Why Ten Hag's Man United Can't Defend

A predictable derby defeat against City saw Manchester United concede an astonishing 27 attempts on goal. But rather than just being a statistical inevitability of playing one of the best teams in the world, this has actually become an astonishing pattern for Ten Hag's side, and puts them in the same bracket as the Premier League's relegation scrappers in terms of their defensive frugality.
Adam Clery looks at both the numbers, and the goals, to explain why this is an inevitable by-product of the Dutchman's football.
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[@haku4938]

"As open as will Smith's marriage" 😂😂😂😂

[@yackolegend6894]

😂😂😂😂

[@PapaLazarou1977]

What a comment! "Sheffield Utd who might as well have a ball-gag in their mouth for the amount they like being dominated"

[@whtwht]

Beautifully put.

[@MikiLund]

Adam's personality makes those analysis enjoyable!

[@46AlexB46]

Yeah, these videos really are the perfect mix of incredible analysis, but entertaining, enjoyable and digestible. The majority of content with a similar level of analysis is usually too dry, and the majority of content with a similar presentation style is usually too uninformed - then Adam comes in and nails them both

[@zainmulaudzi7250]

Will Smith deserves "Why always me" more than Balotelli

[@lqkpa.s]

last thing i expected him to say lol

[@efun8334]

Yeah the Will Smith line took me out

[@ajlouis6038]

I swear man I can't even look at Will Smith properly no more. He's like the epitome of what those "alpha male" bros on youtube kept warning us about

[@MisterFluffyBags]

I think a large part of ten Hag abandoning a high defensive line like he played at Ajax is due to Martinez being injured all season. You'd have to be mad to try a high line with a back line that includes Harry Maguire and Johnny Evans. They just can't get back in time if someone gets past.

[@Mopark25]

It's literally the main reason, all his core players for build up are injured. The drop-off is too severe, still needs to fill the squad up.

[@QuotidianStupidity]

If they didn’t spunk so much money on crap players they could fill their squad with ball playing CB’s

[@MrMickeyyy89]

then drop your fast front line players back deeper and close the gaps and be solid at the back and create chances from counter attacks or building up possession and working your way up the field xD you cant change one half of a tactic and expect it not to fall apart lmao you could probably take some college kid as manager and he wouldnt make a mistake that stupid

[@amirsalarmashayekh1146]

okay but he can play low block or mid block when he doesn't have licha

[@Johndoe-gf7eu]

@@QuotidianStupidity’they’ imagine not being a united fan and coming here, the obsession knows no bounds

[@TheAlb100]

But this isn't Ten Hag's "forever" philosophy; he played with two very high centre halves at Ajax, one covering each channel on the half way line. He started at Man Utd with the same system but abandoned it very quickly because he got smashed by Brentford and Brighton I think it was - and then Martinez got injured and he's got a crocked Varane who can't turn and Maguire who is an oil tanker at the best of times and a 38 year old Jonny Evans as his options.

[@PedroSeidelSinger]

Exactely that. I'm pretty sure that ManUtd would play much better if he had Martinez all the time plus a pacey 5.

[@24sumo]

I’ve got a season ticket for United and this video was pretty much spot on. The really annoying thing is, it’s so bloody obvious. Everyone can see it other than ten hag.

[@Killerslime-vk5uv]

Wow. You've been seeing this players live and you can't figure out they're not good enough to play how we want to play🤔 just watch at home next time bro😂

[@Clemzysmith]

@@Killerslime-vk5uvcomprehension is apparently a skill you lack

[@Killerslime-vk5uv]

@@Clemzysmith you guys are just some short term success idiots who want these players to play well for 12 months but have not realized don't play well for 18 months 🤔 or are you a new fan? Don't you know these players? Shocking.

[@Mopark25]

Are football fans really so arrogant as to think the coach can't see what they see? He has his reasons, and they're probably very good ones.

[@Clemzysmith]

@@Mopark25 that’s a leap of faith. I really don’t like the idea of changing coaches as much as you do, but if he has seen the issues and knows how to fix it, he’s taking his sweet time doing that

[@zedgbr162]

He wants his defenders to play a high line but cant with these bunch they dont have the pace to do it he needs to play a different style until he gets the players required to play that way.

[@lucasvanwijngaarden670]

And we know how the fans will react if he does the sensible thing and plays pure counterattacking football.

[@ComradeOgilvy1984]

@@lucasvanwijngaarden670 Never going to rise above 6th with pure counterattacking football, because that style drops too many points against bottom half of the table teams.

