have a diamond midfield it can work.

[@StriderDSC]

And to think, fans had it out for Ole because he focused the team on being a defense first, lethal counter attacking side and realistically...that's probably all they were capable of doing. His legacy keeps getting better and better...

[@ryanfinnerty6239]

Building up with a single pivot is madness, let alone a ten playing in the single pivot. There was no numerical advantage in build up from Ten haag. A simple shift to a back 3 and a double piv would’ve been able to evade this two man press. Keep rashford and Sancho touchline and invert fullbacks or get them to drop deep and force the tens high.

[@Brendan0428]

United need to do what Arsenal did and have a rebuild. It's the only way they will get back on top.

[@rasto62]

Good job on the pronunciations there, Jon! Yensen, not Jensen - remember a similar attention to detail concerning Martin Ødegaard on a podcast some weeks ago, very cool.

[@pallekjrlaursen8388]

He even got Jensen's first name right, despite Thomas Frank insisting on "Anglifying" it.

[@hhforever]

Hes got to play with a back three. Stabilise the team before additions in january and next season. Playing pep's football without the technical players cause more problems defensively. Its too risky. Look at arteta's first full season, it was a disaster due to not having the right players to emulate man city.

[@pauljones7675]

Where are all the United fans gone who thought they were onto something special because they beat Liverpool in the Bangkok cup?? LMAO

[@AAABattery__]

Our fanbase is so delusional it’s not even funny. Hate it.

[@ApeOfMyIdeal]

A Liverpool team literally two days into preseason training and who played 11 teenagers in the first 60 minutes too.

[@ILikedGooglePlus]

@@AAABattery__ Every team has fans like them, United just have a lot of vocal online fans and are going through a bad decade. Remember the Liverpool meme of "It's our year"

[@Truebro79]

Me, i thought the season would be better after that game cause our B Team basically beat Liverpool's first team 1-0 in the second half, maybe that was a sign that we need to start playing the Youth instead of these shitbags, looking at garnacho or Amad for Rashford , Garner for Mctominay and Fred.

[@bri1085]

@@Truebro79 Liverpool were two days into preseason, it was much ado about absolutely nothing.

[@AAABattery__]

Ten Hag has got a huge job on his hands. And it doesn’t help that he hasn’t received adequate backing. Nor does it seem like the players will adopt his philosophy and his tactics. I will continue to back Ten Hag, but the players are pathetic. I can’t see them willing to adapt. Fred is every team’s dream for a press, De Gea is a shadow of his former self, our midfield has zero balance, our back line is lost, and our forwards are nowhere to be found.

[@pablosalazarcomposer]

Nah, he showed his incompetence and lack of leadership when he made Maguire captain and keeps playing him

[@thomasnielsen5580]

Unless expectation is decreased among the board, then Ten Hag will be fired. Unless a miracle happens of course.

[@zero59267]

@@thomasnielsen5580 then the board will appoint Pochettion. Then, United will repeat the same cycle they've did for the last decade, always 3-4 years behind the truly top clubs

[@thomasnielsen5580]

@@zero59267 maybe, maybe not. Another coach could might as well be chosen. Maybe Poch doesn't want the job at all.

[@anditard]

Great manager try their best with what they got. Tweaking the tactic. Not forcing certain playstyle

[@tffti7058]

same with Pep when he started at City, he went through loads of keepers and defenders in order to get the style of play

[@binayshrestha7132]

The 1st goal was scored after winning the ball from Ronaldo in his own half.Yet other are being blamed while the Shot is usually a hit or miss.

[@juliantsenkov1585]

Ten Hag looks confused what to do with these players.

[@RoyMatzem]

He likes ball controlling midfielders, the team didnt have any, and didnt sign any, as always a planning issue, glazers out

[@katlehotrey212]

you cannot coach players that clearly do not fit your philosophy they make him look clueless

[@purplebutterfly314]

They players don't fit his system and also completely crumble under pressure.

[@absoluteclutch4585]

He ain't an adaptive manager. Even when they were 2-0 down he didn't change anything. He still doesn't know that Varane & Martinez CB partnership will somewhat save United. Varane has finally got the calm ball playing CB in Martinez who is very aggressive and has good defensive reads. Since Martinez is more aggressive Varane can cover for him. Fred should just be anchor and this will give Eriksen/Bruno the space they need to create something.

