Premier League 2022/23: Why United’s win over Tottenham was their best display under ten Hag yet – tactical analysis

Manchester United’s new identity under Erik ten Hag has started to show and their performance against Tottenham Hotspur proved it. The team defeated Antonio Conte’s side 2-0 showing a new face of intensity, successful pressing and attacking movement.

Spurs, on the other hand, were too passive in possession and had difficulty moving away from the defence. The team struggled to hold on to the ball and made quite a few errors that led to opportunities for the opposition.

United currently sit sixth in the Premier League table after earning important victories over Arsenal, Liverpool and now Spurs, and are starting to show character in the big games. The team found the balance in their last match and performed equally well in defence and in attack. The lack of a distinguished goalscorer was still noticeable, though, with them struggling to convert their chances into goals despite being the dominant side throughout the game.

Tottenham Hotspur, who have shown consistency since the start of the season, raised some questions with their performance as it seemed like they overcommitted to staying compact defensively, instead of trying to threaten the opposition.

In this tactical analysis, we examine both teams’ tactics and explain what led to United’s dominance in the game.

Lineups

Ten Hag kept Cristiano Ronaldo out of the starting eleven once again. A decision that was close to overshadowing their strong performance as the drama between the manager and the striker continues. That was the only change the ex-Ajax boss made in the squad compared to their goalless draw to Newcastle.

David de Gea covered the goal, with a four-man defensive line of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martínez, Raphaël Varane and Diogo Dalot in front of him. All defenders played a crucial part in the team’s success as their awareness and measured interventions stopped the opposition from creating dangerous chances.

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