[@Deathtoallsnowflakes]

could have bought 3 defenders for the price of onana, mount and anthony.. failed though

[@lucasvanwijngaarden670]

@@ComradeOgilvy1984 Mourinho played pretty fucking defensive football and finished 2nd. Of course pure counterattacking is still dependent on your opponents.

[@m4767]

If you’re going to hit the reset every time you face a roadblock then what exactly are you doing? He has to be adamant and stick to it. It’s a phase, painful at the moment but will be beautiful when we get through it.

[@AlmightyColours]

Brilliant video as always. I would like to see a Ten Hag comparison at Ajax. I don't think what he's doing now is his philosophy. I think he doesn't have the defence that's required to play high. He also doesn't have the talent up top to sit deep like Mourinho would. It's just awful squad building.

[@pattisonvidal3909]

In addition, Manchester United are 5th worst in xGA. Because of great goalkeeping they have been rescued very often. Man U 1.65 xGA, Brentford 1.67, Luton 1.77, West Ham 1.81, Sheffield United 1.87.

[@francisc9851]

Will smith’s marriage 😭😭

[@KiaMwalimu]

Man issuing whips🤣🤣

[@CorruptControl]

This sums up the issue with Man United so well. Can’t control games, can’t sustain attacks, can’t stop conceding chances. It’s just not sustainable for success. Your gambling games away by saying we’ll score more than you. Either they need to recruit better athletes, or the manager has to go.

[@felipeconcha4739]

Better athletes? Not even the crossover between Kante and Makelele at their respective primes could cover that much of the pitch. ETH ought to get sacked.

[@riichobamin7612]

​@@felipeconcha4739bro, have you seen the list of injuries Man Utd have had ? Not to mention playing without a Left Back for so long.

[@ScottFord-qw3lg]

Utd fan and agree with most of this. My hope is that when Martinez and Shaw are fit, Dalot plays, and we have bought another pacey CB to replace Varane we can play a higher backline without the fear of being hung by runners and a ball over the top. Until we have a fit and pacey backline we are a bit stuck. He could risk onana playing sweeper keeper but it's a ballsy move for someone hanging onto his job. Interesting stuff as always mate 👍

[@3bladeninja21]

He just said Bruno and Casimero are the 1st and 3rd most dribbled past players IN THE LEAGUE. Your needs are bigger than Shaw and Martinez. Seriously wtf is up with your fanbase. This squad needs and overhaul. It's so clear. Build a new team around Hoijlund and Mainoo.

[@konicanrex7153]

I​@@3bladeninja21 He also just said he doesn't blame any of them because of the space they have to cover. They wouldn't get dribbled past so often if there was more compaction in the midfield because opponents players would have less space in the middle.

[@vladinstein]

@@3bladeninja21 His point was not that Bruno is bad. His point was that Bruno is not fit for this current style of play. 7:20. He said it two times: it's not those players fault. Bruno and Case have to cover too much ground with the current game plan.

[@3bladeninja21]

@complexrex7153 Bruno is not a tempo controlling midfielder. He can shoot and pass. That is it. He does not want the ball. He cannot pull the strings the way a KDB, Silva, Ozil etc. can. Trying to retain the ball and play the style he wants with Mount/Bruno/Casimero is some kind of dream land fantasy of Ten Hag. That does not change when you throw Martinez in there. The video also mentioned how everyone was fit against Westham, Shaw and Martinez too, and still the football was ass. The team needs an overhaul.

[@3bladeninja21]

@vladinstein us rival fans hope he stays though. Stays captain too. We absolutely love it. Keep faith. Keep faith in these players that were there for years and years. They'll turn it around 🤞🏼

[@jonathanbolger6173]

These are brilliant videos. You make it really clear and the illustrations are cool. Awesome.

[@m4767]

Nice video and it’s very refreshing to see this a united fan. For the most part, the offense is really close to how we want to play which is winning balls up top and generating volumes of 1v1s. Erik however do not trust the defense hence defending deep which leaves that wide open gap between the backline & midfield. Also important to know that in this system you be asked to cover a lot distance as a DM which explains why Case is struggling. This is a personnel issue on the back line and with the right personnel this will be fixed. Some like to use the fancy term “rest defending”. Read between the lines in Erik’s press conference earlier this year when he started praising Maguire as being “proactive”. Thats rest defending, paying attention when we have possession and quick to step in when we lose the ball. It’s good to see the data highlight the similarities between Erik and Klopp’s Liverpool cos I think that’s the exact goal. We have to be committed to a style to see a style of play. Like every growth, there will be some pains but when the right pieces come together it will be a beautiful site. We are talking about United scoring teams like 7 goals especially with the amount of 1v1 we generate up top. It’s evident this year in the goals fest games we’ve been in. I believe this will work guys, it needs time and the right personnel and I’m here for it. Reason the manager keeps talking about the “bigger picture”

[@alexhanson6577]

Are you sure you're happy with how we attack or that we're really close to what you want? We have to go down to 13th to find a team who have scored fewer than us and the top three have scored almost double. It's actually our goals conceded that's the decent figure but even that is a bit of a mystery given the topic of this video. Basically, we're awful at both ends of the pitch and, as this video shows, in the middle too.

