The 2022-2023 season, the home form was likened to the "backbone" for Manchester United to finish the season in third place in the Premier League.
In the previous season - before Erik ten Hag took over, Man United only won 10/19 matches at Old Trafford in the Premier League. When the Dutch coach arrived, he soon turned "The Theatre of Dreams" into one of the team's strengths.
"The Red Devils" won 15/19 matches in Ten Hag's first season as coach, earning 48 points. Only Manchester City, with 52 points, earned more victories at home.
Brighton was the only Premier League team to win at Old Trafford in the 2022-2023 season. This means that Man United entered the 2023-2024 season with an impressive home record to try to maintain it. Brighton also won at Old Trafford in the opening match of the 2023-2024 season.
However, success did not continue with Ten Hag and Man United. They earned fewer than 15 points, losing six times as many matches at home in the 2022-2023 season, when Brighton, Crystal Palace, Manchester City, Bournemouth, Fulham, and Arsenal all left Old Trafford with the maximum points.
The increase in home wins means that the number of goals Man United conceded at home increased significantly - 28 goals compared to 10 in the 2022-2023 season.
Man United ended the previous season with a home goal difference of +3. They only scored 31 goals, with 9 matches where they scored fewer than 2 goals.
The goal-scoring efficiency of "The Red Devils" in the two seasons under Ten Hag has not been particularly effective, with 58 and 57 goals in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, respectively. This is the aspect they need to improve if they want to challenge the top teams in the Premier League.
With 57 goals last season, they and Palace scored the fewest goals among the teams in the top half of the table.
On the other hand, Man City and Liverpool, teams that Sir Jim Ratcliffe said he wanted to "break their position" in the next three years, scored 96 and 86 goals, respectively.
Man United still has a lot to improve on the attacking front, especially at home. As they demonstrated in the 2022-2023 season, any team aiming to reach the top 4 must rely on good results at home.
How can Ten Hag turn Old Trafford back into a fortress like the 2022-2023 season and make teams fear coming to "The Theatre of Dreams" again. At least, not be passive like the 2023-2024 season.
Expecting results from away matches is not significant, as the team has earned 27 points in the last two seasons. Therefore, even though Ten Hag demanded more from his players before the first away match of the previous season, it is unlikely that this season will be any better.
Old Trafford must be the foundation for the attack on the top 4!
