"It did not work" - Kevin Campbell says Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's gamble didn't pay off against Brighton
Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell was left baffled by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's decision to play Christian Eriksen as a false 9 against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, August 7.
With Anthony Martial out injured and Cristiano Ronaldo not in the starting XI, Eriksen played in the centre of a front three comprising Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho at Old Trafford. The summer signing was eventually moved into midfield when Ronaldo came on in the 53rd minute.
The Red Devils ultimately lost their Premier League opener by a 2-1 margin, with Pacal Gross netting twice for the visitors in the opening 45. Alexis Mac Allister scored an own goal in the second half, but there was still no way back for United.
Christian Eriksen's game by numbers vs. Brighton:
79 touches
43 passes completed
7 long passes
6 crosses
4 tackles
3 chances created
3 shots
United's best player when he dropped to DM. https://t.co/jugisr2nVR
Campbell feels the Danish playmaker's talents were wasted by playing him out of position against Brighton. He told Football Insider:
“It did not work. Eriksen is a really quality player. He has to be deeper though. That is where he can utilize his assets. Playing him as a false nine negates a lot of what he does and what he is good at.
“Things livened up when the main man [Cristiano] Ronaldo came on. United looked a little bit better after he came on."
He added:
“To be honest though, Man United were poor. They were really poor. They were bullied by Brighton. Brighton were by far the better side. If it was not for some dodgy decisions the scoreline could have been a lot worse.”
Ten Hag believes Eriksen will be best utilized as a midfielder at Manchester United
Eriksen was a revelation at Brentford in the second half of last season after joining the club on a free transfer in January. He registered one goal and four assists in 11 Premier League appearances for the Bees, who ultimately finished 13th.
Following his Manchester United debut last weekend, Ten Hag was asked about what he feels will be Eriksen's best position going forward.
The Dutch boss told the club's official website:
“We didn’t have a typical number nine, I knew he did it at Ajax, a long time ago, play as a striker.”
The Manchester United manager added:
“I think Christian Eriksen is the best in the midfield. It was also the idea [against Brighton] that he drops and gets in between the lines.”
Ten Haag will be desperate to bring in a new centre-forward before the closure of the transfer window to replace Edinson Cavani and potentially Ronaldo.
United put on a dismal display in their Premier League opener against Brighton, who secured a comfortable victory at Old Trafford.