Van Nistelrooy arrives at half-time in 11th game as Man Utd finally find The Ten Hag Way again
That might just be the best half of football Manchester United have played since the start of last season. Welcome, Ruud van Nistelrooy. Welcome back, Erik ten Hag.
Scott McTominay’s three minutes of action from the bench in this same fixture last season yielded two goals and a remarkable late comeback. We suspect that Ten Hag – having named Christian Eriksen and Casemiro in midfield – would have loved to have had the goalscoring Scot to call upon for this one.
By the 28th minute, after Joe Aribo had given Southampton a two-goal lead at Leicester, Manchester United stood alone as the lowest scorers in the Premier League. It’s not always been the case this season despite Erik ten Hag consistently pointing to their profligacy rather than their chaotic pressing, soft centre or general lack of structure, but they did create some excellent chances in what was a pretty even first half.
Alejandro Garnacho was both crucial in their design and culpable for them not being taken.
Him on the left, Rasmus Hojlund in the middle and Marcus Rashford on the right was working. Hojlund may be lacking goals like the rest of his teammates, but his hold-up play was wonderful. Passes into his feet stuck and he manoeuvred the ball away from defenders expertly, spreading the ball wide quickly and efficiently before getting himself into the box. It’s exactly what you want from him.
READ MORE: Man Utd come from behind as Leicester stun Southampton in 3pm round-up
Rashford was doing his bit and played one booming switch of play to set up Garnacho, who spurned that chance and more in a first half in which he had five of his side’s ten shots. He created space for those shots brilliantly with almost imperceptible body swerves and close control, but his finishing was really poor.
He wasn’t alone in being wasteful and although it’s something coaches often shrug their shoulders at as if they’ve done their job by sorting out the tactics which allow those chances to be created before washing their hands of the responsibility to put the ball in the back of the net, we’re of the controversial opinion that finishing can actually be coached.
MORE ON MAN UTD FROM F365:
👉 Souness slams INEOS ‘disgrace’ as Ratcliffe and co. ‘have embarrassed themselves’ with one decision
👉 ‘Incompetent’ Man Utd blasted for selling £30m star as ‘everyone’ knew he was ‘already a great player’
👉Man Utd flop Antony told to ‘go back home’ as ex-Red Devil savages ‘one of the worst left feet I’ve seen’
Apparently that coaching was done at half-time.
It felt like the world was conspiring against Erik ten Hag just before the break when Ethan Pinnock gave Brentford the lead in the fifth minute of stoppage time with Matthijs de Ligt off the pitch with a head injury. More could have been done to plug the wound the first time the centre-back went off and Diogo Dalot could have marked Pinnock instead of watching him drift into the six-yard box to head in from the corner, so we include the United players and medical staff among the manager’s global conspirators.
But it was all so, so much better from United after half-time in what was unquestionably their best 45 minutes of the season; perhaps since the start of last season. They were progressive, probing for weaknesses in the Brentford midfield and defence. Their own defenders were on the front foot, forcing the rest of the team forward. And the pressing – for the first time in a very, very long time – actually worked.
The first goal entirely validated the decision to play Rashford on the right and Garnacho on the left. Rashford’s curling cross away from Mark Flekken in the Brentford goal picked out Garnacho, who didn’t need to break stride at the back post to side-foot a volley with his left past the goalkeeper.
The second provided a very rare glimpse of The Ten Hag Way as the forwards boxed Brentford in by their own corner flag, forcing them to cede possession in their own half. Eriksen played a quick pass into Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the box and his sublime flick found Hojlund, who took a couple of touches to get the ball out of his feet before dinking it over Flekken.
It was beautiful and the second example of a Manchester United forward making a difficult finish look very easy, as their assistant manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy made a career of before inexplicably waiting until midway through the 11th game in his role to pass on his expertise.
It all seemed to suddenly click, to such an extent that it felt like there must have been some sort of missing mantra they started chanting as they sucked down their energy gels that brought about an awareness that they’re actually quite good and have been advised how to play by a manager who does actually know a bit about football and an assistant who was once the most lethal striker in the Premier League.
It’s too early to say Manchester United Are Back, not least because there were a couple of nervy defensive moments right at the end of the game, and also because brief highs under Ten Hag have inevitably followed by crushing lows in the last 18 months, butthis did feel different.
Manchester United didn’t just turn this game around but looked like a proper team while doing it.
