MANCHESTER United sit 10th in the Premier League after a disappointing start to the season.
There was a real sense of optimism around the club as the season began, with United back in the Champions League and the squad receiving significant investment.
However, poor league form and back-to-back defeats to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in Europe have left some questioning manager Erik ten Hag.
For a club like United, who expect to be challenging on multiple fronts, pressure is even more pronounced as fans start to turn against the team as rivals pull away at the top of the table.
With that said, however, there are a lot of positive signs at the club, these have just not translated at this point to wins in the league.
In this article, we will look at three tactical aspects of United’s play that are not going to plan before explaining how these can be improved on.
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Pressing high as a unit
When Ten Hag was handed the reigns at Old Trafford, there was a lot of excitement about bringing a high-pressing culture to the club.
There are few things, at least out of possession, that make fans as excited during a match as seeing their team streaming forward to press the opposition high in an attempt to win the ball back.
This style of play can be extremely effective because the closer to the opposition goal you can win the ball back the greater your chance of scoring quickly.
However, this press has not quite worked as expected, with players too often caught between pressing high and dropping into a defensive block which has seen the press bypassed too easily.
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8For United to press high in a more effective manner they have to commit to pressing in this way on a more regular basis.
When the opposition build from a deep or when the ball is lost close to the goal United's attacking players need to be willing to step out and lead the press through quick movements.
But this will only work if these attacking players are not completely isolated when they press.
If a team presses high but only uses three or four players to look to win the ball back then the opposition can typically play through the press and into the space beyond.
For this to work properly the both the midfield and defence need to work in tandem, with the defence pushing higher if the midfield moves to support the press.
Pressing in a more compact defensive block in this manner would see the units operate as one as they look to squeeze the opposition and force more turnovers in possession.
Play more on the counterattack
Football at the top level, and especially in the Premier League, seems to be transitioning more towards teams wanting to control matches as a priority.
This season Ten Hag seems to prioritise control from a tactical perspective — with an emphasis from United building through the thirds and out from the back and trying to dominate the ball.
However, this does not necessarily play to the strengths of the current United squad.
In Bruno Fernandes they have one of the most aggressive and progressive passing players in the game.
And with Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford they have two players with incredible pace.
However, there is still a sense that United are really missing out by not being more aggressive in their attacking approach.
Teams like Manchester City and Arsenal want to dominate the opposition through possession.
But United could do the same through continually attacking in transition and then counter-pressing should they lose the ball close to the opposition area.
Playing fast, attacking and counter-attacking football, is in the DNA of how United traditionally play.
Fans at Old Trafford want to see aggressive and attacking football.
A lot of United’s issues so far this season seem to have been caused by a desire to overplay in deeper positions as they look to control the game.
Shifting to a more deliberate counter-attacking style would likely be a better fit for this United squad.
Stop overplaying at the back
The decision to withdraw a contract offer to David de Gea and sign Andre Onana in his place seemed to signal a desire to play out from the back.
While De Gea was a very capable shot stopper with great reflexes he was not good with his feet, while Onana, on the other hand, was thought to be on par with Ederson when playing out from the back.
However, Onana has come in for a great deal of criticism for his performances this season both in terms of preventing goals and giving the ball away in dangerous positions.
This does not mean though that he has become a bad goalkeeper in the space of a few months.
United need to stop trying to force playing from the back given they do not have players who are comfortable in this approach.
Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, are less comfortable receiving the ball facing their own goal when under pressure.
United could remedy this by playing more direct with Onana going slightly longer when playing out to beat the initial press and get the opposition defending in a deeper block.
While Ten Hag wanted to get more control by playing out from the back, Onana has the quality on the ball to play longer passes into midfield.
By using this ability United will put themselves into stronger positions more quickly from where they can attack the opposition defensive unit.
What does all of this mean?
Man United seem to be caught between wanting to play a possession-oriented system and having the players who suit a more direct and fast attacking style of football.
In order to regain form and to start to put points on the table in the Premier League, United's squad composition means they should lean into the latter.
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By playing in a system that suits the skill set of the team it is likely United would get themselves back into contention towards the top of the table quickly.
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