3 Things Manchester United Need To Improve Under Erik Ten Hag Following Pre-Season

Manchester United have already taken strides forward under Erik ten Hag in the little time he's been at the club, but there is still an obvious need for further improvement in a lot of departments.

The Reds were a last-minute header away from a flawless pre-season record in Thailand and Australia.

While these results ultimately mean very little, the different improvements that are being seen in the way United are playing give the fanbase some positivity.

Ten Hag has also been complimentary about how the team have started under his stewardship. but reiterates the need for further developments going into the season and beyond.

"The players in the team do really well and they respond well to practising, the exercises, to the game plan and to the principles we present on them," he told MUTV after United's second victory of pre-season.

"So you see something is rising. Are we happy with it? It’s a starting point.

"We are not three weeks under way, so there’s a long way to go and there’s a lot of room for improvement. We know that, but until now the guys do really well."

There are many improvements that need to be made, but we are going to look at three of the main areas which that Ten Hag could be looking to improve urgently at Old Trafford.

Pressing

The first area has been one that has seen developments throughout the pre-season fixtures, especially in the opening game against Liverpool. Anthony Martial's goal came from an urgency to press the back line and force a mistake.

Raphael Varane has outlined the aggressive nature that the defenders need to adapt to under the Dutchman.

“The new manager is very positive, he wants this energy and to press high up the pitch, with more space behind our backs.

“That is maybe more offensive but it is football we really enjoy, so that is a good start."

While the team has been adapting to this method, the high pressing style can see the team be sliced through if it is not an organised press.

This was apparent against Melbourne Victory when the Australian side cut through United's left side and played the ball in the channel in a quick attack which resulted in an early goal.

Ten Hag described the team falling like a "pack of cards" in that instance, and has highlighted the need for United to press smartly.

This includes knowing when to make the movement for a press, also known as a trigger, and to ensure that is done as a unite so gaps are not easily exploited.

Usually this takes place on either wing, which means the wide forwards and their respective full-backs will need to have a good relationship in this respect - knowing the same triggers so they move as a pair when pressing on touchline.

These particular pressing 'partnerships' have caused a problem in United's pressing in recent years; being easily bypassed when the winger presses and the full-back holds his position, making huge space to be exploited on the flanks.

Ten Hag will be aiming to solve this issue, among others, in order to turn his team into a top pressing side.

Controlling a game

Another aspect that Ten Hag has mentioned in interviews is the need to control the game. That was an aspect that slipped against Aston Villa and led to the late equaliser.

“First half, decent performance, two-nil up. Second half, we came back out of the dressing room, we had to control the game but we gave it away. That’s no good, so there is a lesson," he told reporters after the result.

His use of inverted full-backs have been in attempts to gain United more control in build-up and Diogo Dalot has seen himself thrive in the role so far.

Manchester United

This creates more central options for United to overload the opposition with.

We are yet to see how United deal with this against a Premier League standard opposition. Liverpool and Crystal Palace had rotated teams and it feels unfair to judge the build-up play in the conditions that the fixture against Aston Villa was played at.

Being able to sustain this throughout games will also be crucial, we're yet to see the preferred team play more than 65 minutes in a game.

It will be of help that Ten Hag has put huge emphasis on on-ball training since pre-season began as he looks to implement his dominant style of play. We will learn more about where the team are at in this respect against Brighton at Old Trafford in less than two weeks.

Defending in settled shape

This was one of the worst aspects of United's side last season. They were just so easy to play through, and that was partly because of the poor shape which the team found themselves in.

Similarly to the pressing section above, the wingers had a large influence in this. As well as Bruno Fernandes, their lazy positioning out of possession meant that the midfield pivot needed to cover too much space, and ultimately got ran over too often,

Also, though, we did often see those in midfield jump into challenges rather than looking to delay. Ten Hag's high pressing style will need to be mixed with a more conservative approach when necessary. This has been evident on tour at times too.

So, it seems like the main two improvements needed in United's settled shape is the importance of the wingers working harder defensively, and the ability to know when to press and when to delay and sit in shape.

The first point has been highlighted by the manager, who says the attacking players will benefit in the attack if they're helping out in the defence.

Manchester United

“They do a lot of work and running, you see often with offensive players that they think they miss energy in the offence," he said after the Palace win.

“But you see, they put a lot of energy in defence and get rewarded by scoring goals, because we’re winning balls high up the pitch.”

Marcus Rashford has reiterated this and wants to ensure that he and the rest of the frontline keep improving in their defensive work.

Speaking on the attacking players to Andy Mitten with The National News, Rashford said: "I feel like we can do better, do more. Against Villa, we conceded a goal on a counter attack. There’s work to do there."

Those words are positive signs that Ten Hag is making the importance of a solid defence known to the players who love to take the ball forward.