Manchester United fans will learn crucial aspect about Erik ten Hag’s tactics with one Manuel Ugarte observation

Manchester United fans will learn one crucial aspect about Erik ten Hag’s tactics with one observation about new signing Manuel Ugarte.

Manchester United suffered a 3-0 defeat against rivals Liverpool on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag’s team putting in a disappointing performance.

Casemiro’s loose pass early on was unsuccessful and led to a goal from Luis Diaz. A similar mistake from the Brazilian allowed Liverpool to score their second just before half-time.

It was a dreadful display from the former Real Madrid man, who misplaced 10 passes in the first 45 minutes before being replaced at the break.

However, this isn’t something that was entirely surprising for those supporting the home side.

Casemiro often attempts ambitious passes. His favourite is making a first time pass without looking at the pitch – often putting the ball into areas that he thinks his teammates will be in.

Unfortunately, this is not always entirely effective. When you have the equally ambitious Bruno Fernandes in the midfield, it will make more sense for the defensive midfielder to have a more sensible approach in possession.

Yet, we do not necessarily know whether this is a Casemiro problem or an Erik ten Hag one. This is either an instruction for the playstyle or the manager adjusting because he does not believe the 32-year-old can play the role he wants.

Manuel Ugarte has joined the club and will now get some necessary fitness on international duty with Urguaguy after a limited pre-season in the summer.

The new midfielder could be argued as the complete opposite of the Brazilian in possession. We all know about his energetic style out-of-possession, but he wants to keep things simple with the ball.

Ugarte averaged a 91.5% pass accuracy in Ligue 1 last term but was not overall adventurous on the ball, creating just 14 chances in front of goal.

Once he slots into United’s midfield, we will be able to see whether the hectic nature of Casemiro’s in-possession play is something that Ten Hag wanted or not, and we will see the differences he makes in a key position when he has the players he wants there.

There will be major pressure for things to work, especially after the poor start to the season.

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