Aheed Abrar
Frank Leboeuf urges Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag to stop playing out from the back
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been urged by Frank Leboeuf to stop playing out from the back. The former French defender does not feel the Red Devils have the personnel to pull off the Dutch manager’s ideas.
United suffered a setback early on against Everton at Goodison Park on 9 October. Casemiro gave the ball away in the middle of the park, leading to Frank Lampard’s team scoring on the break through Alex Iwobi in the fifth minute. In the end, we won 2-1.
Speaking on ESPN FC (h/t Express), Leboeuf believes that United are not ready to play out from the defence. The former Chelsea centre-back has told the Old Trafford side’s manager to suspend his ideas.
“They tried to play from the back [against Everton] and starting from the back, trying to play nicely and they are not ready for that. Ten Hag has to give up that way of playing.”
United started the 2022/23 campaign abysmally. The Red Devils lost against Brighton & Hove Albion & Brentford in the first two Premier League fixtures.
Ten Hag needs to be trusted
Ten Hag had seemingly insisted on playing short, which ended up being detrimental. David de Gea and the rest of the team made some major errors against the Seagulls and the Bees. The Spanish goalkeeper did not look comfortable with the ball at his feet.
The gaffer then evidently changed the Red Devils’ approach. We started playing more on the counter. And that brought us success against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal in the league.
United went on a four-game win streak with a tweaked system. However, against Manchester City, our inability to keep hold of the ball proved detrimental. The Old Trafford side lost 6-3 at the Etihad Stadium.
Thus, Ten Hag needs to be given full reign to incorporate his ideas. The Dutch manager needs to be trusted in what he is doing. And the players need to adapt and learn quickly.
Against Everton, while some players looked shaky on the ball, overall were decent. De Gea also seemed more confident with the ball.
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Football is changing, and United need to change with the times. Hopefully, Ten Hag will be able to incorporate his style of play in Manchester soon.
