Arne Slot exposed Erik ten Hag in 60 seconds after Liverpool hammering of Manchester United

The Grand Canyon-sized space in Manchester United's midfield still hasn't been addressed.

With the exception of the FA Cup final against Manchester City, Erik ten Hag's tactics didn't work last season and the large gaps in the midfield was one of the biggest problems. It was too easy for the opposition to play through United and there were dozens of examples when embarrassing images of space in the midfield during games were shown on social media and TV.

Casemiro's regression was a huge factor in the midfield problem against Liverpool. He was struggling to intercept balls, read play and became slower. But the tactical system itself was failing more often than not and Ten Hag was responsible for not recognising the issue and addressing it.

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United suffered a record number of defeats in the Premier League in 2023/24 and conceded their most goals. Ten Hag oversaw 19 losses across all competitions, the most since 1977/78, and it was obvious his tactics needed to change.

However, it felt like Groundhog Day when Liverpool hammered United 3-0 at the weekend. Although Casemiro was awful and made mistakes for the two goals in the first half, newly appointed Liverpool manager Slot easily won the tactical battle.

Ten Hag can not account for Casemiro giving the ball away so cheaply - he was rightly hooked at half-time - but the space in the midfield can't be blamed on a single player. Just like last season, it's in part a structural problem and Slot broke down how to beat United in just 60 seconds when speaking to Sky Sports following the final whistle. "What did you identify that allowed