Manchester United must do four things vs Tottenham

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag would have been watching keenly as Tottenham Hotspur got their season underway against Brentford last weekend.

While the major narrative around the game was the Harry Kane-shaped hole up front, the United boss will have observed how Spurs lined up under Ange Postecoglou. The Reds head to north London on Saturday with something of a point to prove after their disappointing display against Wolves, despite coming away with three points.

Spurs were forced to settle for a drawn at Brentford as Postecoglou deployed a 4-3-3 formation, with Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal scoring their goals. Here’s a look at what Ten Hag may have picked up from the new manager’s first official game in charge of Tottenham.

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New defensive line

Three of Spurs’ back five, including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, were new signings and that was clearly evident during the game. Vicario, in particular, appeared to second-guess when to come and collect and when to stay on his line as the former Empoli ‘keeper experienced his first taste of Premier League football.

Any nerves the Spurs shot-stopper may have had would not have been eased before kick-off when Postecoglou named two new recruits as part of his back four. However, both centre-backs Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie performed admirably. In fact it was Emerson Royal who, despite his goal, allowed Brentford ‘s full-back Rico Henry to threaten Vicario’s goal, time and again. United will hope six days is not long enough for the Tottenham defence to get on the same wavelength as the Reds look to exploit any weaknesses.

Bissouma masterclass

Before