This season, the Premier League has won over Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham, and in the last three days they defeated Barcelona by two goals to advance to the Europa League knockout stage, followed by two goals against Newcastle to win the League Cup. Manchester United, who ended 6 years of embarrassment without a title, returned to the right path of ZTE.
Believe it or not, at least Ferguson did. Ten Hach has brought Manchester United not just a trophy, but also a promising future.
01. Change the team in half a year: Manchester United fans go from despair to celebration
a. What is the hardest thing to be a fan? Or is it the hardest thing to be a Manchester United fan?
Manchester United have had few happy wins in the past few years, but they have suffered one crushing defeat after another in the strong dialogue.
After the 4-0 defeat to Brighton, famous Manchester United fan and track and field superstar Usain Bolt posted on social media: "I swear, being a fan is really the hardest part of the time. ”
Previously, after United's 1-0 defeat to Wolves, he also wrote: "The pain is still the pain in the new year. ”
It's hard to complain that Usain Bolt's psychological quality as a fan is too poor and too easy to "break defenses". After all, as a Manchester United fan who witnessed Liverpool's 5-0 win at Old Trafford, it was really hard for Usain Bolt to stop his finger and spit on the team.
Heading to Liverpool's home stadium last season, United lost 4-0 again, how big was the gap between the two sides in that game? Only in the first half, the ratio of passes between the two teams was 5-1, and the comparison of the number of passes into the box was 22-5.
Liverpool's front court can pick a random player and enter the box more times than the entire Manchester United squad combined.
b. Having won a strong opponent and won a title, Manchester United fans dare to ask for more
When Ten Hach first arrived, he suffered two consecutive defeats in the opening game of the Premier League. But immediately after, everything was fine.
With successive beats over Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City, Manchester United have climbed over several mountains and the fans have finally raised their eyebrows.
This time they beat Newcastle to win the Carabao Cup, and although they were lucky enough to draw on the way to the title and did not face strong opponents, this is after all the first time the team has reached the championship podium since Jose Mourinho in 2016-17.
The longest championship drought of the 21st century is over, and whether or not the Glazer family will complete the team's change of ownership deal in the short term, at least it will be an account for the fans and the new owner.
What United fans are looking forward to is the chance to win three other titles this season--- FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League.
Although there is little hope for Arsenal to be eight points behind Arsenal, at least there is room for fighting.
02. The defence has been refreshed: only 7 goals have been conceded in the last 10 games in all competitions
a. Find the best line of defense
Ten Hag's success at Manchester United begins with becoming more solid defensively. The current Manchester United may not have the advantage of possession in the game, and sometimes they will be given consecutive shots by the opponent.
However, with Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez and Varane at the centreline, United have a stronger ability to resist the attack, conceding only seven goals in their last 10 games in all competitions, and there are more opportunities to surprise the attack.
If Casemiro is more valuable than just defending because of his ability to shoot from distance, grab a header and overshoot the ball and plug the ball straight.
Then looking at the "petite" Lisandro Martinez is not only a central defender, but also has a strong ability to scare and fight. Against Barca, he can not only topple Lewandowski, but also chase Kessie back at high speed.
If Lisandro Martinez is the sweeping type (and certainly has the ability to save in the box), then Varane is the one to drag and protect.
In the second leg of the Europa League play-offs against Barca, when Lewandowski was given the opportunity to face the goalkeeper, although the Polish striker's shot was not of high quality, Varane's goal line clearance this time was still very crucial.
In the transfer market, Manchester United have set their sights on Serie A's best centre-back this season, Kim Min-ya (who has won the Serie A Month of the Month twice and is also at the top level in the Champions League).
If it can be bought, Manchester United's defence next season will be stronger and the best guarantee for the team to win.
b. Players are more confident: they are more efficient against each other
In the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, United were at a disadvantage in a number of statistics, with only three on target: shots on target, tackles and regaining possession.
It is precisely the two most important things at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends that Manchester United are the best, so winning is simple.
The reason why Barca lost to Manchester United is that they fell behind in the confrontation. Both De Jong and Conde have frequently made ugly appearances under Manchester United's fierce pressing.
This time, Conde was pushed back into his own half by Fred with the ball, and was eventually left behind. Why Rashford have been in such good form lately, team-mates can create opportunities to run deep and start space is key.
Let's take a look at this time, after Casemiro entangled Wilson, he broke the ball 2 times in a row, which is very morale-boosting.
One of the characteristics of this Manchester United team is that it plays very refreshingly. On the one hand, the players are getting more and more excited the more they play, and on the other hand, the more the fans watch, the happier they are.
03. Tenhach's basic offensive and defensive principle: I have more people than yours
a. The same 4231: Ten Hach's untouched
I believe Manchester United fans will remember that once in the game against Liverpool, the team used the 4231 formation, which is easy to be disjointed.
When you get to Tenhach, it is still the 4231 formation, but you will find that the teams at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends seem to have more than the opponents, and there will be no embarrassment of not caring about each other.
Take this retreat as an example, when Newcastle put Isaac on the bench in the hope that he and St. Maximin would use the ball to accelerate through United's defence, they found that this was impossible.
On the one hand, Manchester United's overall defensive speed is fast, and on the other hand, there is always a numerical advantage at the near end. Casemiro and Wan-Bissaka pinch together, allowing the Newcastle attacker, who is not known for his passing, to play very awkwardly and make continuous mistakes.
Manchester United's current retreat is strong, and this time even centre-forward Westhorst returned to his own box to complete key additions and destructions.
This 11-man football is what Tenhach wants.
A minute after Westhorst broke the ball, United's attack came. The result of their sudden acceleration this time was a 5-on-4 chance in front of the Newcastle penalty area.
The reason why Marcus Rashford has been scoring a lot lately is that the overall pace has increased, and he can play to the advantage of speed.
Manchester United attached great importance to lateral multi-point reception in the game, and the goal of equalizing Barça was through continuous lateral passes, and finally Fred's forward insert penetrated the "eye-catching" defensive De Jong.
b. Buy the right person: Winning is easy
Manchester United's success is partly due to Ten Hag's tactics, and on the other hand, to successful signings. Centre-back Lisandro Martinez, defender Casemiro and centre-forward Westhorst are classic examples.
Casemiro, in particular, has taken United's midfield level to a huge level.
The biggest feature of these successful new signings at Manchester United is their willingness to run, fight well, and pass the ball well.
Many people thought Casemiro was there to improve the defence, but he was actually better at scoring and passing than the rest of United's midfielders.
This time the attack and defense switch, 3 new signings from Manchester United. Anthony's broken ball and Casemiro's straight plug brought Westhorst forward and backward bursts with the ball.
Although it was solved by Karius, it can also reflect the current offensive and defensive quality of Manchester United from one side.
Conclusion:
The League Cup title is just the beginning, with the team heading for the remaining three potential titles of the season.
The real revival may depend on next season, whether it is the Premier League or the Champions League, Manchester United, who were once at their peak, are chasing the top glory, and Ten Hach will achieve less than Jose Mourinho six years ago. He needs to work on, and there are many, many more.