- Erik ten Hag’s midfield has routinely found itself overrun so far this season
- Gary Neville has proposed a new formation United should adopt at Anfield
- Manchester United fans must be DREADING Anfield trip – It’s All Kicking Off
Gary Neville has warned Manchester United that they will get ‘killed’ by Liverpool at Anfield if Erik ten Hag refuses to adopt his approach to big games.
United face the daunting prospect of going to their bitter rivals on the back of crashing out of Europe in the week, losing to Bayern Munich.
Routinely, Ten Hag’s side have struggled away from home in big games, seeing their man-to-man press easily navigated, leaving the midfield exposed.
Speaking ahead of today’s blockbuster clash at Anfield, Neville believes history will repeat itself unless Ten Hag adopts a new approach.
‘Our concern is that Eric ten Hag doesn’t do anything different,’ Neville told Sky Sports.
‘In these big games away from home, he’s continued to play that same type of football. I think that for today, he sends them out in the same style, same way of playing the man to man marking open in midfield. They’ll get killed,
‘I think he’s got a big responsibility to put them out there today in the shape that gives them a chance.’
In Neville’s opinion, that means swapping from the preferred 4-2-3-1 system and adopting a defensive-first strategy in a bid to frustrate Liverpool, who go into the game top of the Premier League.
‘To me it is a 5-4-1 or a 4-5-1. That’s very solid,’ he continued.
‘I think Jose Mourinho’s done that here. I think Lous Van Gaal had brilliant performances which were very different, keeping possession.
‘Ole won big games, at times Ten Hag has not demonstrated that he will change in any single game to try and hopefully cover up the weaknesses and vulnerabilities that they have. He has to do something different here today.’
United will be without captain and midfield talisman Bruno Fernandes, meaning Ten Hag will be forced into at least a personnel alteration.
It could see Scott McTominay pushed further forward, with rising star Kobbie Mainoo deployed alongside Sofyan Amrabat as a midfield two in front of the defence.
But they have, time and again, been proven to be incredibly easy to play against, evidenced by their last league match, losing 3-0 at Old Trafford to Bournemouth.
‘I think is one of the biggest problems for United is they’re easy to play against,’ Roy Keane added on Sky Sports.
‘I think you’d be insulted as a player. You can have an off day, you can have a difficult few months and talk about confidence, but when every team that comes up against Man United find it very easy…’
Keane added: ‘They’re not solid, they’ve got injury problems, and they’re easy to play against and obviously with the attacking players Liverpool have got, you’d fully expect Liverpool to certainly score at least two goals.’
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
