After Sunday's scoreless draw with Newcastle, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag observed, "We broke them, but we didn't kill them." His club needs to develop a killer instinct soon or the advancements achieved under the Dutchman risk stalling. They had 15 shots, but only two were on goal.


You can tell that United is a better team than they were last season without using a complex statistical model. Ten Hag's early losses to Brentford and Brighton may have raised some concerns about his suitability for the position, but wins over Liverpool (2-1) and Arsenal (3-1) and a gradual rise to fifth place have allayed such concerns.
The key area for improvement is in front of goal, but it's still a work in progress under a manager who has only been in place since the summer. The only team in the top half of the standings with fewer goals after last weekend's round of Premier League games was Bournemouth with 10. United has scored 13 goals after nine league games, including three against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium after the game, which ended 6-3, was already gone.

Ten Hag's club currently sits outside the top six in almost every attacking category after only one-fourth of the season has passed. United ranks 11th in the Premier League for shots with 114 and shots on target with 29, while they are 10th for touches in the opponent's penalty area. They also rank 11th for expected goals 


Only Crystal Palace has tried fewer crosses than United's 115, while United and Palace are matched for the league's fewest corners with 31. This season, 60.5% of United's shots have came from within the penalty box, which is the fourth-lowest percentage in the Premier League



Ten Hag stated he is still certain his team will start when he spoke following the draw with Newcastle."There will be moments when you go through a scoring slump, but our strikers will still score frequently. I'm confident in that as long as we continue working both within and outside of our possession "At Old Trafford on Sunday, Ten Hag stated. "In practically every game, we score. Although we didn't today, we did in the other games. It is obvious that accepting responsibility is key. I have no doubt that our forwards will accept accountability, but midfielders and defenders are equally capable of scoring goals."


On the practice field, it appears that the players are still figuring out what Ten Hag wants, which has stifled their ability to attack. Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has a structuredTen Hag and his coaching staff have held video sessions after games to point out where space could have been created if decisions had been made differently. There is a feeling that, in these early stages of his reign, players are getting in the way of each other rather than making room.

However, Ten Hag insisted on Sunday that it's just a matter of time before it all clicks. And it's a view echoed by his players.Luke Shaw, a left back, said, "He wants intensity, he wants aggression, he wants us to play high, press high, and, of course, he wants us to play football when we have the ball." "Lots of movements and playing outside the lines, and I believe that we are undoubtedly in a transition. Although it takes some time, we players can already see some extremely encouraging results in our regular training sessions with him."


Ten Hag is confident that his approach makes it easy to assemble aggressive, exciting teams, and he only needs to look at his Ajax team from the previous season, which led all clubs in Eredivisie goals scored with 98. United, however, is not yet there and enters the match with Tottenham at old trafford.







Kindly follow us on our social media handles