A year ago we were looking forward to one. Manchester United The season that should have been about the title thing and high drama. The latter was delivered in spades but the former never materialized. 2021-22 was the year United went backwards, by some measures they were further ahead in the Premier League era.
Now they begin the long march back to the top of the English game with a new manager and a squad that is likely to undergo significant change over the coming years. Here’s what we’re expecting in the short term.
A slow but steady start for the teenager
For the first time since Louis van Gaal — perhaps more — Manchester United have a figure in the dugout who can have a profound effect on their players as both coach and manager. Jose Mourinho got results at the expense of the dressing room on occasion, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer unified the dressing room but his tactical plans often felt like little more than buzzwords and counters, Ralf Rangnick from modern football. Realized it was too big before trying to implement something similar. Hiring for an Interim Manager.
In Erik ten Hague, United now have a man who has demonstrated an aptitude for both people management and tactical principles that can, in theory at least, pre-plan those above him. Will allow squad formation. One can already see the outline of this in their summer business. His recruitment may be easier to dismiss as reuniting the Eredivisie gang (Lesandro Martinez came straight from Ajax, Christian Eriksen and midfield target Frankie de Jong both attended school there while Tyrell Malasia was at Feyenoord). But they were all the same. Type, technically adept and fleet of foot, quickly able to slot into a more possession-based tactical style.
It doesn’t have the feel of last summer, where United were clearly acquiring talent but fit seemed awkward. Whether in a more classic 4-3-3 or the 4-2-3-1 that Ten Hag often favored at Ajax, it’s relatively easy to see where these players fit in. Eriksen could serve as a wide playmaker in a similar fashion to what Dusan Tadic did on occasion, or indeed his presence might allow. Bruno Fernandes To take up the same gauntlet. The Malaysian’s early pre-season outings have shown a player who offers an overlapping presence on the left who can bring plenty out of United’s cast of inside forwards. Martinez may be a bit of a center for the Premier League but his aggression would seem to mitigate that problem. Any player who won more than 60 percent of aerial contests against his favorite. Erling Holland Last season in the Champions League could be fine.
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Strong new signings combined with signs of growth from the likes of David De Gea. And Gideon template — more on that shortly — ten Hague in the round bodes well for the project. But it will take a long time, not least because there are almighty gaps to plug. Cristiano Ronaldo’s stylistic fit with the more modern system is, to put it mildly, debatable while United’s £50m right-back Aaron Van Busaka is not going to overlap. Most important is a midfield that has more holes than Mossdam cheese, especially when it comes to players who can develop the tempo. As the manager himself admitted this summer, finding the right addition will not be easy.
“We are looking for a player who can play in a holding midfield position, but it has to be the right one. Not many people in that position are capable of the level we demand,” he said in July. ” Ten Hague added that if the right player cannot be found, he will try to train one of his existing players. At the time of writing there is no sign of progress in United’s pursuit of De Jong, who would prefer to stay at Barcelona but may find himself pushed out. If the move fails, the most interesting story of United’s season may just be that of the deep-lying playmaker. A wild suggestion could just be that Eriksen, the ball-winner, was hooked. Fred p Scott McTominay.may be the best alternative.
It paints a picture of where United is. While City of Manchester And Liverpool With a number of high-profile options in key positions and north London clubs deepening their squads, the foundations are still to be laid at Old Trafford. Unlike some of those who have taken him on, Ten Hague is a manager who can be assumed to have an end point in mind. It will take more than a season to get there. One question we can’t answer right now is whether those appointing a new head coach will have the stomach to wait things out.
Ronaldo is back… but not for long.
As the new season looms it looks as if Ronaldo will not get the footing he wants at a Champions League club. Atletico Madrid now appear to be the last avenue available to one of the game’s greatest goal-scorers after a brutal summer, although they are largely uninterested in shedding the wages that would cost him. Will be able to bear it. Chelsea Thought long and hard about it before concluding that he wasn’t for them. Bayern Munich didn’t need much time. Indeed, finding Ronaldo a new home in Europe has been such a challenge that Piers Morgan has enlisted himself as an assistant to agent Jorge Mendes.