[@bri1085]

@@absoluteclutch4585 Varane is pretty gash himself

[@delwynmathews]

Coming back to this in Feb. What a world of difference.

[@cynicalskeptic]

The way this is going y'all can make a series out of it! 😁

[@optiondezzo1513]

When ETH was confirmed to be the next man utd coach/manager, many observers already said the existing squad didn't have the players that can play his system. This was why Rangnick said they need to sell 10 players and buy 10 players. This is also why ETH preferred to buy Dutch or Dutch affiliated players because he knows they are familiar or have foundation with the system he prefers. This also highlights how inept the man utd players are at the top flight and lucky to finish 6th last season... they could be flirting with relegation.

[@jackphillips6742]

Finishing 6th wasn't luck. RR is a good manager and deserves credit for replacing a manager mid season in a squad that downed tools.

[@Hyde_Hill]

Bit of a shame that Henderson left before Ten Hag could get a look at him on purpose. Good chance he would have been preferred over De Gea.

[@LoftusBlake]

I wonder if Ten Hag will budge with the Maguire captaincy?

[@Hogiebear7]

As bad as De Gea was today, Henderson is even worse with the ball at feet

[@NanomouZ]

What i heard from his interview , he refuse to play or stay to be 2nd GK.

[@ddha0000]

Henderson was shite last week

[@maudug91]

they are paying de gea $400k a week...no way they don't play him lol

[@senzokai3156]

Possession based teams are not as spread out as Man United. They're a lot closer to each other so players can offer themselves as passing options. Man United play like playground school children, standing far away expecting the pass to come to them, instead of coming to receive the pass. The lack of fitness, effort and desire to run further compounds this. Shambolic.

[@AliFrostinho]

Would rather have Tifo doing post match analysis than Jamie Redknapp, Karen Carney and Gary Neville's BS

[@petercormor]

One problem that not mentioned here probably is the new jersey. I don't know why, but I think that jersey cause them a lot of problem, especially in that sunny weather and similarity color with the grass for the first 45 minutes. It's weird combination plus DDG standing in the goalpost with that lots of sunshine making him more vulnerable to make a mistake.

[@henrywyhyt]

really good analysis, but perhaps a few more key observations: 1. first half utd were facing the sun, and maybe that contributed to some of the blunders with the goalkeeper and while playing out from the back. A good manager should have realized this and perhaps taken a more conservative approach with the lot of players he has 2. while the highlight reels don't demonstrate it, maguire actually contributed to a lot of the goals conceded - his slow passing and indecisiveness has let to missed passes and corners that ultimately let to some of the situations that made things quite easy for Brentford to setup the goal scoring situations 3. however to be fair maguire did highlight one problem to his team in that first half - he could be seen waving at the full backs getting them to tread back a bit because they were too far up and effectively blocked (most of the time) by the man-pressing Brentford was doing. In that he's not wrong, just that while worrying about the positioning of his teammates sometimes he lost situational awareness of his own surroundings 4. a weak offense is the foundation of a shambolic defense - both sancho and rashford had no ability on the ball and zero threat (just look over to the other side of the pitch and you see much better ball usage). Opposing defenders love you because you have no trickery no bravery no creativity. This helps Brentford with their high press game plan cos there's no really too much to worry about at the back

[@de.n30]

Honestly, I think the BIGGEST problem United has, that caused all this in the long term, is that they allow the coaches to decide who's getting signed. Now you have a mix of Mourinho, Ole and Ten Haag with no cohesion. A Football Director and a scout hierarchy would fix these problems in the long term, but well, they are already spending money on Ten Haag's players. When the next manager comes, probably this season, he will have players that don't fit the system either.

[@farhadchaudhry]

Even if you got a football director and staff, they too would have to follow a set of key principles and then recruit managers who follow those principles. United don't even know what those are

[@Timbone07]

That's too narrow minded a view. Klopp bought almost 30 players. Jose was still fielding Sir Alex signings in Smalling Young Valencia etc. The managers are simply not backed

[@ziwer1]

what r u talking about? The manager should have the final say on the players being signed otherwise there will be a total disconnect.

