FIFA Days September, coach Erik ten Hag and his staff entered a short break after two consecutive defeats against Brighton and Liverpool. After returning, Manchester United won two consecutive matches, scoring 10 goals.
It seemed like all problems were solved…
But no! FIFA Days in October, Ten Hag and his colleagues went on a short 2-week vacation, but could not take a break.
Although the media storm has temporarily subsided as the focus shifts to the national teams, the question remains: "How will Ten Hag fix his and Man United's problems?"
After FIFA Days in September and before FIFA Days in October, Man United lost only one game, but the feeling of disappointment was overwhelming at Old Trafford, because that match was part of a series of 5 consecutive games without a win (4 draws).
The Red Devils have scored just four goals (three in the Champions League match against Porto) and conceded seven. Ten Hag admitted that the team’s problem is scoring goals. And that’s it, because the rest is “on track”.
However, outsiders do not think so. The problem is pointed out and they even dare to believe that the Dutch coach "cannot fix it".
What is it? As the legendary Gary Lineker and one of Man United’s own legends Paul Scholes have said, the problem for the Old Trafford team under Ten Hag is that they “cannot define a specific style of play” and therefore “cannot find a solution”.
On The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said: "I think it's very difficult to buy players for Erik ten Hag because he always plays a different system. Sometimes he'll counter-attack, sometimes he'll press high, sometimes he won't.
What is their style of football? What is their identity? I don't think they have that.
Now, if you have to buy players, Tottenham or Brighton do very well, or Brentford or someone like that, clubs like that… Or Manchester City…
They have a very rarely changing style of play, they don't go from a counter-attacking team in 3 weeks to an attacking team in 3 weeks.
Tell me, what kind of style is Erik ten Hag? Can you answer that? I don't. I think that's the main problem. And that's been going on for a while, and with previous coaches.
They have problems at the top level that trickle down and make it difficult for any manager. But I think it has been exacerbated at the moment by a lack of style and a lack of identity.”
Scholes had a similar view, but more specifically questioned Ten Hag's decision to buy the players he wanted but use others. And also tactically, when there is a lack of identity, no style of play, no idea how to play, or how to want to play, changing every week."
“If you play a different system every week, how do you know what you're buying that's right for you,” Lineker concluded.
Now that many players have packed their bags and joined the national team for nearly 2 weeks, Ten Hag has time to look back, evaluate and find ways to adjust - if he still has the trust of the Board of Directors.
But what if you don't even know how to fix it yourself!?