[@bear566]

@@alexhanson6577 i would like to say the front 3 was clicking before rasmus injury but...he has been scoring off scraps. garna did start to create chances for him, rashford, bruno and rasmus. but my goodness it needs so much work

[@KEVIn-dq6pm]

@@alexhanson6577 we have conceded so low because the opposition doesnt finish the chances and we have very good box defenders. the attack clicks in my opinion, both hojlund and garnacho are very impressive but rashford needs to get his form back. i think the thing you are talking abt is buildup play which is essential crap due to bruno not being good enough and having defence deep leaving the midfielders alone on a lonely island

[@PedroSeidelSinger]

I see exactely the same as you. Ten Hag needs Martinez fit, another option for the right side so Maguire can go back to being a squad player (even if he improved his game this season, he can't race shoulder to shoulder against pacey strikers), and a fast not injury-prone number 5. That'd do the job, I believe.

[@dom5pawn13]

Please keep doing this please United. It's really funny to see you get your hopes up when you get a good streak and see those hopes crash and burn over and over.

[@mercurialblonde]

This is why I think Ten Hag will get sacked. De Zerbi-edly so. Tactically you would get sacked from league 2 sides playing like this. It's inexcusable. Also think it has cobtributed to some of our injuries. We do a lot of needless running

[@andermendes]

Great video and graphics!

[@sssf55]

Though I agree with the problems, I don't necessarily share your take on replacing Ten Hag. He's facing the worst injury crisis of all time at Utd, so we've not seen the full potential of his system. To his credit when he has his ideal back line (last season) or first 3 games of the year, the defense is excellent. I remember when you claimed Chelsea were going to win the premier league this season, the statistics only paint part of the picture and its obvious to anyone that while Utd aren't great, they're not relegation level bad in terms of controlling games.

[@sue3245]

Most of the injuries are muscular why do you think that's the case

[@tactify2884]

I think ten hag wants man united to be a high pressing team but he’s scared of his defense as most of them are slow and are more suited to for a low block approach which ends up result to this half and half structure. He has to decide on one and build on it

[@DavidChong]

exactly. it's wrong to say it's how eth _wants_ them to play, but it _is_ how he's told them to play under the current circumstances which is still a problem but a different problem.

[@alexhanson6577]

There's a very simple answer, in fact two, to his problem. Don't spend 130odd million on Antony and Mount and buy the correct defenders for your system. Or don't play the high pressing until you've got those players maybe this summer. The fact he's done neither and stubbornly played this lunatic system is damning.

[@KEVIn-dq6pm]

@@alexhanson6577 felt kind of wrong mentioning mount there as he might be really significant to his pressing style. its a big conundrum and he isnt blameless but its not all his fault. i can identify 4-5 players he can build this team on, so acquiring a different style for this season seems senseless , so he has to implement his style while also covering defensive flaws which opens up the midfield. and abt spending on players he wanted a cb this summer and 2players should have left for him to buy that cb but then refused (dont know the full story but it might have changed this season)

[@wtdreadOldskool]

Great content as always

[@richardxraj]

Excellent video 🎉🎉

[@ezigwe]

Another brilliant video 🙂

[@nota_progamer9051]

Damn this makes me realize how good Onana actually is as a goalkeeper

[@ilijavlcevski8672]

great visualisations 👌

[@Avathor73]

I think that the points in this vid are 💯 spot on! 👌 So a tweak to the teams overall defensive positioning could/should alleviate much of the inbalance that man utd experiences. Maybe some sort of DC/Sweeper, to support the def mid. Meaning also then that the right/left back dont stay too wide, so they form more of a two-three back line.

[@adhammp6885]

Great vid

[@iankemp1131]

Quite an eye-opener. Was wondering how Man U managed to finish 3rd last year despite often looking poor, but comments below suggest the defence was playing a higher line whereas current defence can't do it. So that seems to leave 2 options; pull the forwards back (some aren't great at pressing anyway) or fill the central gap. How about 4-2-2-2? Basically it seems that Man U are simply getting outnumbered in midfield by any good team with a decent game plan. Is Ten Haag adaptable enough? Does he really not have any other defensive or box-to-box midfielders? (McTominay maybe).

