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Manchester United misplaced one more recreation yesterday in opposition to a really poor Chelsea facet, having had the lead 9 minutes into damage time.
Yesterday we coated post-match feedback made by supervisor Erik ten Hag to TNT Sports activities, during which he claimed United “dominated the sport” and “have been sensible.”
It’s actually not what United followers noticed.
While it’s true that after once more, accidents to 2 centre backs and two tender penalties meant luck was not on United’s facet, nonetheless, the match was one other instance of a efficiency missing in technique, techniques, organisation and unity.
One resolution Ten Hag made was to drop Marcus Rashford for Antony, who himself has had a season dogged by poor type and off-pitch distractions.
It’s true that the Brazilian was on no account the worst participant on the pitch, however it appeared curious that the supervisor spent a giant chunk of his post-match press convention singing his praises, notably since he was liable for conceding an early penalty with a careless problem within the space.
“All our gamers have been a hazard, Garnacho, Antony, he was excellent. I stated it earlier than, within the final weeks, he’s progressing,” Ten Hag stated.
“You see it in coaching, you see it when he come on in opposition to Liverpool, additionally in opposition to Brentford, he’s stepping up, he’s understanding the message, he’s progressing, so we’re happy with that.”
There appears to be a favouritism relating to Antony that Jadon Sancho alluded to when he had his well-known falling out with Ten Hag. In the meantime, one of many actual heroes in opposition to Liverpool, Amad Diallo, as soon as once more sat on the bench for the entire 100 minutes, whereas one other, Mason Mount, was solely launched late within the recreation.
One other obsession that the Dutchman has is that United are a “transition” staff, basing the play on swift counter-attacks. At first of this season, he inexplicably deserted the extra possession-based method that introduced a lot success final season to pursue this fantasy.
Once more on this, on the post-match presser (through Hayters TV), his feedback appeared delusional.
“It’s our energy how we rating from counters,” he stated.
“We may be such an enormous menace, now we have seen right this moment once more an instance of how with tempo we will beat our opponents.
“We’re unstoppable.”
We aren’t unstoppable, Erik. Now we have been stopped extra occasions this season than in just about some other within the membership’s historical past.
Except for the questionable resolution to do an entire 180 on final season’s system, the transition tactic requires United to take in strain, which is insanity when the defence needs to be modified each week, the place a brand new goalkeeper needed to settle in, and when key gamers akin to Casemiro are constructed for possession-based soccer and in no way suited to a transitional fashion.
It’s insanity to pursue this fashion when your greatest weapon when it comes to tempo, Marcus Rashford, is off type and when you have got just one match centre ahead to do the quantity of working required for it for many of the season.
In reality, one in all Ten Hag’s excuses for the poor season has been the variety of accidents, however the techniques he’s using require huge bodily endurance and stamina and the exhaustion brought on by that, in itself, might have been a significant component within the variety of accidents sustained.
No matter occurs any further with Ten Hag and his administration of Manchester United, one factor is obvious from this season: he’s an extremely cussed man. He’ll follow one thing doggedly if he believes it’s proper regardless of all proof on the contrary.
Typically, that may be an important asset, however typically, it may be your undoing.
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