Man Utd: Style of football under Erik ten Hag examined as United reach crisis point

What is Manchester United’s style of play under Erik ten Hag?

It should not be a hard question to answer but it is something which has left many observers scratching their heads over the past week.

“None of us here can explain what Manchester United try to do in terms of how they play,” said Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher after watching Ten Hag’s side outclassed by Manchester City on Sunday.

The Carabao Cup exit to a much-changed Newcastle on Wednesday was another Old Trafford night to forget. Theatre of Dreams? It is a theatre of nightmares for United supporters right now.

Here, we take a look at a range of stats to try to establish what Ten Hag and United are trying to achieve – and where it is going wrong…

Putting the press on

“In high-ball regains, we are top of the Premier League,” Ten Hag said proudly ahead of the Manchester derby. “The pressing is very good.”

Certainly his is a team which likes to defend on the front foot. They lead the way for high turnovers, their starting distance – the point where they win the ball back – is higher up the pitch than last season and now the highest in the league. The average position of their players demonstrates their advance up the field, too.

With a 4-2-3-1 formation, Ten Hag wants his frontline players hounding opposition defenders and stopping them from building from the back.

The problem is what happens when teams get through that press. More on that to come.

Going direct

“We will never play the football we played at Ajax here,” Ten Hag said after the derby, dashing the hopes of any United supporters hoping to see ‘total football’ at Old Trafford. “I now have other players,” he added. Players he clearly feels are better suited to a fast, direct style.

Ten Hag’s United see less of the ball this season than they did under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a head coach who was considered to be a counter-attack specialist. Andre Onana may have replaced David De Gea in part because of his passing ability, but United are recording fewer ‘build-up attacks’ (moves with at least 10 passes) than they have across the past five seasons.

This is a team which looks forward as soon as it gets the ball. An approach epitomised by the captain Bruno Fernandes. Nothing wrong with that – but perhaps it needs refining with a reduced Expected Goals figure suggesting United are creating fewer good chances.

What’s holding them back?

Too easy to play through

Perhaps it is not so much the idea of how to play that is missing but the execution, which is clearly not happening as it should and as a result clouding the picture of what United are doing.

The front-foot approach is leaving them exposed when teams beat their press, with opponents bypassing Man Utd players with passes almost 30 times more per game on average this season than last.

That is leading to them enjoying more touches in the opposition box than they have across the five seasons we have examined since 2019 and, as a result, the Expected Goals of Man Utd’s opponents is up too.

The midfield make-up has been an issue from the very start of this season and opposition sides can hurt this United team. Only seven sides have conceded more goals – not a surprise when you see sides are having 5.4 shots on target against United on average per game, up from 3.8 last season.

Finishing

The best football plans in the world are only as good as a team’s finishing. Just ask Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea. Unfortunately for United and Ten Hag, the team’s forwards have been badly out of form so far this season.

Injuries to key men

Unquestionably, injuries have hit United hard this season. Critics will say that, given their spending, they should be able to cover the absences of players. But with Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane and Tyrell Malacia, there is no doubt Ten Hag has been having to work with alternative options.

He has also been without Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Casemiro, Sofyan Amrabat, Sergio Reguilon and Aaron Wan-Bissaka for periods of this campaign.

“I think when Manchester United get players back, the football will improve and there will be a better feeling in the club and they will win a lot of games with the players they have got,” said Sky Sports’ Gary Neville ahead of their Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle.

However, he added: “What I would say is that the performance levels, and the style we’ve seen in this last month or two has been really poor. That style should be embedded, even if the players are different. It should be embedded through the 24 in the squad. I have to say the quality has dropped enormously. There’s no doubt they need players back.”

For Ten Hag, the return of those first-teamers cannot come soon enough.

What’s next?

Man Utd are back in Premier League action on Saturday lunchtime as they head to Fulham; kick-off 12.30pm.