Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United Are Lacking One Thing

Manchester United needed a stoppage time equaliser from Casemiro to snatch a point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but the evidence of their turnaround under Erik ten Hag this season came in the 94 minutes that came beforehand. At last, the Old Trafford club appears to have turned a corner.

In many ways, United were the dominant side on Saturday. Chelsea manager Graham Potter was forced to change his tactical set-up in the first half of the PremierPINC
League fixture to stop the visitors from dictating. Even then, the Blues struggled to hang on to the coattails of Ten Hag’s team.

It was therefore surprising that Chelsea came within seconds of snatching all three points. This, however, was reflective of the progress Manchester United have still to make under Ten Hag. For all the dominance United enjoyed, for all the opportunities they created, they failed to make that count on the scoreboard.

The summer addition of Casemiro has given Ten Hag the security he needed in midfield with the Brazilian getting the best out of Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes around him. Manchester United have an effective midfield unit for the first time since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson nine years ago.

United’s defence has also been strengthened by the signing of Lisandro Martinez with the Argentine bringing the sort of bite and intensity that had been lacking in that position for years. Martinez’s centre back partnership with Raphael Varane has given Ten Hag a foundation to build on top of.

There has been sign of growth in the wide attacking positions too with Antony settling quickly following his summer switch from Ajax with Jadon Sancho starting the season well. Sancho could still contribute more, but Ten Hag appears to have a greater understanding of the England international’s qualities than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick ever did.

In central attack, though, Ten Hag has still to find a solution. Marcus Rashford has proven himself as an effective option when United play on the counter attack, but Ten Hag’s trademark style is more possession-based than that. Anthony Martial’s performances have hinted that he could thrive in the position, but the Frenchman can’t stay fit for long enough to achieve any consistency.

Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest goalscorer of his generation, but the 37-year-old doesn’t have the physicality to press from the front and has made clear his desire to leave Old Trafford. It’s clear Manchester United need a new centre forward to take the next step under their new manager.

“It is quite clear we want to win every game and we want, in this moment, to develop the team,” Ten Hag recently explained. “That is what you need and getting in the right position, and we will see where we are when it is March or April. But that is a long road to go. So, for now, I am not looking at the table, I am looking at the process and the progress.”

Ten Hag’s Manchester United are still a work-in-progress, but the Dutch coach is starting to find some solutions in certain areas of the pitch. United are starting to play like a Ten Hag team. However, they still lack a suitable number nine to translate that into results. Until United find they, they will remain a work-in-progress.