[@johncarveti8375]

10:18 it’s amazing how the opponent always has complete control of united’s penalty area. It is no wonder they face so many shots on target.

[@Tompanelli1]

Great video and insight. As a utd fan I worry ETH is just gonna follow this tactical approach through to oblivion

[@peterward8574]

That ball gag jibe at sheff utd, really did make me chuckle.

[@fustercluck2176]

ETH is not ALWAYS going to play like this. Last season we played with a high line, when Martinez was fit. This current tactical setup is NOT his philosophy, but has evolved because or circumstances out of his control, ie, we should have signed KMJ to cover defence depth, and he cannot control injuries.

[@magpie8073]

Spot on

[@kristianrusten1241]

Yes, it’s slightly shocking that this whole video fails to mention the fact that Varane, Maguire, Lindelof have been leaving massive spaces in front of themselves for years. What they lack is aggressive centre backs who can actually use the ball.

[@c0mbat15]

You like to hope that's the case. But the manager is clearly responsible for this tactic. He's had plenty of games to notice the issue and make changes. Yet he hasn't. And that's why you have a -2 goal difference.

[@lucasvanwijngaarden670]

​@@c0mbat15There's 2 big reasons I can think of why he chooses to play like this. 1. Playing a high defensive line with this squad is even more suicidal than what is happening now. 2. Utd fans despise and disrespect counterattacking football. So while it's the sensible thing to do it would probably get him sacked. Though the years I've heard more complaints about "boring 1-0 wins" than about bad tactics.

[@c0mbat15]

@@lucasvanwijngaarden670 But from what I understand, he's using a tactical philosophy that he always has. So he hasn't changed to suit his team. He's trying to shoe horn a team in to playing his style. The issue isn't the back line. It's the fact that he leaves his three midfielders in no man's land with no support. That's fine for where he had three midfield work horses but he doesn't have that.

[@gecattaa]

It is more complicated than that - the red devils are not compact length wise, but also width wise. So the pressing structure is no good, the rest defense is no good, it will not be fixed with just be compact shifting upfront or on the back. Their opponents have time on the ball, and that gives them possibilities to create more dangerous situations, and Man United are always in chasing mode.

[@kevindavies6233]

If ten hag wants us to play this way then he has to go because we are so easy to play against teams are rubbing their hands when they play us

[@PedroSeidelSinger]

To be fair, it's not that the playing style is wrong or doesn't work. The problem is that he needs pacey midfielders that will be able to run back and outrun the opponent players in possession of the ball. That's why it was imperative for him to bring in Frenkie De Jong. And I can understand his desire for Amrabat. If you watched him in the WC, he was exactely that: he was passing the ball around, and chasing back like his life depended on that. That way, you'd have (alongside with Mainoo) two player that cover the place between our box and the middle circle. I would definitely give a good run with Amrabat and Mainoo side by side, only to test if it solves the problem of the emptiness in front of our box. OR a run with Mainoo and Mount, giving Mount the task of being an 8, mainly focused on filling up spaces in the midfield and helping the build up. Here's where Casemiro fails miserably. He was NEVER a pacey midfield. He played at Real Madrid sitting between the defense line and Modric-Kroos. For Brazil, he also plays sitting back with another defensive midfielder running around for him - Paulinho in 2018, Fred in 2022. For Ten Hag's tactics, Casemiro is definitely the wrong guy. With that said, he also needs mobile defenders that can build up from the back - Martinez being the best example of it. Varane can't build up, Maguire can't run to save his life. I don't know about Kambwala, but that's where Koundé or De Ligt would fit. I still believe the tactics aren't the biggest problem there, but Ten Hag needs a good summer transfer window, bringing in players to solve this issue AND proper backups.

[@adindanielmilligan]

This guy’s script writing is class. Great watch baked

[@ShubhaGomes]

Could you do a video on his Ajax team? I’m keen to know why his Ajax team was so good from back to front with good organization in defensive press and just immaculate in transition.

[@zedgbr162]

Ajax have structure from top to bottom and always want to play total football and there players get trained from young to be ballers...utd is a mess it will take a while before we play good football our fans expect good football from a squad like ours...never going to happen.

[@paddywan]

Besides the good points already made on this, I would add that Ajax was basically the dominant team in the Eredivise or at least one of two of the dominant teams. It is way easier then compared to United who is the fourth best in the league on a good day. Add to that that some of the "other clubs" like Villa, Spurs, Chelsea, Newcaslte etc. are becoming better as weel, so the competition gets harder every year.

