Alex Wrigley: Imposing a clear plan will be key target for incoming United boss

After casting its increasingly imposing shadow for close to a year, the axe finally fell on Erik ten Hag following Manchester United’s defeat to West Ham last weekend, leaving the Red Devils 14th in the table after nine games.

Ten Hag became the first managerial casualty of the Premier League season and the fifth permanent manager to be sacked at Old Trafford since the curtain came down on Sir Alex Ferguson’s glory days, and Ruben Amorim, set to be appointed in the coming days, is tasked with fixing a host of problems as he looks to salvage the Red Devils’ season.

Amorim delivered a first league title for Sporting in 19 years in his second season at the Lisbon club and followed that up with another last term, but where might the 39-year-old begin to turn things around for the Premier League’s ailing giants?

The first task for the new manager at any club is to start trying to impose his philosophy on a new group of players, and Ten Hag’s failure to do so was one of the main criticisms levelled at the Dutchman during his two-year tenure. 

After a successful first season, the wheels came off last term as he failed to find any semblance of balance. The team’s approach to the game was often confused and resulted in them having the joint-worst attacking record in the top half while also allowing more shots than 18 of the 19 other teams in the division.

Only Sheffield United (671) allowed their opponents more efforts on goal than United (660), and only four teams conceded more expected goals than them. Considering they held some of the poorest defensive metrics in Europe, they were arguably fortunate to finish eighth and it was only their shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City that kept Ten Hag in the job.

Using some of their traditional rivals as examples, City and Arsenal both have a clear and defined possession-based approach, while Liverpool were a transitional force under Jurgen Klopp. Those sides are world-class at executing their very specific game plans.

Ten Hag’s United, by contrast, appeared to have half-baked ideas spanning the entire footballing philosophy bible. They tried to have their cake and eat it, but they ended up dropping it on the floor on the way back from the kitchen, going hungry and having a massive clean-up job to boot. Unfortunately, that clean-up job will fall to Amorim.

To credit Ten Hag, he did address some of United’s defensive deficiencies this season, reducing the number of shots they allow their opponents – only six teams have conceded fewer goals.

Unfortunately, that came at a cost to an already ineffectual attack, and only Southampton and Crystal Palace have scored fewer goals than the Red Devils’ tally of eight.

One major flaw in their attacking plan is an overwhelming reliance on Bruno Fernandes, who is top for shots (28), final-third passes, and progressive passes, while he’s the top attacking player for carries, total touches, and passes. He may be their captain and their best player, but one man cannot do it all.

That makes Manchester United extremely one-dimensional and leaves them indebted to moments of individual magic against teams who sit back. There is no plan to systematically break down deep lines, making the attacking unit blunt.

Under Ten Hag, United’s strength came in transitional phases but even that was fraught with problems, and was ultimately the cause of many of their defensive issues.

His desperation to turn the Red Devils into “the best counter-attacking team on the planet”, led to a huge amount of unforced errors in transition, leaving their backline vulnerable to counter-attacks - not a great situation to be in when your centre-back pairing consists of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans.

Transitional situations aren’t the only area where Manchester United’s frontline is causing a butterfly effect that ripples rapidly back to Andre Onana. A functional pressing strategy is another area of high importance for Amorim, whose Sporting team implemented an intense press to try to force turnovers in the final third.

This season’s attempt at a 4-2-4 out-of-possession system saw Fernandes join the striker and two wingers to try to cover the opponents’ defensive line, but that strategy has proved far too easy to play through, leaving acres of space between the lines and an exposed midfield that lacks mobility.

While many of the on-pitch problems Amorim faces are obvious, the issues behind the curtain are more abstract. 

The Portuguese will be the tenth different manager to sit in the dugout since Ferguson’s retirement 11 years ago and none of the previous nine have stuck around at Old Trafford. 

Fans hope that the recent investment of INEOS will go some way to improving the culture and infrastructure of the club, but only time will tell as to whether that translates to on-field success for one of Europe’s most coveted young coaches.

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