Manchester United beat Southampton 1-0 in a gutsy performance away at St. Mary’s. Bruno Fernandes produced the game-winner after catching a Dalot cross to perfection. This game was a clear indication of Ten Hag getting his men to dig in and grab a hard-fought win. Though not as dominant as their previous outing, United was able to build on the victory against Liverpool.
An improving defense and a static OFFENCE
United are looking more composed at the back with Martinez and Varane holding down the fort. The introduction of Malacia to replace Shaw has also shown clear improvement; with the Dutch fullback being better positionally which seemed to be Shaw’s biggest weakness over the past year. The introduction of Casemiro into the heart of the midfield will only help solidify the defensive character of this team. Eriksen didn’t have the best of games and Bruno looked off his best as well, apart from that sumptuous volley to bring home the 3 points.
The problem, however, seems to be the lack of threat on goal. Martial’s injury woes have clearly thrown a spanner in Ten Hag’s plans for United’s attack. And though Sancho and Rashford have looked better recently, they still seem to lack the spark without a quality forward despite Elanga’s efforts. United should definitely bring in 1 if not 2 attackers to strengthen the quality of options upfront. That is irrespective of Ronaldo’s future given that he isn’t the ideal forward for a Ten Hag system.
gritty, dogged, gutsy
United grabbed the 3 points but it was far from a walk in the park. It wasn’t a great performance but there are still positives to take from the game. United dug in and defended as though their lives depended on a clean sheet. Especially towards the end of the game, when Southampton seemingly were throwing the kitchen sink at United’s defense. United haven’t been able to stick in and grind out results like this for a year and this should give them a lot of confidence.
This win was Manchester United’s first time getting back-to-back wins since February. Add to that the fact that it was the first away clean sheet for the Red Devils since December of last year. It may look like 3 points from the outside, but when we take those two factors into consideration it can have a bigger meaning for United. There seems to be a mental block that a lot of this squad faces, and victories like this will improve that massively.
Building confidence and consistency
One of United’s most significant issues over the past year has been the absence of any sense of consistency. Before Saturday’s game, the Red Devils had lost 7 away games in a row. This is in stark contrast to the run of 29 unbeaten away games between February 2020 and September 2021. The ups and downs of the last 12 months also seem to have wiped out any sense of confidence within the squad. As a result, one of Ten Hag’s biggest challenges is to rebuild that confidence within the team. And that will in turn lead to consistent performances for the Dutchman’s squad.
The Ten Hag way: Coming Soon!
It was clear from the game that Ten Hag didn’t set up his team in line with his philosophy. But it was a necessary change to make in order to get the desired result. In what seemed like a pragmatic approach, United went direct more often and didn’t seem to be building attacks from the back. United’s new manager doesn’t seem like someone who will abandon his football philosophy altogether. This change in style seems like a temporary adjustment to get results until he has the team capable of playing his way. The Old Trafford faithful should still look forward to the exciting football they were promised, just in good time.
It is clear that hoofing long balls isn’t the way Ten Hag wants his goalkeeper to play, but it is a sigh of relief that he isn’t asking De Gea to play an uncomfortable way. The goalkeeper is an obvious improvement for the reds if they want to play the Ten Hag way. But there are many more areas of improvement including a better right back, a profile striker, and another quality midfielder. United have been linked with a ton of players but only Dubravka and Antony look like they have the best chance to join before the window shuts. Though that wouldn’t be a great summer, it would at least be a step in the right direction.