“Erik ten Hag is better than me in that aspect… Imagine how wonderful he has reshaped his career”: Pep Gaurdiorla wowed by how Erik ten Hag has reshaped £90m Man United’s player
With the exception of the opening 30 minutes of last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Southampton at St Mary’s, Manchester United’s defence has barely been tested since the September international break.
After back-to-back defeats at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool prior to the pause, in which United conceded five goals, there was an expectation for them to improve defensively following the restart. On paper, clashes with Southampton and Barnsley looked like ideal opportunities to do so – and so it proved. United scored 10 goals over the course of 180 minutes without reply.
Although United were expected to beat Barnsley without too many difficulties in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup third round tie at Old Trafford, few probably anticipated Erik ten Hag’s troops would make mincemeat of the League One side. United had never previously scored more than four goals in a game under the Dutchman.
However, braces from Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen plus a first half penalty from Antony meant United put the South Yorkshire club to the sword. League One opposition or not, it was a scintillating attacking display.
Coupled with the win at Southampton, it is only natural that United’s attacking output is the main talking point ahead of Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace. United will be sniffing blood after their recent statement wins, but Palace are likely to pose a sterner test.
Many of United’s games last season had an end-to-end feel to them. It has not yet been forgotten the Reds conceded 660 shots in the Premier League last season and that only Sheffield United conceded more (671) in Europe’s top five leagues.
United’s goal was constantly under siege, with goalkeeper Andre Onana often having to be alert. Despite that, Ten Hag played down the fact his team was often vulnerable in their own defensive third.
Asked if he was concerned about the number of shots his side was facing after the 1-1 draw at Brentford in March, Ten Hag said: “As long as we get results, no. I think our results are quite consistent from January on. We concede shots but we don’t concede many goals.”