[@patrickmcintosh5915]

Thank you!!!! Yet it’s always the players fault when they’re put into a loosing situation from a tactical standpoint

[@Cerezer_I]

United should form in a 3-4-2-1 and that would basically solve the most issues. If both the wingback support every single attack and defense like Ancelloti's Milan.

[@mrnicewatch8877]

keep Ten Hag , give him a season with more players and u are right about everything. united fan

[@oluwaseunolajide9576]

Good analysis, only thing is I doubt he wants the defenders to be so deep, but unfortunately all the defenders at the club are either old or without pace and cant chase down a forward if they run beyond them, hence the deeper starting positions. If there was a Van De Ven or Kyle Walker, I believe the defence would be much closer than they currently are

[@konicanrex7153]

My own problem with all this is that every single person involved in football tactical discussion for the past 5-6 months has talked about the lack of compaction from Manchester United. Compaction is a very very very essential part of defending in any system. If you're pressing high you squeeze up so there's less space for the opposition to play and if you're not pressing high you sit back and play very narrow so there's less space for the opposition to play in. All my knowledge of football tactics comes from messing about with player instructions on fifa 22 and watching random videos during lunch. Ten Haag and his team are definitely seeing this problem if my inept eyes are? The fix is very easy squeeze up or sit back. There has to be some reason (valid or not) that they are not doing this.

[@nathanfasil7686]

They are doing this because he's trying to bridge the understanding gap for the next season while still managing to get results this season. Everyone thinks he should just stick to one but of we high press and start conceding 3+ goals every game because we our defenders are physically inept while trying to recover, then he gets sacked. If he sits back and does what he did mostly last season, people will say there's no progression and its still a counter attacking team and the purpose of bringing him in was pointless. On top of that, with new ownership deciding that a style of play is imperative, he has to show some sort of impetus which he is with the high turnovers and high pressing of the forwards and midfield line. He's basically caught between two styles not cause he wants to but because he has to and that's an uncomfortable watch for fans and analysts

[@Bole77]

Do you happen to watch United Real Therapy or MUFC Realist TV? This is basically what we have been talking about every show since the first game of the season against Wolves.

[@Clemzysmith]

The fact he wants this exact same style is what scares the most. He has chosen a style that has way too many limitations and compliments few players in the team yet the manager has set his stall and doesn’t want to change. I doubt he’ll last longer if Ineos ask the right questions

[@KEVIn-dq6pm]

It actually compliments more players than you think. rashford, hojlund, garnacho, bruno and players who can play in almost any system: mainoo, mount, shaw, dalot, martinez, onana. see the pattern here? the forwards are present so they have been told to do that and the defenders are not, so they are told to do different things. might be stupid if you dont take next season into consideration cuz he cant just park the bus every game cuz it might affect next season. idk if it will affect next season, cuz what would ik more than others. if everyone thinks he needs to adapt, maybe he needs to. the important thing is we should win and we won a lot more than we should and hence why he is sticking to this style.

[@febian1529]

City, Liverpool, Arsenal, spurs do the same thing, they press high on the pitch but the different is 1. Most of their player press with higher intensity and they have player who able to win the duel more 2. When the attacker and midfielder press then the defender join the press Squeeze the opponent and makes little gap between the lines. While United CB: lindelof - Varane - maguire they cant join the press because they cant cover big space behind because they are slow 3. Most of the team have better stamina while United player don't, they could press for 20-30 minutes after that they get tired. Solution: get rid off most of the player because physicaly they don't suit to play in high intensity high pressing football in EPL. And also Ten hag do have the style of play which direct transition football, the problem is the player cant execute the plan well. In other hand United cant also play passing movement like city because the player arent suit to that style also.

[@qos3gretna0]

Man Utd are my wee team and you're spot on - only thing to add though is Varane, Maguire and Evans are really slow - add in Casemiro hence the defence sitting deep

[@lucasvanwijngaarden670]

In Ten Hags defense I do not believe he wants to play a deep defensive line. It is a simple fact that you can't play a high defensive line with at least one of Maguire, Lindelof and Evans as your CBs. Not only do they lack the pace to recover balls in behind Maguire and Lindelof aren't good enough with the ball at their feet to justify playing them that high up the pitch. So the obvious solution would be to play more defensively as a team relying solely on counters. But that has proven to piss off the fans, just look back to Mourinho and Van Gaal. So

[@mohammeddmalik]

Just the 23 shots faced today. Against Everton. At home. Whats ridiculous is that there are still huge numbers of truly deluded Twitter fans who are convinced this is a personnel issue and not a tactical one 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@ryanfinnerty6239]

😂😂😂

[@KEVIn-dq6pm]

i dont use twitter alot (its hell) but i might be one of those deluded fans😅😂

[@mohammeddmalik]

@@KEVIn-dq6pm lol 😂 After watching this video do you still think it's cos of the players ETH has available or do think it's just what ETH is tactically doing now?

