Five changes Erik ten Hag needs to make to ensure a win vs FC Porto after Tottenham defeat, including new partnership

Starting with an away game at Porto, they will now face away games against Aston Villa, Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce and West Ham United in their next five.

Chelsea will arrive at Old Trafford soon after and the home fortress has long been breached so the need for wins has coincided with the fixtures getting tougher.

One thing at a time, though, and with recent reports that Erik ten Hag is on thin ice, the immediate focus has to be three points in Portugal.

Here are five changes Ten Hag needs to make for that game to ensure that happens-

Control over chaos

Tottenham’s first goal vs United was a carbon copy of the kind of goal they’ve conceded for the last two seasons.

A player ran through the whole team to assist as the soft underbelly of the structure was exposed again. It should be clear by now that the problem is not personnel-based.

Ten Hag has previously added numbers to midfield to solidify it but the answer to having a better midfield is not playing more midfielders. It’s having players in roles that complement each other.

Kobbie Mainoo is already suffering and introducing a semblance of control in that chaos needs to be the immediate goal.

A striker partnership

Joshua Zirkzee is a reluctant striker who would rather create than score, and Rasmus Hojlund does nothing except score.

That’s a partnership Ten Hag needs to explore and even build upon if starting signs are positive. He might have to take some tough calls to make it happen, dropping a winger, for example, but a change is long overdue.

Both Hojlund and Zirkzee work hard off the ball so pressing from the front should still be fine if roles are simplified. It can get United firing and sometimes, one goal is all it takes.

Tighten up the midfield

When United bought Manuel Ugarte, he was never going to be the single-minded answer to their problems but nonetheless a big part of the solution.

As it turns out, the system is so faulty that nobody can fix it so the only thing Ten Hag can do, if not change the system, is to play more defensive-minded personnel there.

Ugarte alongside Casemiro is not something that will set the pulses racing but that part is hardly the priority now.

Getting a win is all that matters and if that comes by functionality rather than flair, then so be it. This midfield pairing will allow Casemiro to create overloads by moving forward while still retaining his tackling and intercepting ability. Inverted fullbacks can solidify the midfield further and help in ball progression.

Get Amad in

The team vs Tottenham not having Amad in it was probably just due to rotation but as it stands, there should be a clear hierarchy due to the strengths and weaknesses of the options available.

Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford are extremely similar in their approach. Both prefer running in behind the defence and are nullified by low blocks.

That is why they are extremely effective against tired legs as subs which is not Amad’s forte. He thrives in small spaces, linking up with teammates and picking the lock.

This United team have far too many players who prefer to blast the door down or die trying. Amad is the unique option who needs to start every game.

Address the elephant in the room

Fans will accept the defeat but what is never acceptable is a lack of effort on the players’ part. That is why Garnacho had Old Trafford applauding for him in the 0-3 defeat and that is why Christian Eriksen’s comments after the Twente game were so surprising.

The Dane said at the time that the opponents “wanted it more” and that is the most damning thing a professional can say about his team.

United are a marked team in the Europa League and every team is going to come after them like its the game of their lives.

Expect Porto to do the same, buoyed further by playing in front of their fans. This United team has lost the privilege of winning games in second gear. This is their reality right now so they need to match the opponent in intensity and effort to address the elephant in the room. Ten Hag is not faultless, but the player admitting the opposition “wanting it more” can’t happen.

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