Erik ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford geared up with a number of passing drills. The themes appear to contain passing the ball ahead, discovering team-mates in shut quarters and retaining the ball on the bottom. None of which sounds radical. All of which seems vital.
Manchester United’s new supervisor additionally got here with a shortlist of targets who can cross the ball. Lisandro Martinez, with a mean of 87 passes per 90 minutes, can construct up from the again. Christian Eriksen’s capability to unlock defences meant that solely Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish averaged extra shot-creating actions per 90 minutes in final season’s Premier League. Frenkie de Jong, the numbers present, will full no less than 89 % of his passes in a La Liga or Champions League marketing campaign, which ought to bode nicely for the Premier League and the Europa League.
The coaching floor and the switch market could type twin weapons in Ten Hag’s armoury. If his activity is to make United higher, specifically it’s to make them higher on the ball. If there are many methods through which United have fallen behind within the final 9 years, possession ranks among the many most important. United had a 52.1 % share final season, decrease than Brighton, some 16.7 % adrift of Manchester City. In itself, it underlines how Pep Guardiola has modified the sport: in Sir Alex Ferguson’s day, no staff usually averaged 60 % in a Premier League marketing campaign, not to mention 68.
In the Scot’s last season, United completed fourth within the possession charts and received the league and, in as a lot as such statistics can be found from his day, that was typical. Fergieball wasn’t a philosophy as a lot as a self-perpetuating profitable behavior. He may have two playmakers, in Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick, however no overriding dedication to retaining the ball. He was famously left dizzied by Barcelona’s “passing carousel” of their Guardiola years.
All of which felt extra necessary when certainly one of Ferguson’s disciples grew to become supervisor in a retro challenge. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s hanging profession peaked on the Nou Camp however, oblivious to developments there within the Guardiola years, his imaginative and prescient of soccer felt trapped in his personal taking part in days which was why, when confronted by passing groups, he may solely reply with fast counter-attacking.
Whether beneath him or Ralf Rangnick, United have been strangers to the ball in opposition to the very best final season. Last season, they’d 37 and 28 % of possession in opposition to Liverpool, 33 and 31 in opposition to City, 35 and 36 in opposition to Chelsea. They didn’t prime 45 in opposition to both Tottenham or Arsenal both. And whereas in earlier seasons, Solskjaer specialised in heists, profitable with little possession, United had solely a double in opposition to Spurs to point out for his or her minority share. Meanwhile, throughout Guardiola’s reign, City have by no means averaged beneath 60 % of the ball in a full season, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool beneath 58 or United over 55. It appeared to suggest a gulf in cohesion and sophistication. It can observe that the groups with extra of the ball rating extra objectives and win extra video games.
It just isn’t computerized, nevertheless. The aberration in United’s latest historical past, the time after they have been a possession staff, got here beneath a former Ajax supervisor. United topped the charts in Louis van Gaal’s first season, with 58.8 %. They ranked second in his sophomore season, however scored a mere 47 objectives. Their passing was pointless, sideways and sterile. That three of Ferguson’s first 4 successors – David Moyes, Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer – had no actual passing ethos could have made them a staff out of time.
It is the place Ten Hag represents a break from the previous. Perhaps he benefited from the Dutch tradition at Ajax; but whole soccer got here with relatively lesser sources than the modern-day continental giants get pleasure from. Nonetheless, Ajax had a 61.8 % share of possession in final season’s Champions League, third behind solely Bayern Munich and Liverpool. They have persistently boasted over 50 % beneath Ten Hag, invariably relatively greater than United and sometimes whereas proving potent.
It took the sort of collective high quality that United have lacked. Given the individualistic tradition at Old Trafford, it has felt at occasions as if passing has been left to sure huge names. Bruno Fernandes has been concurrently United’s finest and worst passer, the almost certainly to create one thing and provides the ball away. Paul Pogba might be a spectacularly good lengthy passer. Donny van de Beek, accustomed to lining up with likeminded gamers in a system, was miscast as a Solskjaer participant.
United have lacked a midfield metronome – a task De Jong could assume if he joins – but in addition a mode of play the place passing feels fluent and pure. They even have ball-playing centre-backs, in Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof. In many one other place, their numbers, for cross completion and accuracy, are considerably worse than these of their City and, at occasions, Liverpool counterparts. In some circumstances – Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay, Fred, the departed Dan James – it’s tempting to marvel if people are technically ok. McTominay and Fred’s prominence in pre-season suggests they are going to be checks of Ten Hag’s teaching prowess. Alternatively, one may make method for De Jong or Eriksen.
But the broader concern is to show United right into a aspect who’re comfy with the ball. That must be each an attacking and a defensive goal: if a part of Mourinho’s pondering is that groups may management video games with out the ball, United, leaking 57 objectives final season, couldn’t. If reaching City-like ranges of possession appears a long-term activity, maybe different indications of progress are extra attainable. And perhaps it will a stylistic success for Ten Hag if this season, in contrast to final, a United participant makes extra passes within the Premier League than Brighton’s Lewis Dunk.
Source: www.impartial.co.uk