In fact, the only solid interest in the 37-year-old so far has come from Saudi Arabia. Sources have told CBS Sports that there are two Pro League clubs ready to offer attractive packages to bring him to the Middle East. Importantly, neither side conceded defeat in this particular pursuit, even after reports earlier in the window that it had outright rejected those proposals.
For Ronaldo, who missed the club’s tours of Australia and Thailand for personal reasons, it is easy to see the logic of staying in Europe for now. The last missing trophy in his collection is glimmering on the horizon and he will be looking to head to a World Cup that has been tested at the highest level. But beyond this tournament, the relationship with United may not really work. A rebuild is on the way and the Premier League’s most prolific pressure man may not be an easy fit. Meanwhile, at least one of the existing routes out of Old Trafford will still be open to him in January. A source close to one of the Saudi clubs trying to sign him has indicated that an offer will remain on the table after the World Cup if his future is not resolved.
Now his club publicly insist they want him to stay and see out the final year of his contract. After all they only have their number 7, last season’s top scorer, and Anthony Marshall to lead the line. In part United’s stance could be read as simply an acknowledgment that they have other fish to fry before they look to sign their centre-forward long-term.
But will United really feel so strongly about keeping him when he and the tactical plan are fighting against each other? Instead, it seems more plausible that the World Cup, often seen as a natural end point for great players, brings with it a moment where United and Ronaldo can make a relatively clean break.
Sancho shines as he should.
If any of last season’s predictions turn out to be wrong — and many did — Jadon Sancho’s candidacy for player of the season might be the way it went cold. The summer sun was still beating down to some degree in the UK. A drop in production after leaving Borussia Dortmund for Manchester was expected but a player who averaged 0.61, 0.71 and 0.64 Expected Goals (xG) and Expected Assists (xA) per 90 Bundesliga minutes three years ago. He was not someone you would want. A return of 0.33 xG + xA is observed. A season that began with talks that could have played a key role in United challenging for the title ended with an England squad, battling tonsilitis that ended their campaign early and Added to the feeling that 2021-22 was theirs. annus horribilis
Perhaps though, Sancho’s struggles — which eased over the months — shouldn’t have been as surprising as they were. After all, his best form as a right winger at Dortmund was with a front-footed winger like Achraf Hakimi on his outside shoulder. They spread the defense wide, opening up space for Sancho to drive into the penalty area. At one point he could go to the byline and drop back for Erling Holland, the next drive on goal and a shot. United’s approach, meanwhile, was to leave him on a wide island on the right, providing precious little support for Wan-Bissaka’s attacks. Sancho was no less brilliant in broken play, with his new side attacks being made at an increasingly slow pace, giving him the ball against set defenses and challenging him to break. In a new, arguably more competitive league, he was asked to do more than before. Needless to say, this was not an environment conducive to success.
Wyscout/MUTV
In the preseason, that seems to have changed. Three goals from four games made him a standout performer, but it’s not the final output that matters as much in these games as United trying to get Sancho and others in position to help them score goals. can do Ten Hague will be happy that moments like the one pictured above have come again and again for the 22-year-old. He can do whatever he wants with his outfield and teammates infield. Usually he is inclined to make the right decision, at which point he gets carried away. Luka Milivojevic and Kellyanne Phillips. (Of course not the strongest opposition).
He hits a low cross at the near post, where if Victor Lindelof Was able to wrap his boot more effectively around the ball he scored. On the occasion above it is Malaysia with Sancho, but there have been plenty of opportunities for him. It is called Dalut., the type of player who wants to get ahead of his winger. A bit of speed in the play and a teammate that suits his qualities, is that all it takes to get the best out of Sancho? If so, Solskjaer must be kicking himself.
Bold predictions
- Premier League Finish: 6th
- Top scorer: Bruno Fernandes
- Player of the Season: Christian Eriksen
- Something unexpected: United begin building a cohesive and credible football executive group in support of Ten Hague
