Viral footage of Man Utd mastering ‘Ten Hag Ball’ vs Spurs shows it’s time to be excited
Erik ten Hag is slowly but surely implementing his exciting brand of football at Manchester United.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and it could be years before the Red Devils truly master ‘Ten Hag Ball’ as Ajax did, but there have already been promising signs of improvement over the last few weeks.
The carnage of defeats to Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford and Manchester City have gradually made way for impressive wins over Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Man Utd impress in Tottenham win
The latter result, in particular, really saw the United players channel the philosophy that Ten Hag is ultimately gunning for: mixing a possession-based style with a modern twist on pressing.
And at times, United were simply unplayable against Spurs as goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes saw them sweep to a thoroughly deserved win at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
It rubbed off on the supporters, too, with the zip and dynamism to United’s build-up play stirring up one of the finest atmospheres we’ve seen at the club in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
And it’s hardly surprising, really, because the football that Ten Hag likes his teams to play is ultimately cut from the same cloth of the attacking philosophy so often associated with the ‘United way’.
‘Ten Hag Ball’ in full flow vs Spurs
As such, it’s really important to take stock of the positives that manifested themselves for Ten Hag’s men during the Tottenham win because it truly was a sign of things to come.
And just to help you visualise the beauty and kinetics of the football that United were playing in full flow at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, the wonderful world of the internet has the perfect thing for you.
That’s because the aptly named Twitter user @TenHagBalI has delivered a stunning five-minute montage of, well, the Red Devils absolutely nailing their manager’s philosophy against Spurs.
To tell you the truth, United look simply unrecognisable across a sweeping compilation showing them play arguably their most attractive football ever since Ferguson hung up his hairdryer.
So don’t be silly, do yourself a favour and catch a glimpse of the dizzying heights that United could achieve under Ten Hag by watching his footballing vision flowing across the pitch down below:
Video: The best moments of ‘Ten Hag Ball’ vs Tottenham
ERIK TEN HAG BALL!😍🙌🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/cQhUJ8myES
— 𝗧𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗴’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘀 ✍🏼🇳🇱 (@TenHagBalI) October 20, 2022
Fan reaction
Man on the right track
The future is here, folks.
Look, each clip isn’t a pinball-like recreation of Jack Wilshere’s legendary goal against Norwich City, let’s be realistic here, but it is a glimpse of what a free-flowing and forward-thinking United can actually look like.
After year upon year of vegetative midfield play desperately relying on counterattacks, the Red Devils are now – dare we say – actually working the ball up the pitch with intelligence and urgency.
You can see the construction of each of those moves as they unfold as though Ten Hag has traced them across the pitch with his finger – and it’s giving United so much more of a clear idea about how to approach each game.
It’s early days, don’t get it twisted, but the reality of the situation is that United are well on their way to an exciting system that could take them back to the summit of English football.