[@de.n30]

@@ziwer1 no dude, the manager should be one piece of the puzzle, not the puzzlemaker. The manager had the final say in signings in the 1990's and 2000's. Nowadays, the best clubs have a Sporting Director and a scouting department so the signings can be made thinking always long term. The manager has a saying in the process, of course, but not the final word. Otherwise, what happens is the situation at United: a lot of players that do not fit what they wanna do. If they had a long term plan, they wouldn't need to sign a whole team everytime they hire a coach.

[@dejomrsic6093]

United lost half of their team and in the market trying to get de jong, they let every other talent go elsewhere for cheap, look at psg, keeps most crucial players and get rid of some pretty big names but with no hesitation get young replacement, I mean who thought vitinha and mukiele are players for psg level but I have no doubts about those signings. Point is united are trying to hard but they dont have the leverage, even if they get de jong thats most of their budgets and they need a de jong on almost every position, I feel bad for ten hag this is a mission impossible

[@ziwer1]

Please don't even mention PSG. 🤦‍♂🤦‍♂

[@makster86]

Love how quickly you guys get these up!

[@hc3730]

What I want to know is, how could united fix the problem with what they have, what formation? 3 CB's? 3-5-2? I'd love the hear some opinions or tactical ideas

[@youssefhassanein1839]

If United are having a hard time against a high press they’re getting smacked so hard vs Liverpool

[@zerofox641]

As a neutral, United are the gift that just keep giving

[@ILikedGooglePlus]

Factos 👍

[@mellosa96]

What program is it that you use for the screen? Been trying to find info but cant seem to! Thanks in advance!

[@DimBeam1]

MS Paint

[@chimapromise4609]

He uses all football. I have an account with them

[@usmanjawed9325]

1.What did we learn about Malacia when he replaced Shaw in the second half? 2. Could United benefit with a back 3 of Maguire, Varane and the (left sided CB) Martinez? There is a lot of criticism of Martinez for being too short to defend against set pieces, but he's a good passer and he can help bolster the build up by coming into midfield. Can that skill of his be accommodated when in possession? 3. Lastly, other than de Jong, who else should this wretchedly run club sign for the 6 position? If only United could re-sign Michael Carrick! Was considered a boring player when SAF signed him all those years ago, but those are exactly the skills that this team misses most deeply.

[@edwinbrace4681]

United can sign Lo Celso as a ball carrying midfielder and presser ( mcFred can't run )as well as Gueye for the no.6 role from PSG

[@muglypunt968]

I think your looking at it wrong, they want to play the pressing game but the players don't have the want or capability to either. I think the problems are a lot deeper than the pitch and bench. It's literally starting in the back room. I don't think any signing will help them. I honestly think they should restructure on the pitch and go for a 5-3-2. Yeah it's not glamorous but it gives some stability at the least. Maybe then they would have some base to build attacks off. In the end Manchester United are in a terrible place and it needs overhauls all over the club, will they? Doubt it. I can see man United dying in the near future. That isn't even a crazy thing to say. No European football will hurt shirt sales, shirt sales give them their economic strength, without that what are man United? I expect the Barcelona situation will hit them soon but 10x worse

[@frafrafrafrafra]

This is proof that possession doesn't matter, what you do with the ball does. Thomas Frank is brilliant

[@renexsteez]

More like don’t play possession football if your players have a brick for a foot

[@elexxa2268]

It just the same as saying, as long as you score, your playstyle don't matter, its just really vague and unclear

[@Hasorane]

Having control of possession can be incredibly powerful(think prime Barca), but this United squad just has no idea how to play that style and don't seem to be able to adapt. They've been making the same mistakes with different managers over and over

[@TheDarkKnightRacist]

@@Hasorane no it is not, Prime Barca only dominated because they have literally the best midfielder trio in football history under Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquet and a 7 times baloon dor Messi, Pep will be the biggest fool in football if he failed to win a UCL, after that, no team with possession football has won the UCL, Madrid has won 3 in a row under Zidane, and won 2 under Ancelotti, and even Chelsea won it under Tuchel, with a simple counter attacking football, things that SAF used to play in Man Utd. Possession play is good for the eyes only, but it cost a fortune and not worth it.

