And so the revelations, such as they are, continue to pour forth from Old Trafford. A few days on from a suggestion he couldn’t play the same way at Manchester United as he did at Ajax because he now has different players, Erik ten Hag walked that back somewhat to insist he’s looking for something of both clubs.
“The explanation from my point of view was totally wrong that I can’t play like Ajax because I have different players,” he said ahead of this weekend’s game at Fulham. “I came here with my philosophy based on possession but also [I want] to combine it with the DNA of Manchester United and combine it with the competences and the characters of the players. We have seen what it was. We played very good football last season.”
Perhaps they did, at times, but they certainly haven’t this term. The attacking play is ponderous, lacking confidence, inconsistent. United have netted five goals in their last five Premier League games. They average 1.1 per match this term, the lowest in the current top 12.
And yet as poor as United have been on the front foot and in the final third, their defensive work is entirely worse: a dismal lack of intensity, aggression, cohesion, positioning and partnerships. That is all exemplified not just by the defence, but by Ten Hag’s midfield, which remains a muddle and a mystery.
That’s despite four signings in that area since last summer – five if we include the Marcel Sabitzer loan – which will total over £170m. And yet Saturday’s game at Craven Cottage will see them come up against a player who has been monstrous in that part of the park, who has improved and impressed since joining and who was very much available in August for a transfer: Joao Palhinha.
It’s of course too simplistic to say United should have just signed him. But perhaps his abilities, and those United seriously lack, showcase where their greater focus should have been. After all Fulham still needed a replacement, the reason his transfer to Bayern Munich fell through, and Ten Hag clearly wanted to allocate big funds toward a centre-forward as well as a goalkeeper.
But in United’s soft centre, up to £60m on Mason Mount and a £9m loan fee dedicated to Sofyan Amrabat – with another £21m to follow to make him permanent – could easily have covered the outlay to land Palhinha, whose many attributes would certainly bring plenty of what Ten Hag currently lacks.
Aerial ability and challenging power in the centre, for one and two. Watch back at least two of Newcastle’s midweek goals in United’s Carabao Cup dismantling and a ball-winner of the Portuguese’s calibre wouldn’t go amiss.
Indeed, Palhinha comfortably leads the way in the English top flight for tackles per 90 minutes, his 6.3 being streets ahead of any other player with 100 minutes or more under their belt. His nearest challengers in that regard are Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba (4.7) and Everton full-back Vitalii Mykolenko (4.5); no Man United player breaks the top 15 in that particular chart with Amrabat (3.7) their top offering.
