In the decade since Alex Ferguson's retirement, United have undergone four changes of manager, each of which has failed to produce the desired results. Last season, the arrival of Erik ten Hag breathed new life into the team, not only making a noticeable change in tactics, but also changing the culture of the team. The team won the EFL Cup and finished in the top four of the Premier League, seemingly entering the second season of a new era. However, the development of this season has revealed United's dilemma: while they have solved last season's problems, they are facing new challenges. Despite a good draw in the Champions League, they were beaten by Galatasaray and Copenhagen in a row, and are bottom of the table with just four points from five games. Last season's efforts for the Champions League seem to have been in vain. In addition to long-standing management problems, fans generally believe that the slump at the start of the season was due to the decline and mistakes of some players, mistakes in transfer strategy and the managerial approach of manager Erik ten Hag. These are the problems, but at the root of them are injury problems in the early part of the season, which have dealt a blow to the ideal style of play that Ten Hag established last season. The deepening of the summer deployment has gradually weakened the team's fighting power with injuries to some key players.
As manager, Erik ten Hag has not come up with an effective backup plan and the diamond midfield formation that has been tried before is rare. By the third-way point of the season, the effects of player injuries have gradually revealed that United do not yet possess what a mature team should be: Plan A to dominate the game and Plan B to produce consistent results when it fails. They have had a few victories against less strong teams, but part of that was a close match, relying on controversial decisions or the genius of some players to score decisive goals, rather than a full-court tactic. In the case of left-backs, United have not had a suitable left-back available for some time. Manchester United started the season with Luke Shaw and Tierrell Malacia out injured, but fortunately the turnaround window had not yet closed, so they brought in Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham to make amends. Surprisingly, however, the player was also injured quickly, forcing United to play empty-handed at left wing-back. Meanwhile, Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko and Thomas Partey, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold and Manchester City's Joao Cancelo have all shown how the full-backs can form a duo in midfield.
Sadly, however, this system has not been present in Erik ten Hag's tactics. The team's wing-backs and defensive midfielders do not have dual abilities. New midfielder Amrabat was forced to play at left-back, which was a desperate move. Erik ten Hag tried to put Amrabat at the heart of the backfield as a wing-back, but his performance was not as good as he could have been. Not only is there a problem with his organisational skills and big-picture vision, but his positional movement is also shaky, his tacit understanding with the midfield has not yet been established, and he often creates chances for opponents. Amrabat's poor cameo performance led to United's vaunted breakthrough down the left flank, before Luke Shaw slumped before his return. It's not just the left, but injuries in the middle have also caused difficulties for United. Raphael Varane's injury has deprived United of their most consistent defender, while Lisandro Martinez's injury has deprived the team of last season's most important member. With both men sidelined at the same time, combined with inconsistent performances from new goalkeeper Andre Onana, United's backline has been thrown into disarray. It wasn't until the 13th round of the 13th round that the team got rid of the negative goal difference and returned to zero.
Varane's form has dropped markedly since his return, and according to Erik ten Hag, the combination of Harry Maguire and Evans is currently irreplaceable. With the recent return of left wing-backs, the coaching staff decided to redeploy Victor Lindelof to the left centre-back position, using his balanced footwork to make up for the lack of passing at the back, but the effect was not ideal. On the offensive end, the pressing counter-attack in the front court was also affected by the knock-on effect of the rout at the back. Last season was Rashford's explosive year, but this season's incomplete squad has led to a lackluster performance. This also shows that Rashford is not yet capable of leading the team out of the doldrums on his own. United are facing serious challenges, with Jadon Sancho's rift with Erik ten Hag, combined with Antony's slump in form, putting the Reds in jeopardy. Despite their talents, Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri need time to grow. However, the team's current form is not enough to give them room to grow and protection. Ten Hag's vision of a 4-3-3 formation requires a midfielder who can provide adequate defensive protection, as well as two midfielders who move freely between attack and defence.
However, Christian Eriksen's injury and new signing Mason Mount's slow adaptation disrupted his deployment. Ten Hag has been playing with a high press in his first season at Manchester United, but the team is only 12th in the PPDA and despite improvements this season, it is still only mid-table (9th after 13 games). Against Tottenham, United's frontline players were given more space to attack under Tottenham's high pressing, but the Reds lost the game in a close match due to the inaccuracy of the attack. With the Reds now riddled with injuries, and even with Rasmus Hojlen back, the midfield still needs to be adjusted and there is no condition for him and Rashford to develop the desired chemistry. At the moment, Manchester United are shaky in possession and not sharp in pressing. Ten Hag has said bluntly that it is a bit frustrating that he will not be able to achieve Ajax-style football at Manchester United. In the early days of the injury wave, he did not fundamentally change his tactical philosophy, but instead strengthened the team by adjusting the positioning and roles of a few players. However, it takes time to combine the two elements of 'speed' and 'ball control' to take the team to the next level.
Erik ten Hag was originally aiming to rebuild the squad this season, with the takeovers of Mason Mount, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlen coming for them. However, injuries have been an obstacle and Ten Hag's lack of other tactics to meet the challenge has led to a slowdown in the pace of the team's transformation, which in turn has led to a poor start to the season. Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlen are all at the heart of Ten Hag's squad to restructure rather than simply strengthen the existing squad, so a painful period of adjustment is inevitable. Particularly before the international break, injuries in a number of positions have cost United the ability to salvage points during the run-in period, particularly at left-back. Overall, Ten Hag proved his philosophy right in his debut season in charge, taking a chaotic team into the top four. However, the problem is that in the face of a sudden wave of injuries, he has not changed the team's playing options, which has led to the current poor record. When facing teams such as Tottenham, Brighton and Manchester City, which also focus on pressing and possession in front, Ten Hag, who is known for his pressing, is at a disadvantage, which also makes him lose face.
As with the discussion of Andre Onana, if United's attacking line can make up for his mistakes at the back, the criticism he will suffer will not be as severe. What United have lacked since the Jose Mourinho era is a complete overhaul. Now Manchester United have finally taken steps in this direction, but unfortunately the injury problem has delayed the reform process a bit.