[@Hasorane]

@@TheDarkKnightRacist Obviously they were good but its unlikely they would have been that dominant without possession based football and they're far from being the only team to make it work. Saying it's bad makes no sense because different styles work in different ways but they can all produce results with the right squad and coach

[@yoyomama99]

I've watched a few of Ajax's game last season, and while they were good in possession and offense, my concern was that they looked lacking in intensity in defense and was pretty open defensively. So I'm not sure that ETH will be able to cure Man united's defensive issues

[@_CasualJan]

I agree. Ajax under Ten Hag's play style were comfortable enough in the Eredivisie. Come to England and you run into teams like Brighton and Brentford. Crystal Palance, West Ham, Fulham, etc. will do the same to United, that that's without even looking at the (traditionally) top clubs. Surely United need to change to a playing style that suits their personnel, until the right players are brought in to play under the manager's preferred style.

[@ANDSTONE100]

Yep, this was one of my concerns too before he took over.

[@krittikdas4968]

@@_CasualJan give him ajax team qgainst the likes of Brentford Brighton he'll thrash them

[@BMKnl]

What you fail to understand is that Ajax has better players and a better structure. We had the best defensive record in the eredivisie and were also doing very well in europe until benfica beat us with a bit of luck. The truth is that United just does not have the structure build for succes. No manager can fix this mess.

[@Unknown-ol2uh]

@@_CasualJan Everyone said the same thing about Guardiola in his first season at City when he was losing 4-2 to the likes of Leicester. The manager is not to blame, the players and recruitment staff are simply atrocious and need replacing.

[@amjid92]

Most people may look to blame individual errors but ultimately United have 2 players playing in a double pivot midfield who are not tuned in defensively. At least one of the 2 needs to be a defensive minded midfield player and United haven’t addressed that issue since signing matic approx. 5 years ago

[@kingdaniel1956]

I've got a question for you guys over at tifo...for the second goal utd conceded...what would city have done in that scenario because they face man to man pressure at times ( maybe not a lot now that teams know they can evade pressure but during pep's early days...) How do city do it differently?

[@maqpi8335]

A sign of great managers is that they can tweek the system according to their players. Man Utd players are clearly not good enough to play Ten hag's style so i think he should change his style to an easier version

[@cannsawv2]

yes this. He needs to realize how suicidal asking De Gea to do short distribution is ASAP. You can't make United a great pressing/possession team this year, just can't happen but they need to at least be a team that can play against a press, because they'll face a ton of it. I give Lampard credit last year for quickly realizing he can't be too idealistic just yet and needs to focus solely on preventing self-destruction

[@Silphwave]

It's crazy that professionals on some of the highest wages in the world can't play different styles. Imagine Michelin star chefs not being able to make the new head chefs menu. It's laughable.

[@maqpi8335]

@@Silphwave Well most sushi chefs can’t make the best pizzas

[@diskopartizan0850]

@@maqpi8335 good point, I wonder if they could learn in a few weeks though. Not to be the best but at least to do it competently.

[@maqpi8335]

@@diskopartizan0850 I think it will take a long time so meanwhile Ten Hag should play a safer system to cut down their losses

[@joseph-fernando-piano]

As a QPR fan, I can actually say that our keeper has scored more goals this season than the entire Man United team...

[@callumbishop1193]

Ur keeper has scored twice?

[@joseph-fernando-piano]

@@callumbishop1193 no, just once. That's more than the whole Man United team because their goal against Brighton was an own goal...

[@bubble4072]

QPR is better than Man U

[@pupop3310]

Where did you guys get those paints of the jerseys! (The Xavi one to be specific)

[@amirhosseindavoodi]

I really like the commentary style to talk over the steady picture of the actual game. Good job on the presentation style.

[@muglypunt968]

I feel man United might be the team to bring back the 5-3-2, with all the pressing football being implemented at the moment in English football, the time for the defensive shell and creative front three might be more effective. Use a midfielder as a wander and let your front 2 stay high. Maybe it might be the counter, leave bodies around in defense and rely on the counter to punish teams. Football has always been a game based on the principles of water but it is also very circular. The defensive counter will become the norm and then it will change. Real Madrid proved that against Liverpool in the champs final. I think it will become the go to for all the teams that are pressing so high soon. Soak up and then counter. Who knows? But at the moment man United are fucked

[@dripkingg12]

i was thinkn the exact same thing man. they’re players individual playstyle reminds me of that i think 2002 brazilian national team

[@gsoccerstarz]

Might as well put ole back in then cause he could only play counterattacking football

[@satyamsangal6659]

This comment is gold. They have players who are playing misfit roles. 5-3-2 will benefit everyone.

