Poor on the ball, worse without it - where Man Utd went wrong v Spurs

I ever deliberation the easiest happening a manager tin bash successful shot is to prime and organise a squad that is tenacious and volition springiness you everything - but that is not proving casual for Manchester United brag Erik 10 Hag astatine the moment.

United were precise mediocre erstwhile they were connected the shot during the archetypal fractional of their 3-0 location decision by Tottenham connected Sunday, but they were adjacent worse without it - and that should beryllium a overmuch bigger concern.

I was amazed erstwhile Ten Hag came retired aft Wednesday's Europa League gully with Twente and agreed that the Dutch broadside "wanted it more" but I assumed that we would spot a absorption to that against Spurs.

Ten Hag was fundamentally telling his players that deficiency of hunger was unacceptable, and things had to alteration astatine the weekend... but intelligibly the penny has not dropped.

The slightest I expected against Tottenham was a truly fired up United broadside but that mindset was missing astatine the commencement of the game, and things rapidly got worse for them from there.

When I ticker United, I tin astatine slightest spot what Ten Hag is trying to bash erstwhile his squad person possession, but what they bash without the shot is conscionable arsenic important.

By that, I mean however organised they are, and however determined they are to support the shot retired of their net.

People sometimes confuse that effort and exertion with pressing, but a squad tin acceptable up successful each sorts of ways and inactive person the determination and warring tone they need.

So it is not arsenic elemental arsenic saying United struggled defensively against Spurs due to the fact that they were not pressing oregon moving each implicit the place. They were not acceptable up to bash that, but that successful itself should not person been a occupation if that's the mode they wanted to play.

They started with Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee arsenic 2 mendacious nines, oregon 2 fig 10s if you prefer, and asked them to capable the abstraction successful beforehand of midfield truthful they were not dominated successful there.

By doing that, they gave the shot up to the Tottenham backmost four, which is not the extremity of the world.

Being switched connected and physically acceptable for the absorption is not needfully astir going aft the shot and putting the Spurs defenders nether pressure.

Instead, it is astir winning duels, tracking runners, not letting men get crossed you and spotting information - adjacent if it is wrong your ain half.

United's set-up meant they could inactive property connected occasions, specified arsenic successful the wide areas erstwhile Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was connected the ball, but the thought was that successful wide play they made themselves harder to play through.

That lasted little than 3 minutes, due to the fact that the archetypal extremity they conceded was a ridiculous one.

It was a superb tally by Micky van de Ven, but determination was nary mode helium should person got that acold up the transportation without being challenged oregon adjacent manhandled.

It was phenomenal gait and power, not astonishing skill, and Van de Ven ran done immoderate immense holes earlier Diogo Dalot conscionable switched disconnected to let Brennan Johnson to tally disconnected the backmost of him to get connected the extremity of the cross.

After going 1-0 down, United were losing the ball, losing challenges, being beaten successful duels and uncovering it hard to play out. They were not tracking runners and did not cognize who to mark.

In short, they were a full mess.

Tottenham could person been 3-0 up by the clip Bruno Fernandes was sent disconnected earlier half-time – which was a harsh determination by the mode – and the crippled should person been done.

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou has been criticised for being excessively bold successful immoderate games, but his squad effort to triumph games by playing adventurous shot precocious up the transportation and, against United they were rewarded for their bravery.

That started with the progressive passing we saw from their centre-halves, and 1 of the reasons Spurs dominated the archetypal fractional was due to the fact that they were truly assured successful what they were trying to do.

United had a program too, but they person had to accommodate without the injured Rasmus Hojlund, who is the lone out-and-out striker they person got. He came connected precocious successful the crippled against Spurs but is not afloat acceptable aft a hamstring injury.

They person utilized 2 fig 10s similar they did connected Sunday earlier and done OK, playing connected the counter-attack and utilizing their accelerated wingers.

It got them a mates of chances against Spurs too, adjacent though they were not playing well, truthful it would harsh to accidental they don't person ideas oregon look similar they enactment connected thing erstwhile they person the ball.

Instead, successful opposition to Spurs, I deliberation a deficiency of assurance successful their patterns of play is their main contented erstwhile they play retired from the back.

Part of that is down to the information United person been perpetually changing their squad - their centre-halves Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez had lone partnered each different 3 times earlier Sunday, for example.

I really deliberation that broadside of things volition amended arsenic their players get utilized to each other, due to the fact that we cognize they are bully enough.

It is the team's mindset which is much of a interest for me.

You can’t person the assurance you request to play done the lines and bring the shot retired from the backmost if you are ever truthful disquieted astir conceding.

The bits they person to bash without the shot are the instauration for what they bash erstwhile they get it and, unless they amended retired of possession, past they won’t get that close either.

Ten Hag really fixed it successful the 2nd fractional against Spurs, with United trailing 2-0 and down to 10 men, erstwhile helium brought connected Casemiro and Mason Mount.

There was a spell wherever United centre-halves were coming up to the halfway enactment and putting Dominic Solanke and James Maddison nether pressure, and it gave United a level to make much chances themselves.

Everyone was warring hard due to the fact that they had thing to lose, truthful it tin beryllium done - but wherever was that erstwhile it was 11 versus 11? That is the question Ten Hag should beryllium asking his players this week.

Danny Murphy was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.