'A bit of a mess' - Paul Scholes criticises Erik ten Hag's Man Utd tactics against Real Sociedad
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Updated 03/11/2022 at 20:01 GMT
Manchester United ended up with Harry Maguire playing up front for the team as they chased a second goal in their 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday night in Spain. Former United player Paul Scholes thought that the tactical blueprint from manager Erik ten Hag had left the side playing a long-ball game, while Owen Hargreaves noted their poor attacking quality.
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Paul Scholes said that Erik ten Hag’s tactical approach left Manchester United in ‘a bit of a mess’ as they chased a second-half goal against Real Sociedad.
The 1-0 win meant that United finished as runners-up in their group behind the Spaniards, as they trailed on the head-to-head record between the two sides.
United’s coach had said before the match that he planned to bring Marcus Rashford on in the second half, but Scholes questioned why he replaced Donny van de Beek, and why he was not put up front.
Asked about the strategy from Ten Hag, Scholes said: “I’m not too sure, I think he got in a bit of a mess in the second half, I’m not sure what he was trying to achieve.
“United were in complete control, [but then] Casemiro in defence, Rashford replaces Van de Beek in number 10, and Maguire up top, and it became a long ball game.”
Scholes’ former Manchester United and England midfield team-mate Owen Hargreaves was unimpressed by the team’s second half efforts in attack.
He stated: “They did not create much from open play.
“He obviously had a game plan, he wanted to play some longer balls. They didn’t create anything. It’s a tough place to go, they kept a clean sheet, they wanted two goals. The first half was great, the second half didn’t really go to plan.”
United will find out on Monday which side they play from the teams that have dropped out from the Champions League stage to the Europa League.
Potential opponents include Barcelona, Juventus and Ten Hag's former club Ajax.
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