[@muglypunt968]

@@gsoccerstarz to be fair to all managers since fergie, man United isn't a club where the manager makes the decisions, it's the council of people behind the scenes, it's the same with real Madrid, man United will not have any chance of getting better until the background is changed. I fear man United will die within a decade. That's not an outlandish position to sit on either. The longer you don't have champions League games, the more likely shirt sales will dwindle and then man United economic driver will start to falter. Then the banks will come looking. Then you have two options, sell or die.... It's very black clouds for man United at the moment and it's sad in someway for everyone

[@jamarwente1497]

That's what Brentford played yesterday against them

[@tebogomohanoe5443]

I remember when Arsenal had this problems

[@nkululekotutani]

The good ol days with Mustafi. Now we are Man City...

[@slickwolf5492]

@@nkululekotutani....

[@nooftaheri3502]

The Goldbridge Stream was a rollercoaster

[@samcartlidge8667]

I suspect he will go to a back 3 for Liverpool. More press resistant and able to control play from the back. Personnel still an issue though

[@francisd7081]

Jon Mackenzie is a beast.

[@frogstrap]

MU desperately need a GK who is comfortable with the ball, happy to receive possession under pressure and leave his line-De Gea doesn't fit any of this, and it basically means they're operating with a player down in the defensive transition with how ten Hag wants to play.

[@roolaing]

this was really excellent. observing what happened precisely and describing it accurately. Great job, Jon.

[@Iaaam10]

Jon analysis are awesome!

[@sonicgoo1121]

Looks like Ten Hag will be ready in time to follow Van Gaal as national coach after the world cup.

[@montdawgs]

"it seemed impossible it could get any worse after losing to Brighton last week" this pundit doesn't understand the league.

[@joeipp98]

As always, great video. But the background music is excessive to the point that it makes it difficult to hear the speaker

[@notyouagain40]

Wonderful video! Keep up the awesome work:)

[@manilj298]

How is you are able find out problems in team, but Man united can't..

[@AurioDK]

Ten Hag starts a United team with 6 players who are incapable of defending, furthermore Sancho is on the wing and simply loses the ball and can´t pass his marker. Eriksen and Fernandes are two central playmakers, you can´t employ two almost identical players with no defensive prowess unless you are absolutely certain to win the midfield battle. Add to that a mental problem some of the players seem to have, they simply don´t trust in one another on the pitch. Ten Hag is extremely naive in his approach.

[@farhadchaudhry]

I don't get one thing. Even at Ajax, he had players like Edson Alvarez. Defensive playmakers. Like Matic. Who would intercept and stay back. Why is he not prioritising signing someone like that. Who sits next to someone like De Jong. Fred is not that player.

[@AurioDK]

@@farhadchaudhry Absolutely, they need heavy muscle in that defensive midfield and have none. It´s easy to put the blame on a lacklustre midfield, but on the other hand they are up against their own flaws.

[@gadget00]

@@farhadchaudhry actually Edson Alvarez could fit the bill for him; he has muscle but also football IQ to quickly setup a pressing after gaining possesion, kind of like De Jong who's definitely not coming to ManU this season (or ever as I see it). He desperatly need to sign somebody to come and as we say in Panama "just kick everybody" in the midfield and gain posession. If he doesn't fix that, he's doomed

[@jamespotter1302]

Loving these videos lads

[@yppeng]

A good analysis, always insightful from Tifo. if outsiders can see this , surely Ten Hag can too. Is he just persisting with his philosophy, even without the right players, because any other way would be compromising his principles in football? this will show up the club for letting him down with getting the right players as promised. As we fans understand from the start, its going to be a long rebuilding process.

[@Nippleless_Cage]

Poor Eriksen. He passed up his chance to return to Tottenham and instead opted for a team where his comeback career will almost certainly die an agonizing death.

[@JA-pn4ji]

If the anxiety doesn't do his heart in first!

[@Ray03595]

He should've stayed at Brentford. Really didn't get that. United is the last place a creative midfielder goes. The current state of Bruno Fernandes is just shocking.

