Manchester United could do with getting their first big Premier League win of the season this weekend when Tottenham Hotspur visit OId Trafford.
It’s exactly what Erik ten Hag needs after a slow start to the 2024/25 season, after his team made matters worse by drawing the Europa League opener against FC Twente on Wednesday night.
The result left egg on Ten Hag’s face because it was against his former side. A club he supports, therefore, watches regularly.
It also sets us up appallingly for Sunday’s game against Tottenham, who won their Europa League clash 3-0 against Qarabag.
United had a scoreless draw in the league last weekend on their travels to Selhurst Park. It was a game we should’ve won but Ten Hag’s men paid the price for not taking their chances.
It is not all doom and gloom at Old Trafford, though. We are not naïve to the fact there has been improvements in our style of play. Look at how we are finally keeping clean sheets and creating more chances.
While it is not something Ten Hag has a lot of, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the chances we are creating become goals. Only Southampton have under-performed their Expected Goals (xG) total more than Ten Hag’s wasteful unit this season.
Indeed, United have found the net five times from an xG of 9.6 – the third-highest figure in the top flight. The manager will be keen on finding a way to get the best out of all his attacking players.
Tottenham have only won in two of their last 12 Premier League matches on the road while losing four of their last six. That said, they managed to steal a point from United in last season’s 2-2 draw, which extended their unbeaten record against us to three league matches.
Can Old Trafford become the fortress it once was?
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Be a very long time afore OT is what is once was; need a long unbeaten – and preferably winning – streak. Long gone are the days teams would arrive already beaten mentally, nowadays any Tom, Dick, or FC Twente fancies there’s a chance for them. That “just waiting for the mistake” comment from Twente really hurt, specially as the mistake duly happened.
Need to win Saturday, 0-0 home to Spurs ain’t gonna scare anyone.