It felt like traveling back in time. Especially at the start, Manchester United reminded fans of how things used to be. They pressed high and stormed a bewildered Liverpool at a seething Old Trafford. The pressure was so high that one would think Sir Alex Ferguson had returned. But United won 2–1 because Erik ten Hag did things his way. He wrecked Cristiano Ronaldo and captain Harry Maguire, and was rewarded with a victory that will become a benchmark for what United can and should be. The triumph can now show Ten Hag the way forward. And it has taught us a lot about this team. Brave team selection One of the lessons is that United work better with players who actually fit Ten Hag’s style. He wants aggressive pressure, technical players and a high defensive line. He got all these things with the team selection against Liverpool. The leading wrecker was Ronaldo, the 37-year-old who was the player who pressed the least in the big five European leagues last season. Just about everyone apart from Ten Hag himself has said that Ronaldo doesn’t run enough to fit into United’s style of play. Even Ten Hag’s predecessor, Ralf Rangnick, admitted he had to shelve his high pressure because of Ronaldo. Here, United only needed 20 minutes to show what happens when everyone runs. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gets a lot of praise for the tactical choices he made against Liverpool. Photo: Dave Thompson / AP Ronaldo was joined on the bench by Maguire, who has been criticized for being slow and clumsy. In came Raphaël Varane, who has more pace and enables United to stand higher. Fred was also wrecked, when Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen were supposed to play together in midfield. At the top, Anthony Elanga, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho wreaked havoc. It was speed, technique and intensity. It was a line-up that was far closer to Ten Hag’s old Ajax. Was rewarded At least if you see what Ten Hag has put up with in United before. In the opener at home against Brighton, he used Eriksen as striker, with two rough workers in the center in Fred and Scott McTominay. Then, against Brentford, Ronaldo played on top, with Fred and McTominay back in place. It led to 0-4 in one of United’s worst games in the last decade. And that’s saying something. A shocked Bruno Fernandes had to face Manchester United’s loss to Brentford. Photo: DAVID KLEIN / Reuters This did not seem like a typical Ten Hag team. In Ajax, he used one typical ball winner in the middle, while the rest were technical players who could combine and play out from the back. He used several different strikers, but all contributed to the pressure. Against Liverpool, he chose a team that could play in a similar way. The big names were sacrificed in favor of speed and mobility. Ten Hag did things his way. And he was rewarded. Renewal This is bad news for many of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s key players. Both Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were brought in under him, while Luke Shaw was a regular at left-back. Fred also often gained Solskjær’s trust. Ronaldo was brought in in his last summer. With the exception of Ronaldo, all of these were hopeless last season. Shaw and Maguire in particular contributed to the collapse under Solskjær and Rangnick. Perhaps these must be out for United to move forward. Against Liverpool, the defense consisted of Varane and Diego Dalot, plus two of Ten Hag’s signings, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martínez. Centrally he had another newcomer, Eriksen, with Bruno Fernandes. The third was McTominay, who will probably soon be replaced by the big buy Casemiro. This seemed like a renewal. And it was needed. Other questions What does this victory mean for the future? Tactically, it is perhaps less relevant than it might seem. This was a game where United could focus in particular on one area: the pressure. They knew that Liverpool would play out from the back and that the key was to win the ball high. Once they had taken the lead, they laid low and countered. It was enough to win 2–1, but United had little possession. They didn’t play out from the back, as they tried against Brentford. David de Gea hit a lot. Screenshot from StatsBomb/Twitter. While this was natural against Liverpool, it also means that United will still need to master these elements in future matches. This is demanding and will take time. Several errors will appear. Furthermore, United have had similar nights before. They beat Arsenal at a loud Old Trafford under the floodlights last December, and beat Tottenham at the same venue in March. None of those victories lifted the form in the long term. Also under Solskjær, United managed to steal points from Liverpool and Manchester City. The key is to beat the other teams every week. Several of these will not play out from behind. They will hit long against Martínez, who is 175 centimeters tall. Perhaps the atmosphere will be different if the match is played early on Saturday in the scorching sun. In such matches, United will be asked different questions, and will need different answers. New standard But that is only the tactical part. The setting itself and the running power will be important no matter who United meet, and against Liverpool they showed that they possess it. Ten Hag has now gained extra authority. He was criticized when he canceled the players’ day off after the blunder against Brentford. According to the English press, he allegedly asked them to run 13.8 kilometers – which was the difference between the two teams in the match. Whatever he’s been doing this past week, it’s been working. Now he must continue to do things his way. He must use the players who master his football. If they slow down or lose focus, he can use this win as an example of the standard they must maintain. Because this was proof of what United can be when everything clicks. The players showed what they can deliver. And that reminder can be worth far more than just three points.
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