[@KEVIn-dq6pm]

@@mohammeddmalik no, i think everyone has to take the blame here but i think he is hated way more than he deserve to be. he is stuck between his style of play and an incapable defense

[@mohammeddmalik]

@@KEVIn-dq6pm I agree that that he's getting a lot of stick, especially after what he did for us last season. But what I can't get my head round is why he won't change the system, even for the short term until his ideal players are back. He was praised at the start of last season for changing his style of play after the first 2 defeats, yet this season we've faced 20+ shots more than any other team (once every 4 games) and he hasn't budged. Why not play a lower front line to be a bit more compact or even a low block until your key players come back? He's just being reckless with this system and those players right now.

[@far8]

11:35 Hes an Ai..

[@billyhowlett4541]

Great video but it’s what we all know already! Hopefully Manu can buy a couple of pacey CB’s in next transfer window to play the high line Ten Hag used to

[@TheBatman22]

The only defence I'd have for Ten Hag, is during the games when we've started Licha and Varane without hobbling on injuries, we've played a much higher line, I suspect the reason for such a deep defensive line is due to the incapabilities of the defenders he has to hand. Watch the recent 3 wins we had with Dalot, Varane, Licha and Shaw, Dalot was almost used as a CDM higher up the pitch in possession. I think he wants to play a higher line, but realises that Johnny Evans and Harry Maguire aren't realistically going to be able to do it

[@KEVIn-dq6pm]

this video made me understand why Eth is sticking this style and why we have conceded less goals despite have the most shots conceded in the league and why its not fully his fault and why we are crap in buildup.

[@danblake726]

We just don't have mobile enough players to do what Ten Hag wants; on paper Varane & Licha are mobile enough to play a high line but with them injured we have Maguire, Evans who cannot play a high line without leaving huge gaps. This has meant midfielders need to be able to be run ragged to cover the gap, so Eriksen has been sidelined & Casemiro& Amrabat look slow despite reading the game well. Our most energetic midfielder (Fred) was sold in the summer so we struggle to cover that gap. We need another transfer window to get some pacy Centre Back cover, to enable us to close that gap and stop our midfield being exposed. We couldn't do that in Jan because we didn't have £ available under FFP.

[@keithstitt9532]

Great work. Just shows that the recruitment department at United doesn't function. Casemiro 30plus and surplus to requirements after 18 months is brought in instead of Rice who has the legs but cost more.

[@ayenifiyin8732]

Please do a video about how Roberto De Zerbi would line up if he was Max United manager 🙃

[@femi_danjuma]

😅 He's not even better than ETH

[@SuperDouginator]

You are totally wrong. At the start of the season the defence was much higher. He changed it to this set up because of the replacement players. They can’t run fast enough to close down attacks

[@superpixelated7354]

I don't know why Hag was hold on longer than other manager

[@KEVIn-dq6pm]

who is the other manager?

[@bryngefferies7530]

Bring back Ole's the best Manager since SAF & his time were the best time, all he needs is a new Management who can look after him & our interests cos he definitely wouldn't roll over like EtH did last night, don't forget he has unfinish business to attend too. Keep it in the family!

[@arthurragnarok4073]

Create over-loads on the side you're playing on to create better chances so you can score more. Defensively would almost be the same as Rashford doesn't track back anyway.

[@tinashemusanhi765]

As a manchester United supporter I feel this is the way to go but we need a more mobile central DEF and MID, I don't think casemiro and varane are the people for this

[@bryngefferies7530]

Now we've a slim chance to make top 4 cos the players want it but EtH is the reason why we've lost so many games at the half way point cos he's hanging his players out to dry & he's at fault for 5 out of the 9 losses due poor summer transfers where we want 6 players & only got 3, poor team selection, poor squad usages & poor game management so his Job is definitely under review due to his underperformance as Manager of our Club! It's best for EtH & his team to pack their bags & go back to Ajax & reinvent himself & bring back Ole & his new Management team (Ole & the 3 wise men).

