Erik Ten Hag needs to take brave calls if Manchester United are to avoid Liverpool thrashing

Erik Ten Hag, former manager of Ajax where he led the development of young players and got them to play a progressive, incisive, possession-based style of football, was meant to be the answer.

After two embarrassing defeats to open the season, the second of which saw them concede four goals by the 35-minute mark away at Brentford, Ten Hag and United know just how hard it is to realise that objective.

🎥 Training highlights from yesterday’s session.#MUNLIV 🔜#MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 20, 2022

Their next assignment is Liverpool, the latest installment of one of world football’s most famous rivalries. To suggest that Ten Hag can be under pressure just a few months after coming to the club is an unrealistic idea, but taking a hammering from their old rivals at home for the second year in a row – last year’s 0-5 mauling was the beginning of the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – is likely to add another level of scrutiny.

To avoid that, the Dutchman may need to be more pragmatic in setting up his team against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Squad limitations

Ten Hag has shown signs of trying to put his stamp on United’s playing style. He has tried to get his team to play out from the back, absorb pressure and break it through progressive passing patterns. But he is far from having the right tools at his disposal.

United backed him by bringing in centre-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, a player adept at building from the back, but whose perceived lack of height (Fabio Cannavaro or Franco Baresi will surely be having a laugh) has been targeted by opposition teams.

Up next, a trip to Old Trafford 🏟 #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/srQTSONqGr

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 17, 2022

Martinez was hooked off at half-time at Brentford, and Ten Hag may have to leave him out or slot him in at left-back or central midfield to avoid him being targeted again and lose confidence.

In David de Gea, United do not have a ’keeper comfortable playing out from the back or stepping off his line to cover a high defensive line. His inability to spot the right passes puts defenders and midfielders under pressure and often leads to loss of possession and concession of chances, as the howlers against Brentford suggested.

Liverpool’s famous high-pressing forward line may put him, and underconfident defender Harry Maguire, under pressure, something Ten Hag will hope to avoid by letting go of the idea to build from the back.

In midfield, the latest £60 million signing of Casemiro notwithstanding, United are notoriously light. And going forward, they will need to rely on pace. Under Solskjaer, United lacked a distinct identity but were able to get some results in big games by accepting the limitations of their squad and setting up to play on the counterattack.

The pace of the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Anthony Elanga will help. But to do so, Ten Hag may need to take the gutsiest call of all by dropping Cristiano Ronaldo, whose one-dimensional style does not help in pressing from the front or breaking at pace.

It was a five-star performance last time out at Old Trafford… including a record-breaking @MoSalah hat-trick ⚽⚽⚽ #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/YoPQESgHmB

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 21, 2022

Liverpool’s slow start

The crisis calls around Old Trafford have put the spotlight on United ahead of the big clash on Monday, but after Liverpool started the season with back-to-back draws, the match is a must-win for the Reds as well.

Liverpool is the closest team to being a challenger to the juggernaut of domestic success – funded by the Abu Dhabi government and sculpted by Pep Guardiola – at Manchester City. For a team that has missed out on the Premier League title to them by a single point twice in the last four years, the prospect of being seven points behind them after the first three games is not an ideal start.

Weekend work.#MUFC || #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/gQ4XZ0CRAL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 20, 2022

The 2-2 draw against Fulham was far from an inspiring performance, and Nunez’s red card against Crystal Palace last week has taken the headlines. Even down to 10 men, though, Liverpool dominated most phases of the game against Palace, and a number of good chances they created should have been put to bed.

Even with Thiago missing with injury, the Reds are likely to dominate possession and win the midfield battle. The onus will fall on their wingers Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah to convert the chances they are likely to create at Old Trafford. Salah, in particular, will look to target the channel between Martinez and Luke Shaw on the left side, winning the second balls and creating overloads alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Despite their slow start, the feeling going into the fixture is that if Brentford can humiliate United, Liverpool can do so with ease. And another dominant display against this ailing United side could be the catalyst that gets their season going.