Owen identifies major ‘worry’ for Man Utd and pinpoints the only way Ten Hag can ‘progress’
Michael Owen doesn’t understand what Man Utd and Erik ten Hag are “attempting to do” and thinks they need to develop a clear style of play.
The Red Devils made their worst start a season since 1986 when they lost 3-2 to Galatasaray in the Champions League last week but their 2-1 victory over Brentford over the weekend ended that run and eased pressure on Ten Hag.
Man Utd sit tenth in the Premier League table after eight matches and are currently rooted to the bottom of their Champions League group.
They signed Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount, Andre Onana and others during the summer transfer window but critics don’t think Ten Hag’s starting XI is any stronger than last season.
And Owen thinks Man Utd boss Ten Hag “has got to create more of an identity for them to progress” and become upwardly mobile again.
Former Man Utd striker Owen told AceOdds.com: “I mean I’m sure it’s absolute agony for Manchester United fans over the last decade or whatever it’s been.
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“The one thing that I’ve got a problem with, with Manchester United is I think that if you put Manchester City in a different coloured kit and with different, you know, faces on their players, and I was just watching 11 players play, I’d be able to say, this is Man City in disguises.
“That’s Man City, that’s the way they play. I’d be able to pick it up after two minutes. If you asked me to do the same with Liverpool, I’d be able to do it. I’d say the same for Arsenal. I’d say the same for Tottenham.
“The teams that I’ve just mentioned, they’ve got an identity of play and you know exactly what the plan is, how they do it. If you said to me, right, explain, if you put Man United players in a different kit, I wouldn’t have a clue of what team that was under the sun.
“I just don’t see what identity they’ve got. I don’t know whether they’re a counter attacking team, I don’t know whether they’re a possession based team. I don’t know whether they press high. I just think they do a little bit of everything and I just don’t see an identity with them.
“And I think that’s the worrying thing. If they were getting beaten all the time, but then you could actually see something and you were seeing like, okay, they’re making this mistake, but at least they’re trying to play through the battle. They’re trying to do this or trying to do that.
“They’re just not getting the results. I would be fine with that if I was a Man United fan, but at the moment I just don’t know what they’re attempting to do.
“I don’t know what their end game is, whether they’re trying to be a dominant possession team or as I say, well, I don’t know. And that’s the worry I have with Manchester United and I think ten Hag has got to create more of an identity for them to progress.”
