Erik ten Hag will be left scratching his head as to how his Manchester United squad return from London Stadium with zero points after a 2-1 loss.
Manchester United had West Ham on the ropes for the whole of the first half as they created chance after chance but managed to miss every single one of them.
West Ham were booed off the pitch at the stroke of half-time and it seemed like more of the same in the second half was bound to get United a win.
Instead, the Hammers came on leaps and bounds from their first-half display and gave United a proper game that saw them take the lead.
Erik ten Hag would say the penalty was dubious and he’d be right, but overall in the second half, West Ham probably edged out on the balance of things.
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui revealed after the match the changes and the thinking behind them which doesn’t reflect particularly well on Ten Hag.
Julen Lopetegui on West Ham changes
The manager’s ability to change a game from the touchline was visible to Man Utd fans last weekend when Erik ten Hag’s half-time change vs Brentford changed the dynamic of that game.
This time, he was on the opposite end of that happening as Lopetegui’s West Ham stifled his side with some half-time changes in personnel as well as ideas.
The Spaniard made three changes at half-time and all of them worked to brilliant effect. Cryscencio Summerville’s pace and trickery were a nightmare to deal with after the United defenders expertly tackled Michael Antonio.
Further physicality was added with Tomas Soucek and Jean-Clair Todibo’s introduction and all of a sudden the game changed.
Lopetegui said after the game (West Ham official website): “Obviously, there were some good moments from our goalkeeper, from the defenders and some luck, but 0-0 at half-time, it was a good way to move on.
“I was thinking that maybe we could change a few different things. We needed to win more individual fights. We needed to be more aggressive with our ball. We needed to be more dangerous in [attack]. So, that’s why we were thinking about Crysencio in the second half and we put on Tomáš [Souček] and JC [Todibo] too.
“They did well, but it’s about all the team, so we are happy for them. The mental approach of the players, taking the ball, taking the game to United.”
Lopetegui’s comments reflect badly on Ten Hag
“Passion” and “desire” are often overused words in football when the actual tactical breakdown is too cumbersome to do for some.
However, Lopetegui saying that they needed to win more individual fights, which they clearly did, indicates United dropped off in their commitment for the second half.
It is not the first time that heads have dropped at United after a fast start, or vice versa, they relax after going into the lead.
That has long been a staple of this team under Ten Hag and now in his third year with most of the players signed under him, can no longer be attributed to a squad issue completely.
West Ham should have been under the cosh in the second half considering they had just been booed off by their own fans.
Instead, a familiar script played out which fans have become all too accustomed to seeing under the Dutchman. The damning thing is that opposition managers have become smart to the fact that United can be had if you get in their faces and whip up the crowd into a frenzy.
That’s a sign of a mentally fragile team. Players have changed en masse in these three years, only the manager hasn’t.
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