[@kraeutrpolizei]

One thing I'd like to add is that United second to only Arsenal in terms of giving away high scoring probability chances, so the defense is doing a good job overall. I don't think that ten Hag's approach works overall and I thinks it's best to part way in the summer if they find a more suitable manager

[@spanac100]

Best video

[@instancesofawol7968]

Makes complete sense. - I know you're not ass pulling figures or anything here.. it's just facts and what better to show this is within the opta data.. like you said, either play with a high line or play with a low block and on the counter attack. - hopefully ETH will change his tactics but we shall see.

[@bennyblanco3322]

Make a video on best managers for manchester united

[@varungaure3312]

Good analysis! While I do agree United don’t control games I think your reasoning for it isn’t entirely correct - 1. Why do you use shots faced as a metric to answer “do United control games”? Why not use field tilt? Or xG faced? I don’t think shots faced is necessarily a bad metric but are there better metrics you can use? Also shots faced doesn’t tell me about the quality of shots, distance from which they were taken and any indicator of game state. I don’t know if the results would necessarily turn out any different but just using shots faced as a metric is just seems like an incomplete approach. 2. You mention Erik Ten Hag’s philosophy is pressing high and defending in a low block. However, you don’t offer any context into the personnel and injury issues the team has had. Without Martinez, Lindelof, Shaw, and Varane (albeit less so) the back line has mostly featured slower CBs in Maguire and Evans. Couple that with Casemiro’s loss of pace and you begin to understand why we can’t defend in a higher line. This is a mischaracterisation of Ten Hag’s philosophy and you can watch several of his interviews where emphasises the need to maintain a high line and play out from the back.

[@user-ij8cj8ms6s]

Which stats do you for your analysis...?

[@Mr.Monta77]

The problem is ETH’s ping-pong football strategy. He and only he is responsible for their playing style and total lack of defensive strategy.

[@myasaee]

I dont blame Ten Hag for the defensive issues this season. I however blame him to a poor attacking patterns when in the final third. So clear the players are just iprovising when attacking.

[@halmohammed2]

if ten hag gets the players he want like he wanted De Jong but United gave him Casemiro.. with the right players this system will work

[@meadff1]

We need to change manager - the tactics just don't work, we are overall just not very good. Of course, we also need changes in the general set up and Ratcliffe is don't just that. Both are needed.

[@coachpoppavic]

Ten Hag doesn't want to play with a low block though he wants to have a higher line but hasn't had the players to do it. That's why United always look significantly better when Martinez is in the lineup and why he wanted to get rid of maguire and bring another cb (Kim min jae, Todibo etc)

[@cormac7884]

The problem is that evans, maguire and lindelof while good this season are too slow to play a high line, and we arent defensively good enough to play deep and counter every game

[@GiorgosArsiotis]

You got it wrong Ten hag wants high defending line its just martinez thats injured and he playes either johny evans whos 35 or maguire which is 31 and results to being very very slow so the players cant adapt and drop back and lose on the midfield because of dropping back too much.. also a big factor of losing the midfield is rashford most of the times wont track back and maino or casemiro has to mark 2 players more which leads to make them choose one choice of action.

[@AlanSmith88888]

This has been a problem since before Ten Hag. Its f**kin embarassing.

[@yungtrashlord]

man utd can't defend while we everton can't score, perfect

[@nevillechukumah1843]

ETH has won 8 games out of 10 this year alone and drawing none with the injuries he has wtf is wrong with everyone

[@dddrdr]

But I don't understand what the reason is? There was nothing like that at Ajax, nothing like that at Utrecht. And anyway, it's stupid, everyone realises that. What's changed?

[@eugenetan7977]

To play his style, the team needs patience and midfielders that are press resistance and hold the ball. The current mid are giving away the ball too much

[@Vachalen]

As a Liverpool fan, I think ETH is doing a bang on job at ManUnited 👍 p.s Please don't sack ETH

[@onwuegbuzieafamefuna5934]

Adam, I think ETH "needs" his defense to play deep, not "wants", due to the available personnel.

[@jdsonical]

7:57 we aren't looking too good either huh *laughs in Bee*

[@101AGAMES]

so you re telling me ETH is setting up his defense to fail ? do Harry Maguire , Johnny Evans and Raphael Varane have top class recovery pace ? or passing ability or composure on the ball in tight spaces while being pressed ? should I also add that we are relying on Dalot on the right hand side constantly and that our two LBs have been MIA for the entire season?

[@sandis7674]

So ten hag demand his whole midfielder to play like park ji sung and kante, where they expected to run around for 90min non stop

[@abdaf8706]

Ten Hag's play is basically a YOLO football 😂

[@onii-chan2811]

I think we deserve a video on why we are bad on the ball especially!!

