Erik ten Hag didn’t make many changes from the Manchester United team he started with in previous friendly wins against Melbourne Victory and Liverpool.
Ahem, Manchester United is back… or are they?
It’s too soon to tell, but the signs are promising after the Red Devils recorded a third straight victory in their pre-season tour, winning 3-1 against Premier League opposition Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
Erik ten Hag didn’t make many changes from the team he started with in previous friendly wins against Melbourne Victory and Liverpool. Goals scored aside, what’s been most impressive about Man United is the brand of football being showcased by players that have been performing under-par in the last few seasons. United has been accused of having players that have failed to keep to basics, lack fitness and cohesion in their play, and have no style of football. And it’s been true for most of them.
Ten Hag has clearly been working on United’s style of play, making it clear in press conferences that he wants his team to press, and a pressing team has to be fit and coherent with one another. United players are also showing improvement in their ball passing ability in between tight spaces and open spaces where the opposition drops deep, but the biggest improvement in possession seems to be the runs being made by players off the ball, offering those on the ball more options. This doesn’t mean I’m sold over McFred (Scott McTominay and Fred) in midfield but they are reaping the fruits of being coached by a former Ajax coach who is obsessed with good football. The fluidity and chemistry between players is better.
It’s only pre-season, but when you compare the stats between the United vs Crystal Palace pre-season game on Tuesday and their last game against them in December of last year in the Premier League, there are clear differences that point to improvement, and it should only get better once they are playing competitive football. In the PL game, ironically, United managed 530 passes; they reached 535 passes today and limited Palace to less than 300 passes. Possession is similar too, 62% in December, 65% today. The biggest improvement is being made in passing accuracy with United getting close to 90% (88%) while they could only get 82% right in the PL game. This improvement is important as it shows United are already correcting a huge flaw in their play; losing possession easily and the inability to accurately pinpoint passes when looking for attacking players.
A striker who was written off in most United fans’ books, Anthony Martial, has suddenly scored three goals in three games, while Marcus Rashford looks like he’s falling in love with football again. Jadon Sancho is finally looking like the £73m player United bought, largely due to the changes ringed by Ten Hag.
It’s still very early days, but with players like Cristian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and the possible return of Cristiano Ronaldo (who has still not joined the team in pre-season) United should only get better from here ahead of their opener against Brighton & Hove on the 7th of August.
Up next for Manchester United in club friendlies:
Manchester United vs Aston Villa (23 July 2022)
Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid (30 July 2022)
Manchester United vs Rayo Vallecano (31 July 2022)
