Manchester United – FC Twente: Brave Twente Exploit United’s Familiar Flaws (1-1)

In the opening round of the Europa League, Manchester United showed the exact same structural problems that have been around for a long time. Lacking control, United allowed a brave and well-structured FC Twente a way back into the match, and ultimately paid the price. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Sander IJtsma.

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The opening round of the new Europa League format paired Erik Ten Hag with the club where he debuted as a professional football player: FC Twente. Ten Hag played for Twente in three separate stints, and finished his career at Twente, to become head of their youth academy and later assistant-manager.

Fast forward some fifteen years, and while still at a team famous for its red shirt, similarities end soon. In his third season in Manchester, the jury is still out on Ten Hag to some degree, although he has been close to a knockout on several occasions. Initially tasked with a major squad overhaul - including the final months of Cristiano Ronaldo at United - Ten Hag has ended up in somewhat of a never-ending reconstruction, and hasn’t found any form of continuity yet. This is true for the still unbalanced squad, as much as for on-field tactics. Deficiencies in the squad may be less attributable to Ten Hag - although he undeniably had a big say in incoming transfers - but the recurrent tactical problems are mainly his responsibility.

FC . . .