Also read
Community shield: Manchester Utd 2024/2025 season’s performance very promising as Erik ten Hag has already solved United’s biggest problem from last season
United created the best chances of the game and were arguably out of sight when Alejandro Garnacho scored the opener.
Neither of this summer’s star signings – Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro – played a part, so to have such a marked improvement on last season’s team is a good base to build on.
A big reason why the performance was so good is because Erik ten Hag already looks to have fixed the team’s biggest problem from last season.
Analysis of Erik ten Hag’s new philosophy
Lump the ball forward, everyone runs to it, lose it in a low-probability duel, run back to cover acres of space in an impossible scenario, and then find scapegoats to blame.
That is United’s whole principles of play last season summarised in one sentence. Regardless of what Ten Hag said last year about the quality of shots conceded, the reality was that United got routinely dominated, let alone play at an equal footing with teams operating on half the budget.
A new game model was promised coming into this season and that wasn’t just a luxury, it was a necessity.
Shocking: Erik ten Hag makes it difficult for MU to avoid defeat with poor decision against Man City
With one bad decision against Man City, Erik ten Hag made Man United’s defeat inevitable, it was shocking. If the team continued to play as it had all last season, Ten Hag wouldn’t have been able to carry out his duties. Pre-season provided a promising evolution, and the game against Man City hammered home the point that United’s chaos-ball is a thing of the past.
United conceded eight shots vs City which, for necessary context, is the fewest they conceded/game in the whole of last season bar one game in League Cup vs Crystal Palace.
Manchester United conceded 8 shots today. Across the whole of last season, they conceded fewer than that just once ( 4 vs. Crystal Palace in the League Cup).
A big reason why was renewed defensive discipline from Casemiro, who turned back the clock with his performance.
In addition, Kobbie Mainoo continued his ascent, while Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes’ work rate ensured United were never overrun in midfield.
The team closed the spaces between the lines with quickness and clarity, making it difficult for City to play progressive passes.
Even their goal arrived from a cross instead of the trademark of last season- the ball cut back into an empty midfield from the wing.
Hope for the season
Ten Hag staunchly defended the style of play last season but it fell on deaf ears and rightly so, as it read like the final words of a struggling manager.
That is confirmed now that he looks to have completely moved away from it. The pre-season plus this final is a big enough sample size to conclude that the puzzling era of empty midfield, frenzied transitions, and shot-conceding madness is well and truly a thing of the past.
Of course, it remains to be seen how he deals with inevitable injury problems as the season progresses but for now, there is renewed hope for the season with the new game model.
Long may it continue, as it’s not often United have played against City in recent years and come away with the feeling that they should have won.