MANCHESTER UNITED is a REAL MONSTER NOW - here is how TEN HAG did it!

Not only is Erik ten Hag building a team that's reaching for the Premier League podium once again, but he's also made tens of thousands of haters who thought the indie football shut up. How is the Dutch manager building a true red machine? We'll tell you in this video. So, subscribe to our channel and let's get started. When building a team almost from scratch, it's extremely important for a manager to be able to not only achieve game objectives, but also create an atmosphere of unity and mutual support in the team. Even if it means giving up the services of one of the best players of the past 20 years. Ten Hag's decision to first not make Cristiano Ronaldo a starter and then to terminate his contract wasn't too popular among fans. The Red Devils fans have a special relationship with the Portuguese, so many of them criticized the manager's treatment of the player. However, Ten Hag's strategic vision was absolutely spot on. For him, Cristiano was more of an obstacle than a tool in the long run. The Portuguese wasn't active in pressing and wanted to be the centerpiece in attack. This harmed the team and especially its leaders, who instead of uniting the side around themselves, served the star Portuguese. Cristiano Ronaldo sitting down with Piers Morgan is the best thing to happen to Manchester United in years. This tweet by blogger C. Lloyd best describes the situation between the player and the club. Indeed, it was Cristiano's scandalous interview with Piers Morgan, where he harshly criticized the club that gave Manchester United a legitimate reason to terminate his contract. The Red Devils got rid of a toxic player and Ronaldo finally left the club, which he had been trying to do since last summer. The Portuguese's departure immediately affected the team results. Man United had 4 losses and 2 draws in 19 matches with Cristiano as part of the squad, but after his exclusion, the team won all 9 matches. Brilliant numbers. Thus, Eric Ten Hag has proven that his team-first methods work. And now let's break down how Ten Hag's machine works. We'll start with the default settings. In most matches, the coach follows a classic 4-2-3-1 formation. David De Gea's place in goal is beyond doubt. The main right-back is Diogo Dalot, who's been so good this season that Manchester United were even ready to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Rafa Varane and Lissandra Martinez comprise the main pair of centre-backs. After the World Cup, Ten Hag made an interesting discovery in Luke Shaw as a central defender. But with Hazard a guess that as soon as Martinez regains form after his World Cup victory celebrations, he'll return to his rightful place. And Shaw will accordingly start playing in the left again, where he's currently being replaced by Tyrell Malasia. Four players claim two positions in the defensive midfield area at once, of whom only Casemiro is a deniable starter. Eriksen, Fred and McTominay compete for the other spot. Marcus Rashford is undoubtedly the main attacking player on the left. Bruno Fernandes has the same status in the centre, and Brazilian newcomer Anthony usually plays on the right. The main centre-forward is Anthony Martial, when he has no health issues. Sometimes Ten Hag makes some tactical changes, but the pattern usually remains the same. Now let's see how it all works in-game. We'll analyse Ten Hag's tactical moves using the example of a recent match against Manchester City. After all, it's the matches against such powerful rivals that give an understanding of how ready the coach is for big challenges. The game was dictated by Manchester United, except for the 30 minutes at the start of the second half when City really had the initiative. So how did Ten Hag pull it all off? We should note two points of interest in players' selection. Left-back Luke Shaw in the centre of defence instead of Lissandro Martinez, who hasn't had time to get in shape after the World Cup. Although the Englishman had played several matches in that position before, he hadn't yet had such a Another move by Ten Hag was not to use Anthony and put Bruno Fernandes on the right wing of attack. Christian Eriksen took the Portuguese's place in the role of a ten. No other position was a surprise. Because Diogo Dalot was injured, so Juan Bisacca coming on shouldn't have seemed unusual to anyone. The first point to pay attention to is pressing. Not every team would dare to press Manchester City so actively. The feature of Ten Hag's man United is high pressing when one of the opponent's flanks remains uncovered, but density is achieved in other areas of the pitch. Here we see a right midfielder Fernandes attack City centre-back Ake, leaving Cancelo free on the left. Sometimes City took advantage of that and delivered the ball to the free flank, but more often than not, this tactic worked in United's favour. Thus, Marcus Rashford intercepted the ball in the 10th minute into the game and created a dangerous moment at the opposition's goal. Another instruction from Ten Hag was for central midfielders Fred and Casemiro to mark De Bruyne and Bernardo. The coach understood that those two were the brains of City's attacks, and blocking them was the key to success in the match. So Fred and Casemiro did not keep the structure in defence, but simply worked with their counterparts. You don't see that too often in modern football, so it should be pointed out, especially since Ten Hag was absolutely right and his plan worked for the most of the match. Another proof of that is Man City's goal when De Bruyne escaped from Casemiro that one time and made a cross to Grealish. The way United build their counter-attacks should also be brought out. Here the Dutch coach got Solskjaer's notes, which have worked against City before. And here's what you need to know. Bruno playing on the right wing from the very beginning means a symmetry in attack and an emphasis on Marcus Rashford. The Englishman often remained in high position even during the citizens' attacks and was ready to counter-attack. This resulted in perhaps the most dangerous moment of the entire first half when Rashford ran away from his opponents but still couldn't shoot past Ederson. It worked when the score was already 1-1, when City, wanting to win, went ahead with greater force. Substitute Garnaccio was given a huge space on the wing and he took advantage of it, providing an assist for Rashford. The Englishman is in incredible form right now and the winning goal against City was proof of that. In total Marcus already has 8 goals and 3 assists in 18 Premier League games. The player's individual performance should also be noted in the derby. We could make a separate video about how Casemiro has had a positive impact on the team. We should also praise the performance of Juan Bisacca, who was in the lineup due to De Lotte's injury but had a great game. His work with the ball under pressure was top-notch and eventually it resulted in Fernandes' goal. The spirit in the team is so huge. The belief is there that the game is 90 minutes and we can always fight back. Tanne Haak was completely satisfied with the game and the character shown by the team. As a result, Manchester United are one point behind Manchester City and have now joined the title race. Tanne Haak is gradually developing the team and this progress is noticeable. He has united the team around one idea and is moving in the right direction. The fact that Eric became the coach who achieved 20 wins in charge of Man United, the fastest in the club's history, is proof of that. He needed only 27 matches to do that. Yeah, he even beat Sir Alex Ferguson himself. Besides, the Dutchman really enjoys the passes. This club is a monster, Eric stated, after winning the derby. Bruno Fernandes also notes the manager's influence. We used to be individuals, now we are a team. You can see a proper team that works for each other, the Portuguese said. Guys, tell us whether you believe that Manchester United will be able to compete for the title this season and predict their place in the Premier League standings. And don't forget to hit the like button to support this video.