Tottenham game gives Manchester United perfect chance to prove that woeful Wolves performance was a fluke
It’s not always that a team wins and most of their fans are unhappy, but that's what happened following Manchester United’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday (August 14).
The Red Devils kickstarted their Premier League campaign with a win, but their performance left much to be desired, especially as they had spent huge money in the transfer market.
The arrivals of Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Ramus Hojlund were supposed to be the final pieces in Erik ten Hag’s jigsaw. Their impact, though, wasn’t felt against Wolves, with the latter out injured.
That opening day performance was smash-and-grab. Manchester United will not get away with it if they play the same way against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday (August 19).
Spurs are a much better side than Wolves and have better attackers. Playing at home, they're desperate for their first win of the season after drawing 2-2 against Brentford last week.
Spurs test coming at the right time for Manchester United
All the above factors make this game the perfect test for Ten Hag and Manchester United. The Reds did not play particularly well in pre-season, where their results were mixed.
While the new players are still trying to gel with the rest of the squad, fans expect the team to build on what they achieved last season and not regress. Manchester United, even without Hojlund, should be putting away teams like Wolves with ease. Also, after bringing in the personnel needed to play his style of football, Ten Hag has no excuse for his team’s lack of control in games.
Just like the Red Devils, Tottenham are also in a rebuilding phase, with new players who're trying to adjust to the team's style. However, if Wolves, a team of supposedly lesser quality outplayed Manchester United, Spurs should offer sterner opposition.
It may have taken some time before Manchester United got going last season. However, after one year in the job, it’s not too much to ask to see them play like a proper Ten Hag team, which wasn’t the case against Wolves.
Red Devils must improve in Spurs game
The silver lining for Manchester United is that there’s now a chance to make amends against Spurs and to demonstrate that their woeful performance against Wolves was a fluke.
They need to control the game better, create chances and not be disjointed. Fans deserve better. Another poor performance will only likely drag a wedge between the team and fans after the goodwill United have enjoyed in recent months.
“The recovery is good. We are fit, and, I think, the players are there and present for the next game. But there were a lot of learning moments in that game against Wolves,” Ten Hag told Manutd.com ahead of the Tottenham clash.
“I am more aware of working on a way of play, and there were many things for improvement in our way of play, and we have to step up and stick better to our principles and our rules to get a better game. We will have a strong selection, and we have to make a step in the season. We know we have to do much better than Monday.”
United didn't ply with any style or impetus against Wolves. That has to change, starting with Tottenham on Saturday or the pressure will start ramping up on Ten Hag.