Manchester United Transfer News: Why £138m in New Signings Hasn't Solved Their Late-Game Woes
Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Brighton in the second game of the Premier League season has once again shown a recurring problem that keeps haunting Erik ten Hag's team. With massive activity in the transfer market that brought on board three new defenders in Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui and a striker in the person of Joshua Zirkzee, the very busy team found it hard to shake the troubling trend that has seen them concede late goals en route to defeats.
A Costly Trend That Just Won't Stop
Under Ten Hag in the 2022/23 season, United suddenly became the biggest contributors of points in the final minutes of matches. The loss at the Amex Stadium was the sixth time United has lost a game in which the decisive goal was registered in the 90th minute and beyond—more times than any other side in the top four English football leagues this term. That is in staunch contrast to the club's defensive tradition, with only 2 such games lost over the first 30 years of the Premier League era.
It's a shocking trend for a club of the stature of Manchester United. The hallmark of all championship-winning teams is that ability to kill games, and from a repeated lack of it, United's mentality and tactical approach face serious questions. The more cogent issue at hand here is not that of an individual error, but the notion that this one has come from a systemic problem from within the squad.
The Summer Spending Spree: Big Reinforcements, Small Impact
Manchester United spent approximately £138m this summer in reinforcing the squad, with the new sporting director Dan Ashworth spearheading their transfer activities. The arrivals were expected to shore up United's leaky defense and add firepower to their attack, but preliminary signs have shown the reinforcements not enough to address the team's underlying troubles.
The addition to the side of the likes of De Ligt and Mazraoui was meant to help—a team with fewer net vulnerabilities. They got De Ligt, an international star, a certified leader, and Mazraoui, a warrior for a player who is full of versatility and tenacity, but his presence has not made a difference to stop the crumble in the team at important times in the game.
It was also supposed to help at the other end, with Zirkzee brought in to offer United greater goal threat. The young striker showed well in preseason, but the team still seems to flail too often in difficult stretches, winning way too many games by a single goal while finding it difficult to put the ball in the net. This failing transmits vulnerability to the kind of late collapse that has dogged United under Ten Hag.
Day Late, Dollar Short: Where Does the Blame Lie?
The mental lapse on the part of the United players has been prone to blaming the tactical choice of Ten Hag in not finishing the game off if it is on the edge. Does a player only last until the concentration is there, or is Ten Hag making the right changes and substitutions to seal a game with that all-important goal when it is on a knife edge?
The answers are not so simple. It probably involves a combination of the loss of concentration, bad decision-making, and maybe symptoms of a lack of real mental toughness among the squad. The new signings have no doubt made the team better, but just that won't settle the deep-rooted issues mentioned.
That said, Ten Hag's reputation as a tactical maestro means that he must share some level of responsibility for the team's repeated propensity for such late-game collapses. His use of substitutions, his in-game management—especially when United has been in winning positions—has been suspect far too often. Either that, or the side has simply not been set up properly to deal with the opponents' late onslaughts.
In this way, players must be held accountable for the performances. As the final stages of a match begin, concentration and focus hold the paramount importance, and these have unfortunately all too often been shown by United's players to be qualities that they cannot maintain at crucial times. That can be partially attributed to the lack of leadership in the middle of the pitch.
Ten Hag and his team need to stand up to douse such last-gasp debacles and help get Manchester United back on its old, lofty perch. He will need to initiate some sense and a robust approach into the heads of these players so they can remain focused and composed until the final whistle. A look at tactical approach by Ten Hag in these situations during the closing stages may be in order, as it may be necessary to make rethinks regarding changes to the play earlier in these clashes and game management.
One of the possible solutions is to take a bit more of a pragmatic approach come crunch time in several games. Then maybe, as much as Ten Hag enforces his philosophy of playing attacking football and having possession of the ball, it becomes apparent that there will be occasions when a more pragmatic approach will be all too necessary in killing games. It means taking in extra defensive players or even sitting in deeper and allowing the opponent to press high.
They should develop the sense of urgency, how to be alert, and just how informed they should always be for every moment they spend on the pitch without, of course, lapses in concentration which have cost the team many times when placed in such situations. Perhaps it might need more rigorous mentally prepared sessions or even to work with sports psychologists so as to improve the focus and resilience of the team.
The Role of the New Signings: Can They Make a Difference?
The new signings are yet to make a significant impact in the resolution of United problems in late games but there are a few glimpses and positive things that a turnaround can be yet achieved. De Ligt surely can turn into an ardent leader on the dressing room as well on the field. His exposure and composure can guide the young players and make the team not switch off at crucial moments.
His versatility can also play a huge role in terms of easing the defensive line under pressure. As such, being able to deploy him centrally and as a right-back gives Ten Hag one more tactical option to finish off a game. Used effectively, Mazraoui could help shore up the defense and prevent the kind of lapses that have cost United so many points.
Zirkzee is still developing but looks like he could be the next reliable goal-scorer for United. If he can find his form and put away more of the good chances, United can look less to skinny leads and be less at risk of the late goal. A more potent attack would take pressure off the defense in equal measure and allow the team to better see games out.
Yet defeat at the hands of Brighton is just the most frustrating of setbacks. Do not hit the panic button just yet. With the season still in its infancy, that said, there have been some decent signs shown in the way United have played. However, if consistency still continues to waver, then expectations from the season won't materialize.
If Manchester United are to achieve anything this season, they have to sort out these late-game vulnerabilities in a jiffy. They need to strategize a bit, prepare mentally, and maybe even make some more reinforcements in January.
It will essentially be how well Ten Hag processes this early blow and can figure out his way through the changes required to get things back in some sort of order. The manager has already shown capability in turning things around; good evidence was brought up by the strong finish of United in the previous season. However, the challenges this season are different, and the response of this team to adversity will define its entire campaign.
Conclusion: Down the road
The lingering problem, only highlighted by defeat, that spending endlessly in the transfer market can't seem to fix; until this United team can overcome lapses at crucial times and learn to close out games effectively, they will be hard-pressed to exude the consistency needed at this level. Finding that solution is one of the key ways success can be reached by United in season three of Ten Hag's tenure.
It's all but easy from here, but with the right adjustments, Manchester United still can save their season and vie for some actual silverware. The key is to learn from these early mistakes, improve the team's mental and tactical resilience, and make sure the new signings make the impact expected of them.
Manchester United - 25 Years on from the Treble
It means a reminder of the heights a certain club would reach as the Red Devils mark it 25 years ago. Working on weaknesses and mistakes will have to be the theme for this current squad and management if it is to write another chapter in the tale of such a big institution in football like Manchester United. It should be a legacy that the great team left, being a motivator and benchmark that this team can get back to if they can get their current problems fixed.
