Man United’s crisis isn’t over, but draw at Liverpool helps

LIVERPOOL, England — Manchester United's wait for a victory at Liverpool is in its eighth year, but Sunday's 0-0 draw at Anfield was a victory for manager Erik ten Hag. It was a day when his players put the brakes on their nine-game losing streak against top-10 opponents away from Old Trafford and turned down the volume of crisis talk sparked by three defeats in four games before this clash against Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp.

“Football always starts with good organization and good defense,” Ten Hag said. “If I have one criticism, it's that we should have made more passes into the box to hurt the opponent. This is the next step we need to take. We need to be more consistent in our performances. “

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Don't be fooled into thinking that United and Ten Hag are out of their season-long slump: it will take more than this backs-to-the-wall performance to prove that the only way out is back up. However, the way Sunday's result and the players who deserved it will give Ten Hag the confidence to believe his team can now emerge from their slump.

United lost 7-0 at Anfield last season and were beaten 4-0 a year earlier – ending that horror of results against their biggest rivals was the priority, and they did it. Liverpool had 69% possession and created 34 shots to United's six. They outscored United 12-0 on the corner count, but when referee Michael Oliver sounded the bell for full time, both teams left the field with a point.

“I don't remember such a dominant performance against Man Utd, even 7-0,” Liverpool manager Klopp told Sky Sports. “Now it’s 0-0, they probably feel a little better than us, but we take the point and move on.

“We tried everything and the numbers we created – in terms of shots – are crazy. But with this number of shots, there should be a few more on target. It was our fault, and we go from there . Out of passion From my point of view, Manchester United played a fantastic game, they pulled out all the stops.”

Klopp's assessment of United was another victory for Ten Hag. Too often this season United have been devoid of passion and commitment, and that has been reflected in their results, including their bland 2-0 defeat at Newcastle. Due to injuries, suspensions, losses of form and, in the case of Jadon Sancho, disciplinary issues, Ten Hag have struggled to produce a United team capable of beating mid-table opponents this season, let alone title-chasing teams like Liverpool.

Such dismal results and performances have put the former Ajax manager under pressure to make a convincing case for him to stay in his job when INEOS, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, finalizes its deal to buy a 25% stake in United and take control of football operations from the club's owners, the Glazer family.

After exiting the Champions League this week by finishing last in Group A, the last thing Ten Hag would have wanted was a trip to Anfield, especially with so many players unavailable. Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf, Lisandro Martínez, Mason Mount, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen were unavailable, as was Sancho, who has not touched a ball for United since August due to his argument with Ten. Old witch. The catalog of absences has left the United manager with a patched-up squad and a midfield duo of slow, carefree Sofyan Amrabat and promising but inexperienced teenager Kobbie Mainoo, while his front three, Antony , Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho, had succeeded. one goal between them all season in the Premier League.

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This game focused on crisis management for Ten Hag. His team was exposed and vulnerable against a Liverpool side with a recent history of tearing United apart, but he somehow managed to pull off a performance of commitment and organization that has been absent too often this season. And at the end of the match, United finally created the clearest chance to score and win the match, when the interplay between Scott McTominay and Hojlund allowed Hojlund to score clearly on goal from six yards out in the 67th minute . The Denmark international headed his shot too close to goalkeeper Alisson, who blocked the attempt to keep the summer signing still waiting for his first league goal for United.

Overall, it wasn't pretty, and United's defensive performance betrayed the traditions of a club that once won with style and audacity – Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk said that “only one team tried to win the match” – but it ended with an outcome that could be the pressing of a reset button for Ten Hag.

“There were many aspects, absolutely,” Ten Hag said. “I think the performance was very good from us. The game plan went well, the players were brilliant, they were united and fought.

“We have a good group, a good team and we can get something out of this season.”

Out of Europe and with only the league and FA Cup to focus on, Ten Hag now has a six month period with one game a week to get their players fit and figure things out on the training pitch . This will make or break him as United manager as there will be no more excuses by the end of the season.

But if Ten Hag gets United back on track, he will look back on this game at Anfield as the day the bounce back began.