[@johnnyfreespeech5815]

I’m summary: Brentford were good. United were absolutely, horrendously bad.

[@SydPeppa]

Really good explainer!

[@RazorTooths]

United had an entire summer to bring in players that would buy in and/or fit into ten Hag's system, yet they haven't really done anything. Soon ten Hag'll be the one blamed for everything sadly.

[@richteffekt]

Who would have thought that Eriksen moving to United was such a winner. For Brentford.

[@parzival5282]

and I thought the green kit was bad enough before the match

[@gurustron]

Maguire was quite open, he was not covered enough so the pass would not go. De Gea made two errors after which team stopped playing.

[@amirwarsanah6752]

Not to say real life is the same as FM, but when I started a save with Leyton Orient, I knew that they were possession team while I was a Gegenpress manager. But I knew that it'd be disastrous if I forced them to Gegenpress right away. I let them play their way for months while training them with Gegenpress. After a season, we switched formation to accommodate and play Gegenpress and the team was able to go all the way to the Premier League with that formation. ETH would need time - unfortunately time that no Man United manager was ever given since SAF

[@pahakuutti]

4th goal was fine from United pov, because Brentford played a perfect counter attack. One can speculate if United players are any good or quick enough. But oppo's are 'allowed' to score perfect goals with one touch precise passing.

[@ajgm1992]

Nah, Maguire gives Toney a 10 yard headstart because he isn't paying attention. It's a fundamental concentration error that just shouldn't happen for top level defenders, let alone for a man with almost 50 England caps.

[@bri1085]

@@ajgm1992 do you think Maguire beats Toney in a foot race?

[@ajgm1992]

@@bri1085 No, hence why he should be goalside of him not 10 yards in front.

[@thelinedrive]

@@ajgm1992 the situation pretty much mandated Harry’s positioning higher up the pitch trailing 3-0. The circumstances made United vulnerable to a counter and Brentford executed perfectly.

[@bri1085]

@@ajgm1992 unless you're excitedly him to be halfway into his own half, it was a pretty much perfectly executed counter, are you expecting him to anticipate that exact situation?

[@WigglyDiggidyRizzidy]

dean henderson is laughing so hard rn.

[@purplebutterfly314]

That clown has no reason to laugh. A supposed penalty expert that couldn't save a single one against Middlesbrough last season. His ego is embarrassing, he acts like he's prime Casillas.

[@WigglyDiggidyRizzidy]

@@purplebutterfly314 damn

[@thomasnielsen5580]

Can't see how. The team he is playing for is favorite for the 20th spot.

[@WigglyDiggidyRizzidy]

@@thomasnielsen5580 true, however with that also comes with satisfaction for him knowing manchester united are quite literally 20th due to goalkeeper errors and countless other factors which if i were to list I'd look worse than solskjaer after 3 years at united

[@WigglyDiggidyRizzidy]

@@thomasnielsen5580 also ngl man this is just my opinion, but I'm at the point of thinking we're about the same level as nottingham forest.

[@ManLikeMatts]

Was waiting for this from you guys 🤣🤣

[@giftmutambalika4798]

U are very right about all that

[@de.n30]

Ten Haag needs to understand that you can't play possession and high pressing football with De Gea, Maguire, McFred, Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo, all in the starting 11. Is impossible. None of these players fit the system. Ronaldo is the only one you should be making an exception to.

[@otto_jk]

If you have coached a posessional style your whole life you aren't going to suddenly turn into Sean Dyche

[@aromedoghenechristian1072]

They like his philosophy that's why they employed him. Every coach have their style of play. To be a football you have to be able to adapt to a tactical change in a team. He can't just come and start playing counters like Jose like that's what he does

[@de.n30]

I never said he needed to change completely, but he should adapt his system a bit to fit the players. For example, telling De Gea it's okay to go long when pressed. Or play Maguire not so advanced on the pitch, cuz he simply has no speed to track back. Otherwise, expect more goals against and individual mistakes.

[@user-ul4ij2no1y]

United wont go down, I think there are 3 weaker teams than them.

