2
A irritating season from Manchester United has been blighted by accidents and off-field dramas, however it’s the on-field shift in ways from these of the earlier marketing campaign by supervisor Erik ten Hag which have perplexed followers and pundits alike.
Final season’s “Ten Hag ball” – a inventive, progressive possession-based system with a deep mendacity playmaker and a fluid entrance three introduced nice success, with United qualifying for the Champions League, profitable the League Cup, reaching the FA Cup closing and Europa League semi-final.
Nonetheless, considerably inexplicably, the supervisor introduced in pre-season that he wished to make United “the very best transition group on the planet” and all of a sudden modified his tactical set-up utterly.
The deep-lying play maker was changed by a ball-carrying midfielder and Ten Hag Ball was changed by what’s not-so-affectionately termed Chaos Ball, a method based mostly on fast counter-attacks, overloading the opposition when in possession and a excessive press out of possession.
The outcomes to date have been, it’s in all probability honest to say, disastrous. United have suffered extra pictures in opposition to them than another group exterior the relegation zone, probably the most in a season since 2003, with 9 matches nonetheless remaining.
Watching United this season is like watching underdogs from a decrease league, even in opposition to the likes of Luton City and Bournemouth.
There’s a lingering hope amongst many who the ways have been enforced in Ten Hag’s thoughts by accidents to key personnel, and that he might return to the extra managed system of final season.
However an fascinating video that has been doing the rounds on social media exhibits that in truth, these ways will not be Ten Hag stepping out of character. They don’t seem to be an aberration. He employed them at Ajax and defended them stoutly even when the legendary Ruud Gullit identified their obtrusive weak point.
Ruud Gullit questioning Erik Ten Hag’s ways and his open midfield throughout a soccer talkshow on nationwide TV.
ETH admits leaving the midfield broad open with out anybody overlaying it, CAN NEVER HAPPEN, which ought to let you know, it’s all about participant high quality at United.
( 1/2 ) pic.twitter.com/djbra99O8o
— Erik Ten Shelby 🧣 (@ErikTenShelby) April 2, 2024
Within the 2019 video, Gullit is analysing Ajax’s Champions League dwelling defeat to Actual Madrid (a tie Ten Hag’s males subsequently went on to win earlier than finally dropping to Spurs within the semi-final of the competitors).
Gullit factors out the gaps left between defence and midfield when Ajax go ahead, and the way straightforward it’s to take advantage of by Actual when possession is conceded.
The nice man additionally famous that related gaps have been left in opposition to Bayern Munich within the group phases that ought to have been punished extra.
The compère requested Gullit if he recognises the sample of a group seeming unbeatable one minute and beatable by anybody the following.
“The annoying half about Ajax is … when issues aren’t going properly, what do you do subsequent?” he replied.
“And that’s once they’re weak.
“Particularly in transition…I’ve already seen it many instances earlier than.
“In the intervening time they’re taking plenty of dangers, particularly in midfield, and impulsively you get ridiculous counters.”
Gullit then talked by means of an instance from the match noting, “it will get intercepted after which they will run straight by means of”.
Different examples have been proven of groups mounting straightforward counter-attacks earlier than the compère requested if that isn’t at all times the hazard of taking part in a excessive press.
“Nicely, there at all times needs to be a participant within the center, who says ‘what if?’” Gullit replies, citing Manchester Metropolis’s Fernandinho for instance.
“That’s one thing you will need to have: ‘what if we lose the ball?’”
However Ten Hag disagreed.
“The best way we play, these are the dangers which are already calculated,” he stated, earlier than chalking the Actual Madrid aim all the way down to the standard of the opposition.
Ten Hag’s Ajax overachieved in that season, profitable the Eredivisie by a landslide and having fun with that epic run within the Champions League. So his defence of the dangers as “calculated” held some water.
Nonetheless, at Manchester United, taking part in within the unforgiving Premier League, they clearly don’t.
The horrific gaps within the video are chillingly acquainted to United followers and the regarding issue is the supervisor’s stubbornness and perception within the system that enables them. It means, if Ten Hag stays at Manchester United, then so, it appears, will chaos ball.
Need to be the primary to listen to breaking Man United information? For fastidiously chosen, essential updates, be a part of our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-Information.
