Manchester United Tactical Analysis: What went wrong vs Tottenham?

Manchester United were comprehensively beaten 2-0 by Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham in North-London. It was truly a game of two halves. United put up an impressive showing in the first-half and there are many positives to take from that first 45 minutes. However, in the second-half, United were unable to assert the same level of dominance. A lot of the issues seen against Wolves in United’s opening game of the 2023/24 season were on display again in the second half vs Spurs.

Manchester United in Possession

The first positive is that in the opening 45 minutes, we saw Mason Mount coming deeper in order to help progress the ball up the pitch. This meant that Casemiro was a lot less isolated in the first phase of build-up and United were generally able to get the ball up the pitch a lot easier. 

Normally, throughout the game we saw United build-up in a back 3, with Casemiro and Mount ahead to offer passing options. In the back 3, we normally saw Lisandro Martinez on the left, Raphaël Varane central and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right.

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While United were very good in possession in the first-half, the second-half was the complete opposite. United started playing similarly to how they did against Wolves. As usual, United were attempting to build-up with a back 3, however Casemiro, who was in front of the back 3, was left almost completely isolated as Mount was pushing too high up and Luke Shaw wasn’t inverting in order to give United an extra passing option. This meant United didn’t have a +1 in build-up, which makes it extremely difficult to beat the opposition press. Due to this, it made it a lot easier for Spurs to simply block the passing lanes, and United had no answer for this. When Eriksen came on, he did drop deep at times to help in build-up as he did last season. However, after the substitutions were made, it didn’t feel like United had much of a plan or any structure. They looked desperate as they searched for a way back in the game and Ten Hag tried to implement many tactical tweaks, none of which proved effective. United ultimately looked like a lost team.

Manchester United out of Possession

A big positive in the first-half was United’s pressing. Ten Hag’s side were for the most part in a 4-2-3-1 formation out of possession. Spurs normally tried playing out from the back in a 2-3 structure. If Postecoglou’s side tried progressing the ball down United’s left side, we saw Casemiro stay somewhat deeper and Mount push forward in order to ensure that Spurs didn’t have numerical superiority. This made it difficult for Spurs to progress the ball up the pitch. When the ball was on United’s right, Casemiro pushed up, with Mount sitting back. This meant that United normally pressed in a 4-1-4-1 structure. In the first-half, this pressing system was extremely effective. Early on, as Spurs tried to progress the ball down United’s left, Mount pushed forward and made a crucial interception to win the ball back, which then led United to creating a very decent chance for Antony to put United ahead. Towards the end of the first half, we also saw Alejandro Garnacho win the ball back as United pressed high up the pitch. United’s high press also forced Spurs at times to play a ball over the top in an attempt to beat that press, but this sometimes led to United just regaining possession.

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United also did a relatively decent job at defending Spurs on the counter-attack in the first-half. Luke Shaw was caught out of position a few times, but on multiple occasions Lisandro Martinez did an excellent job to cover for him. Mason Mount was also good in terms of his tracking back to help defend, something that Christian Eriksen didn’t really give United last season.

United pressed extremely well in the first-half and did a good job at defending Spurs’ counter-attack. However, in the second half, Spurs were the far more dominant side. They were constantly creating overloads and bypassing United in the first and second phases of build-up incredibly easily. As the game went on, United began to tire and did none of the positive things that we saw them do in the first-half out of possession.

Manchester United in the final third

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Manchester United created a few extremely good chances in the first half. Both Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford had chances that they never should’ve missed. In the first-half, United created 3 big chances, while Spurs created none. It just shows how important it is that Rasmus Højlund recovers from his injury quickly, as United need a player who can consistently convert these types of chances. Højlund coming into the team will also allow Marcus Rashford to move back to the left-wing, where he is best. After 2 Premier League games, United’s xG (expected goals) is 4.3. However, United have only found the back of the net once which proves that while the chances are being created, United aren’t converting. A very similar story to what we saw last season.

One of the few negatives of the first-half was at times, when attacking, United were too narrow, with no one out wide holding the width. Spurs could therefore remain compact, which limited the space United had. This, however, didn’t happen very often.

In the second-half, Ten Hag’s side struggled to create much due to the lack of control they had. In the first-half, United’s xG (expected goals) was 1.38, and the Reds created 3 big chances. In the second half, however, United’s xG was 0.68 and they only managed to create 1 big chance. A damning statistic which well represents the drop off seen in the final 45 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

What needs to be done moving forward?

While many people will only mention the negative aspects of United’s performance against Spurs, in the first-half the Reds put in a very good display, both in and out of possession. The system isn’t completely refined yet and that might take a few more weeks. However, it’s clear, based on that first 45 minutes in North-London, that it can work. United’s fitness levels let them down in the second-half, as Ten Hag’s side looked tired and lacked the same level of intensity they had in the first-half.

For this system to start working, Mount will need to get use to that deeper role, and while we saw that he can do it based on his first-half performance against Tottenham, it will take time for him to consistently get it right and really grow into that role. In Ten Hag’s press conference before the game against Spurs, he said: “Christian Eriksen came in and had the same – first time in his life he played in a deeper role and that is also the ambition from Mason. He wants to be more multifunctional. That’s the way I see football, but it will not come overnight.”

The issue United have in the short-term as Mount adjusts to that role, is they have only one midfielder who’s comfortable in the first-phase of build-up. That player is Kobbie Mainoo, and he is currently out injured. Casemiro, as outstanding as he is defensively, isn’t brilliant on the ball and Bruno Fernandes is needed higher up the pitch as the Portuguese international is United’s main creator.

From a technical point of view, Mainoo is absolutely outstanding and we saw that during United’s pre-season tour, where the United academy graduate impressed before picking up an injury against Real Madrid. He’s able to drop deep into pockets of space and he has the technical quality to progress the ball up the pitch, whether that be through his impressive passing range or his ability to carry the ball up the pitch. In regards to Mainoo, Ten Hag has said that he will have games once he’s back from injury, however it’s unclear whether he will partner Casemiro in midfield, or replace Casemiro and play as the no.6.

The other issue United had was converting chances, but this, just like United’s build-up issues in the first phase, isn’t anything new. Rasmus Højlund will hopefully solve this issue once he’s back. However, he is still young and will need time and patience.

Verdict

The fact is Ten Hag will need time to get this system fully ticking. The first-half showed how well United can play, but now it’s up to Ten Hag to find a way to get United playing like that for the full 90 minutes of games on a consistent basis. It’s still early in Ten Hag’s project. One of his priorities this season should be fully implementing the system he wants to play moving forward. Once that’s done, it will then be about adding further quality to the squad and challenging for major honours. This is a massively important season in Erik ten Hag’s reign as Manchester United and he needs to get it right.