Aheed Abrar
Erik ten Hag believes substitutions changed the game for Manchester United vs Leeds United
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes that the substitutes that came on for the Red Devils against Leeds United charged the game.
The Peacocks welcomed the Old Trafford side on Sunday (12 February). It was a cagey affair, with both teams unable to do anything significant in the final third of the pitch for most of the match.
Speaking after the 2-0 win on Match of the Day (h/t Manchester Evening News), Ten Hag was not satisfied with Man United’s performance in the fixture. However, the gaffer feels the players who came on made a difference.
“It was a hectic game, which you expect. At the start we were not calm enough, we made bad decisions on the ball and were not calm enough on the ball, too hectic, and after the subs we were a little calmer, we dictated the game a bit more.”
In the beginning, Leeds had control of the game. The Red Devils and Michael Skubala’s team were involved in a scrappy affair in the first half. The second half was mostly similar.
Then, at around the hour mark, Ten Hag decided to make a few changes. The gaffer replaced Jadon Sancho with Alejandro Garnacho and Lisandro Martinez came on for Tyler Malacia, with Luke Shaw moving to left-back.
The Argentine centre-back brought some much-needed composure to our backline. During his time on the pitch, the former Ajax star played some good diagonal balls and created chances with his passing ability.
With the changes, Man United changed their formation a bit as well. Marcus Rashford was moved to the centre from the left wing. As a result, Wout Weghorst played the number 10 role, with Bruno Fernandes moving to the right.
Then, in the 80th minute, Shaw crossed the ball into the box, which found the head of Rashford. The 25-year-old has been in fine goal-scoring form since returning from the 2022 World Cup. Garnacho found the back of the net a few minutes later as well.
More Manchester United News
- Manchester United are in advanced talks to sign Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries
- Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag sets a goal target for star forward Marcus Rashford
- Brentford boss Thomas Frank labels a price tag for Manchester United target David Raya
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was also subbed in for a tiring Diogo Dalot in the 73rd minute. In stoppage time, Anthony Elanga also came on, replacing Rashford.
Substitutes have made a difference for Ten Hag on several occasions. It goes to show that the gaffer is able to rely on his bench when needed.
