It was a disappointing end to the year for Manchester United as they were beaten 2-1 by Nottingham Forest, here’s what Erik ten Hag got wrong.
Manchester United were severely disappointing on Saturday evening in a 2-1 loss at the City Ground which feels like it’s taken them back to square one.
Nobody will be more disappointed than Erik ten Hag who probably envisioned his side building upon an excellent win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
That however isn’t how things worked out, with yet another uninspiring display which won’t have inspired belief in many fans.
With the game now in the rearview mirror though, let’s look at three mistakes Ten Hag made against Forest which ultimately cost him and his side the game.
Starting Antony on the right wing
The first mistake Ten Hag made was a major one and involved Antony returning to his place in the starting line-up. This move eradicated everything positive that we saw on Tuesday against Aston Villa.
With inverted wingers on both sides, United are so narrow and struggle to break down stubborn defences.
While yes there were injuries to contend with, the move cannot be justified as even with Amad Diallo replacing Antony, United were far better instantly.
Going forward, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Antony is starting games with it so obvious that there are far better options in the team.
Substituting Kobbie Mainoo at half-time
The move that ultimately killed the balance within the team for United was at halftime when Kobbie Mainoo was withdrawn.
Scott McTominay was brought on in his place and that swap directly impacted the game with no defensive midfielder – Forest had all the space in the world for Nicolas Dominguez to score.
Mainoo wasn’t exactly performing to his highest level before being taken off but his profile was desperately needed and had he been on the pitch, Forest likely wouldn’t score the goals they did.
Again picking a midfield which lacked real defensive security
We’ve touched on the withdrawal of Mainoo already but playing the second 45 minutes with a pivot of Christian Eriksen and McTominay in a way was extremely self-destructive.
Neither are known for their defensive output and while Mainoo’s withdrawal was a deciding factor in the result, these two were the main culprits – although it was that manager’s fault.
While options are limited, both Dan Gore and Hannibal Mejbri offer far more off the ball than the two aforementioned and should have been called upon here in Mainoo’s departure.
Ultimately it was a very disappointing result which will once again have many considering the future of Ten Hag at this club.
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