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Erik ten Hag took charge of his first game as Manchester United manager on Tuesday. The Red Devils ruthlessly put four goals past Liverpool in a pre-season friendly at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
United inflicted much of the damage in the first 35 minutes of action. Jadon Sancho scored the first goal of the Ten Hag era with a well-placed shot into the corner. At the half-hour mark, Fred doubled his team's advantage with an audacious weak-foot dink from the edge of the box.
Anthony Martial soon joined the party, making it three by chipping over Alisson, who got a slight taste of the embarrassment David de Gea must've faced during United's last meeting at Anfield. The second half saw a flurry of changes from both teams as Jurgen Klopp introduced the likes of Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez to cut the deficit. However, United's youngsters held their own, adding one more to round off a resounding win.
Ten Hag refused to get carried away during his post-match interview, despit the convincing win, insisting that he saw a lot of mistakes. Nevertheless, he was happy with the potential shown by his players on Tuesday.
On that note, here's a look at four principles and in-game ideas Ten Hag implemented in his first touchline appearance for Manchester United:
#1 Inverted full-backs
The most glaring tweak in United's structure with and without possession was the introduction of inverted full-backs. That's an approach brilliantly used by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in recent seasons.
Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw both drove the ball higher up the pitch through the middle, allowing the United wingers to stay wide. Even without possession, Dalot consistently inverted to clear the passing lane between the right-sided centre-back and the right winger, leading to Sancho finding more space and time on the ball.
The Portuguese full-back's ability to effectively turn on the ball after receiving the pass created an opening for United early in the game. However, Marcus Rashford failed to capitilise on the through ball.
Out of possession, one of the full-backs moved inside to act as cover for the advancing central-midfielder to thwart counter-attacks.
#2 8s dropping deep in build-up
Scott McTominay and Fred took turns drop deep to aid United's build-up from the back.
While one midfielder made runs towards the opposition box, the other stayed closer to the backline. This was clear in the second half as well. Zidane Iqbal dropped deep to collect the ball, impressively evading Fabinho's press and progressing the ball.
This approach also gave an insight into the potential role Ten Hag has in mind for Frenkie de Jong. The Barcelona midfielder is at his absolute best when receiving the ball from his centre-backs and using his dribbling ability to move the ball forward.
#3 Bruno Fernandes higher up the pitch
Bruno Fernandes received plenty of criticism for his careless 'hero-ball' and regularly losing possession under interim manager Ralf Rangnick. However, Ten Hag might just have found the perfect role for the Portugual international, who thrives as a final ball creator.
By instructing Fernandes, who's sometimes chaotic with the ball, to not drop deep and instead give the Number 8s the responsibility to progress the ball, Ten Hag ensured United maintained possession through Liverpool's press. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old was charged with receiving the ball and finding his teammates in the final third, interchanging position with Martial to disrupt Liverpool's backline.
Fernandes' intensity from the middle was utilised like Jordan Henderson's under Klopp, as United pressed in a narrow 4-3-3 without compromising their structure.
#4 A Front Five
The inverted full-backs in the progression phase and one deep midfielder gave United the freedom to attack with a front five. Fernandes and one of the two central midfielders occupied the half-spaces; the striker prowled right in the middle, and the wingers stayed high and wide.
Ten Hag's men created overloads, primarily on the left, and switched the ball to find the right-sided attacker in space for a cross or a shot inside the box. Before the clash against Liverpool, a glimpse into the Dutchman's televised training session showed his team working on the same principle.
United's first goal, although heavily influenced by a mistake from Liverpool's Isaac Mabaya, was not very far from Ten Hag's training session idea. Rashford switched the ball from the left through McTominay, who picked Fernandes in half-space. The Portuguese's cross was only be half-cleared by Mabaya, leading to Sancho firing past Alisson.
The 4-0 result should be taken for what it was - a pre-season outing. However, the tactical tweaks from Ten Hag in just a short span of time and limited training sessions is something that should definitely excite the United faithful.
The Premier League giants, who have gone over half a decade without a trophy, lifted a relatively meaningless Bangkok Century Cup with their victory. However, with more time under their new gaffer and apt technical recruitment in the summer transfer window, they might soon be back challenging for the major honours.