[@indyprosandcons329]

Love that this was uploaded after the “How Man UTD can beat Man City” video 😭

[@van_trini13]

You didn't talk about the glaring issues in defense that force ten hag to play a deeper back line than he would like. Apart from Shaw and Martinez, our players are either too flat-footed or nowhere near the quality needed to support the kind of transitional tactics ten hag would like to play. Regarding Ten Hag's comments to the media, I want to believe he doesn't think he owes them any explanation. I want to believe that up front he backs his players and tactics to the fullest to keep confidence, but behind the scenes likely gives both the critical eye necessary to keep things going and developing.

[@QuotidianStupidity]

He could play in such a way as to protect the defence They could not waste hundreds of millions on Anthony, Cas, Onana, Mount etc and buy the required players at cb that even Brighton can get. Too many excuses

[@lanalan4157]

Excuses excuses

[@BaronSlayer]

​@@QuotidianStupidity He is not the one who decides how much they should pay for a player. You can't blame him for that.

[@m4767]

Spot on, imagine thinking EtH and his staff are brain dead to see these spaces when a KZbinr can spot it. Haha it’s always funny to me. I bet they expect Erik to come out and tell the world after the city or any other game for that matter we got battered and the players aren’t good enough knowing damn well how weak these players are to give up. Oh, and then they will run with the narrative, Erik throwing players under the bus. This whole UK media and football circus is stupid honestly because people like Carragher and the Neville that failed at coaching clubs like Valencia could call for a Manager’s job. Like seriously, what are we doing? These mfs are everything wrong with football lately

[@shubhtiwari14]

Dalot is pretty good too

[@omegalunatic8115]

ETH doesnt want a low block its the only way our current defs can defend comfortably

[@yamaws_]

as much as i agree we need to stick to one philosophy of pressing and possession, youre really disregarding the fact how slow our centre back pairings are. since martinez has been injured, we have had to play johnny evans, maguire, and at times even lindelof who are all slow. to play a high back line to condense the space for midfield, we need faster centre halves, or at least ONE like martinez back. idk how well ten hag realises this tho

[@zaidfrazao4390]

You diagnose the problem semi-correctly but ignore the reason for it (hint: it's not the manager and probably the insane injury crisis that's been season-long and the constant off-field drama). The midfield gap is a problem, but what's the solution? Well, United fans are sick of park-the-bus counter-attack football, so pushing the forward line back gets him the sack because he's just doing what every other failed manager has done at our club. Ok, so push the defensive line forward right? Well, that's not an option because Maguire, Evans, and Lindelhof have no recovery pace, so we'd just lose every game and he gets the sack. Well, what's the solution? Keep the manager and get players that can do what he and the fans want i.e. the very style of play he's trying to enforce. Accept that ETH's current approach is him playing the hand he's been dealt to the best of the available team's abilities whilst still catering to what the fans demand. I don't think we should lower our standards as fans to cater to an average squad, or replace the manager and repeat the cycle we've gone through for the past decade.

[@holliswong8519]

We had Evan, McGuire and Varane. We have to play deep. But if we play deep… we don’t progress.

[@athens9867]

So in short Ten Hag wants his team to press high and defend deep at the same time. Let that sink in

[@vietbaonguyen2672]

The number of chances a team faced doesn't really matter. What more important is how dangerous are those chances. So it kinda disingenuous to say that our MU defense is bad. We are "only" midtable for xg conceded, not that high but it isn't 18th in the league. Also ten hag style is pressing not pressing and low block. We only have to play low block due to the absence of martinez.

[@skepticalcynic5157]

This could have been a video about Leeds United in their last Premier League season.

[@kylelacy-andrews9017]

Actually thought Utd defended quite well against City, it was much more like a proper low block and especially in the first half they had chances on the counter. Yes they still conceded a lot of shots but there were some great blocks and last ditch tackles in there. Couldn't fault the effort for once

[@HenSt-gz7qj]

I don't know why but since SAF left, under Moyes, LVG, Mourinho, and ETH now... It keeps getting apparent that MU squad is too specialized in counterattacking football. Like, no matter the managers or the signings, they always ends up playing their best when they play counterattacking.

[@chrisotive]

Shouldn't it be "they are winning games they should be losing"?

[@edmanning274]

Seems like almost the same problem as spurs had with conte… except they only had two midfielder in a more compact setup. To similar effect.

[@mr.increediblle7964]

Ten Hag has aged by 10 years since he took the United job