Micah Richards has questioned Erik ten Hag’s tactics after Willy Kambwala was left brutally exposed for Bournemouth’s opener on Saturday night.
The Manchester United star came into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons at the Vitality Stadium, although it was through no fault of his own.
A pass from Marcos Senesi somehow sliced through the entirety of United’s midfield and landed at the feet of prolific talisman Dominic Solanke, who was then left in a 1v1 with Kambwala. He was able to turn the youngster and dispatch an inch-perfect strike past Andre Onana to open the scoring in just the 16th minute.
It was the 19-year-old’s third-ever start at senior level, as well as just his ninth appearance overall, so he’ll certainly bounce back from the error and continue on his upward trajectory as a first-teamer.
However, questions must again be asked of United’s squad in general. That performance was nothing short of dire, and they’ve now faced over 100 shots in the four Premier League matches alone since the international break – all of which they were winless in.
Richards perplexed over United’s setup
Analysing the game’s affairs on The Rest Is Football, Richards, who previously raved over Kambwala’s ‘excellent’ showing against Liverpool, aired his concerns to the panel.
“Man United’s midfield don’t seem to be working together. They are working hard. It’s a tactical thing,” the pundit began. “[Kobbie] Mainoo’s very good now. He’s more than just a No.6, he’s a No.8 who can get into the box, and sometimes him and [Bruno] Fernandes become on the same line.
“Casemiro – fantastic player – doesn’t have the legs he used to where he could just dominate a midfield by himself. He needs a little bit of help.
“Fernandes and Mainoo will press, and that leaves a big massive gap, and Casemiro has to go engage, and then Kambwala, 19 years of age, is exposed. I feel a little bit sorry for Kambwala.
“He’s a good player, [he] did very well in the Liverpool game, but at that age, away from home, you just need a little more structure. Man United are just missing that identity in how they want to approach games for different opponents.”
Maybe I’m a bit naive in “football” tactics but I’m getting tired of everyone blaming ETH every time a defensive mistake is made by the PLAYERS! Willy was left ALONE in the centre when everyone was on the left side. SOMEONE should have noticed and been back tracking on an angle to the centre to HELP. No one did and as Willy stumbled ,anyone can guess what could and did happen next. I’ve said if the effort is there losses I can accept. But no back tracking on this goal and in general I can not TOLERATE.