Amrabat starts and Mount in new role – Manchester United might have new big game tactic

Erik ten Hag will be looking at ways to address Man Utd’s awful away form, and a change of tactics could be on the cards.

With two losses from their first four games, the pressure will be on Manchester United when they return to action next weekend.

It’s been a difficult start to the season for Erik ten Hag, made worse by a dramatic defeat to Arsenal ahead of an unusually long international break.

No team can win the Premier League in the first few weeks of the season, but many teams may indeed lose all hope of winning the title. There will be many United fans who have given up all hope of winning the league this time around.

United’s poor away record continues this season with away defeats to Tottenham and Arsenal, and things don’t get any easier with their away trip to Bayern Munich at the end of the season month.

If they are to have any hope of challenging Europe’s best teams once again, then United will need to find a way to overcome their poor away record, something that Ten Hag is surely thinking about at the moment.

The solution may lie in United’s approach to these matches and a slight change in tactics could be the key to a winning turnaround.

Andre Onana has made a steady start to life at his new club and it is clear to see how integral he is to a style of play that focuses on playing from the back.

No changes are needed in front of him, with the back four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw taking precedence as they are all fully fit.

Longer term, United clearly need a younger centre-back to rely on, but there is also interest in adding another right-back to the squad.

The biggest change would be in the midfield set-up. In the last few years, United’s best results have come when adopting a more conservative approach focused on counter-attacking their opponents, with an emphasis on pressing them into mistakes.

It’s a blueprint that can’t be ignored, but one that could be refined with a few tweaks going forward. It would be foolish to ignore the strengths of playing on the break, though there should be an ambition to strike a balance and also be as threatening when they are on top in matches too.

Ten Hag has already hinted he could look to use summer signing Sofyan Amrabat alongside Casemiro and that seems like a sensible solution, given both the defensive and offensive traits they possess.

United also enjoyed success by utilising Bruno Fernandes in a wide role last season, but Mason Mount also looks well suited to the role, and could establish himself as a key component of their big-game approach.

If they are to have any hope of challenging Europe’s best teams once again, then United will need to find a way to overcome their poor away record, something that Ten Hag is surely thinking about at the moment.

The solution may lie in United’s approach to these matches and a slight change in tactics could be the key to a winning turnaround.

Andre Onana has made a steady start to life at his new club and it is clear to see how integral he is to a style of play that focuses on playing from the back.

No changes are needed in front of him, with the back four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw taking precedence as they are all fully fit.

Longer term, United clearly need a younger centre-back to rely on, but there is also interest in adding another right-back to the squad.

A lot could depend on United’s injury situation after the international break, with five of the players discussed currently experiencing different injury and illness concerns.

Yet there is still plenty of reason for optimism for the rest of the season, and when back to full fitness, United could well have a side that is capable of beating anyone.

United XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez; Shaw; Casemiro, Amrabat, Fernandes; Mount, Rashford, Hojlund.