[@scraps7624]

Love these videos

[@jefferysweaty6028]

Why does Maguire still start? I think he is a massive roadblock for Ten Hag if he wants this team to progress. Constant errors, rumours of a bad attitude and he's meant to be the captain of the squad? Very strange

[@onii-chan2811]

Please we need much detailed analysis!

[@troygrindley3793]

Don’t need a detailed analysis to understand where Man Utd went wrong. Poor in possession, not enough running, too much space for Brentford to exploit.

[@Fujibayashi85]

I agree, Onii-chan

[@onii-chan2811]

@@troygrindley3793 lol.. I still want to see deep analysis not rush or summary!

[@onii-chan2811]

@@Fujibayashi85 arigatou

[@apoorvjain6654]

The biggest issue with this United team is confidence and player morale. No amount of tactics is going to change that. These players are so used to hearing how terrible they are that they've internalised it and now at the first sign of anything not going their way they crumble. Our generation of fans are obsessed with signings, but no amount of transfers is going to fix this team, it's why whenever a new signing comes into this team they eventually end up becoming worse. What ETH has to do first and foremost is to create a positive culture within the dressing room, so the players believe in themselves more and start to play with more confidence. On paper this team is only good enough for 6th, 5th if they get very very lucky. Honestly that at the moment is irrelevant, they first have to get themselves believing that they're decent players which they are. You can't just buy 25 new players every 3 years, that's insane. The board and the administration are absolutely shocking but sadly they're here to stay. ETH has to find a way to survive in this madness.

[@brentrobinson3522]

Wow this was quick

[@johntreherne4611]

it is amazing how poor these players have been under what is now 3 different managers in the space of a year you would think they might want to try and impress a new manager to keep their place, the opposite seems to be true they seem to be actively wanting themselves to be benched. The new coach must be wondering what he has signed up for with this group of players especially considering that the club has spent the most part of 550 million quid on transfers to assemble a significant portion of this squad you would expect some quality. In terms of transfers they need two decent defensive or central midfield players, they need a actually decent fullback, they need a striker who is prolific and is under 30, they need to offload probably another 6 players, they need to sign a player who is capable of acting as a leader.

[@hikernob1213]

The ending part of this reminds me of England and Southgate. Pretty much every fan of England think it's Southgate not getting the best out of a talented bunch with his 'negative' tactics playing out the back etc. When in reality the players are still not good enough to be true world beaters. Southgate knows this and this is why he has them play the football they do.

[@neb185]

Why are people shocked by this? Were you not watching when both Ole and Rangnick tried to play a more modern style? This is the quality of the Man Utd squad when it's not hidden and protected.

[@melone8833]

The long term option is to keep this playstyle and really push the team to learn to play is, but they’ll suffer short term, but if they scrap it they might have more success short term but long term it’ll leave them back where they’ve been for the last couple years

[@AllStarJay7]

Watching the game in first hand and then watching clips back I just can’t find an explanation as to how and why professional footballers no matter what your position can’t get basics right, having played to a reasonable standard I see stuff which was taught in the academies by age 10 watch back this game and see stuff so blatant. To be a professional and have so many one dimensional kind of players at one club is horrific, ETH has been given a tool box which upon arrival and after searching through he’s slowly finding its empty. Can’t help but feel sorry for anyone part of the coaching staff and some of the players to be honest.

[@tsaminamina_eheh]

Can't wait for Ivan Toney's tweet after this game 😂

[@BigMadAndy]

Thomas Frank may just be the 3rd best manager in the league

[@thelinedrive]

4th. Conte is still ahead of him, but I will say he’s better than Tuchel

[@adamcetinkent]

Anyone who plays Man Utd will look like the best manager in the league for a week.

[@thomasnielsen5580]

@@adamcetinkent 7th minimum.

[@connormccloskey5128]

ily jon keep up the good work

[@danw1086]

The question asked at the end of does Ten Hag continue with insisting on playing out from the back or realise he doesn't have the players for it and be more pragmatic (direct) is an interesting one. It seems pretty obvious that the second option is the correct one at this point in time. But I'm sure Ten Hag will go with the first option. There's never really been a successful Dutch manager in the Premiership. Van Gaal probably the most successful and he wasn't exactly a resounding triumph. They always seem very stubborn about this playing out from the back. Ten Hag strikes me as just as stubborn and I think he'll refuse to adapt. Continue getting poor results and ultimately get sacked.