Breaking news: The three big tactical changes ten Hag will make at Manchester United

 A change of manager at Manchester 

United should mean a change of tactics.

Here is a look at what Erik ten Hag can

 alter now that his appointment has 

been confirmed…

United finally master 

4-3-3

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could not shake

 United’s reliance on 4-2-3-1, 

with fleeting attempts to switch to 4-3-3 quickly

 abandoned because they his side too 

open.

Ralf Rangnick got to a point where he seemed

 happy with 4-3-3, but has fallen back 

on a double pivot at times and has increasingly

 leant towards five-man defences or 

false nines in certain games.

Ten Hag prefers a 4-3-3 formation. That

 is the formation Manchester City, Liverpool

 and many of Europe’s other top 

clubs use.

The Dutchman has flirted with other

 systems but he has to be the man 

to get United secure enough with just 

one anchorman by the end of his reign.

Pressing from the front

Rangnick was supposed to get United pressing

 but that was doomed almost from the off

. Interim managers are not usually brought

 in to introduce a philosophy.

There isn’t the time and they don’t have

 the authority with the players, 

who know they will outlast him.

Cristiano Ronaldo has shown at times

 this season he can work hard off the ball

, and ten Hag has to get United’s other

 players working in tandem to get pressure

 on opponents higher up the pitch.

That is what Ajax do, and the Dutch outfit

 even did it against elite opponents when

 ten Hag took them to the Champions 

League final in 2019.

At the moment, United are too passive and

 not physical enough. That has to change

 under ten Hag.

Short passing and playing

 out of trouble

United often played themselves into 

trouble passing it around the back under 

Solskjaer and eventually ended up panicking

 and playing it longer.

Ten Hag will be dedicated to his total 

football principles and United’s players 

need to get used to playing their way 

out of trouble.

What United players and fans really need 

to see are the clear signs of a philosophy

 being implemented; of a clear style of 

play every time the team steps out onto 

the pitch.

For too long now, it has been a muddle,

 with United trying to do just enough to 

win games and seldom being convincing 

when they do.

Now, wins need to be secured with a clear

 idea, which is being worked on and improved

 at all times. Ten Hag is a notoriously 

strict operator, who needs time and the

 buy-in of his players to get this team

 in his image.