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Manchester United and final minute targets are constructed into the material of the membership.
The Nineteen Nineties and 2000s turned synonymous with Sir Alex Ferguson prowling on the sidelines, analyzing his look ahead to the umpteenth time and opposition defenders quivering of their boots because the Crimson Devils threw the proverbial kitchen sick at them to grab last-gasp winners.
United are nonetheless able to this, simply ask Brentford, Wolves and Liverpool.
Nonetheless, moments of the elegant have been frequently adopted up by last-gasp lunacy for Erik ten Hag’s facet this season.
The Previous Trafford outfit not too long ago made undesirable historical past as they managed to transform a 99th minute lead right into a loss towards a much-maligned Chelsea facet. With the defeat, they turned the primary staff to handle to lose a sport after main so deep into further time.
Consequently, The Athletic have taken a deep dive into the explanations behind such late collapses.
“Mohamed Salah’s equaliser within the 84th minute on Sunday — simply three days after Erik ten Hag’s facet imploded in damage time at Stamford Bridge — was solely the Twelfth-latest strike that United have conceded this season. Two have gone in previous the 100-minute mark, whereas their tally of eight targets towards in second-half stoppage time has already doubled their earlier Premier League worst”.
Ten Hag’s facet’s “incapacity to stem the tide in the direction of the top of video games is draining confidence and compromising factors”.
The Athletic have pinpointed two main considerations behind United’s incapacity to defend late on in matches. The primary is that they “are pushing too onerous in the course of the latter levels” and the second is “that components of the squad are being overwhelmed with the bodily and psychological calls for of the end-to-end sequences which are produced”.
The sequence of play that led to Chelsea’s final second winner at Stamford Bridge eight days in the past is put beneath the microscope. After giving freely an unlucky penalty within the 99th minute to let Chelsea equalise, United in all probability ought to have performed out for the draw within the possible remaining two minutes of play.
Nonetheless, this isn’t how Ten Hag goes about enterprise. As an alternative, “straight from kick-off, six United gamers steam ahead, together with Dalot, who loses possession after driving with the ball.
Inside simply 12 seconds of kick-off, moments after the damaging psychological blow of conceding a One hundredth-minute equaliser, United are uncovered once more and face yet one more full-tilt dash down the pitch, with Harry Maguire quickly dealing with a three-on-one”.
The sequence of play led to Carney Chukwuemeka hitting the put up, however Cole Palmer’s late objective was scored from the following nook, the place “three United gamers are pointing to Palmer, whereas moments earlier than, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has his palms on his knees and is panting for air”.
The staff’s tiredness undoubtedly contributed to the gamers switching off, which is all that’s wanted to punish a staff within the ferociously aggressive Premier League.
The Athletic be aware that with the additional stoppage time being allotted this season – a 38% improve, United’s gung-ho strategy and bravado will be praised on one hand, on the opposite, it could possibly be seen as naive in a league the place each staff is supremely match and chomping on the bit to punish you.
Poor resolution making as a result of fatigue is one problem however Ten Hag’s tactical dedication to counter-attacks is one other massively damaging problem.
“Each seasons beneath the Dutchman have seen a rise within the common variety of direct assaults conceded per sport, whereas the newest 10-game common has rocketed after leaky shows towards Brentford, Liverpool and Fulham”.
The staff’s dedication to transition can bear important fruit, like Amad Diallo’s late winner towards Liverpool within the FA Cup, however it may additionally result in punishing blows. They permit extra alternatives towards an uncovered defence and this ends in common chaos within the defensive construction.
What’s extra, it is a explicit drawback for the Crimson Devils in second half stoppage time.
“No staff has conceded greater than [United´s] 11 Opta-defined ‘quick breaks’ in second-half stoppage time this season, whereas solely Fulham have confronted extra photographs towards them after the 90-minute mark”.
This problem has been current all season, as in September’s 1-3 loss to Brighton. United had been caught out within the added time as they pressed the Seagulls however the gaps within the defensive and midfield strains grew and grew, which allowed the opposition to virtually rating an embarrassing fourth. Fortunately, Ansu Fati didn’t convert from 10 yards out.
Casemiro might be the largest sufferer of this enjoying type. The midfield man has been poor by his personal admission along with his kind “retaining him up at night time” however he’s additionally massively harm by the type applied by Ten Hag, as identified by the Brazilian media.
United’s type of play will be characterised as “gamers with waning bodily attributes discovering themselves in troublesome one-vs-one eventualities, with the staff unable to regulate these match-ups amid the chaos”.
This was once more brutally uncovered in Fulham’s late winner at Previous Trafford in February when Harry Maguire and Christian Eriksen had been left to face an onslaught of 4 Fulham gamers, together with the blistering Adama Traore, who was recent off the bench. Not surprisingly, this led to Alex Iwobi scoring a ninety fifth minute winner.
Nottingham Forest’s late objective within the closing sport of 2023 additionally was a chief instance of the chasm that ceaselessly crops up between the center and again strains.
The outlet’s evaluation concludes by saying there’s “a paradox of id” at United. Enjoying “the United method” is necessary, however “there comes some extent — maybe conceding within the 99th, One hundredth and a hundred and first minute within the area of 4 days — the place that trade-off would possibly should be thought-about”.
