Improvements were expected at Manchester United this season, but nobody really knew how long it would take new manager Erik ten Hag to stamp his authority on the team. However, just mid-way through September and 10 weeks into his tenure, the Dutchman’s influence is clear.
Prior to his arrival at Old Trafford, Ten Hag was revered for his slick total football philosophy which focuses heavily on quick possession play and building through the lines. His approach was lambasted in the wake of United’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford, and adaptations were made for the clash against Liverpool nine days later.
Those adjustments, namely playing more direct and on the break, delivered a crucial victory on the night, but it was only ever going to be a temporary change as a consequence of the circumstances. In the weeks that have followed, we’ve seen more of a United reflective of their new manager, and Jadon Sancho’s opening strike in Thursday night’s 2-0 Europa League win at Sheriff perhaps best captures the improvements in this United side best.
The sequence started out on the left with Tyrell Malacia, who fed the ball into the feet of Scott McTominay. He turned out and quickly started a sequence that saw the ball shift out to the right, forcing Sheriff players to shuffle over. As they did, the ball was worked back towards the middle, with Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and Antony all playing a role.
McTominay played the first pass forward as United ramped up the attack, Fernandes and eventual goalscorer Sancho combined with some clever one-touch passing before feeding the ball back to Eriksen.
It was the Dane who eventually played the decisive ball into the feet of Sancho, switching gears with a quickly driven pass into the feet of the United attacker who chopped onto his weaker left foot and finished superbly into the goalkeeper's bottom left.
In total during the build-up, before the ball reaches Sancho, there were 12 passes made, with seven players involved, five of who used two touches or less to receive the ball and move it onto a teammate. It’s no wonder that their Sheriff opponents couldn’t get near them.
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While United remain a work in progress under Ten Hag, goals like these are set to become more and more common. In the Reds' last Premier League fixture, the 3-1 victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal, an 18-pass move lasting exactly one minute and involving all 11 players culminated in Antony’s first strike for the club.
In years gone by under previous regimes, United were often at their most dangerous playing a counter-attacking system, sitting deep then looking to break fast and unleash speedy attackers. It delivered some standout results against top opposition, yet when they tried to adjust and break lesser sides down, issues arose.
We’re slowly seeing Ten Hag introducing a philosophy that overcomes these issues, but one that should also eventually prove commanding against tougher opposition too.
