The real reason why coach Ten Hag changed the formula for success for Manchester United

Manchester United have this Saturday a chance to confirm that they are improving. Last week they got an unforgettable victory against Aston Villa, one of the best teams of the season, after having been losing 2-0. That gave them encouragement to dream that their performances in the Premier League can improve and, even if it is not enough to compete for the title, at least qualify for the Champions League 2024/25.

For that, it is key that they beat Nottingham Forest this Saturday at the City Ground. Their rivals are not having a good semester and are dangerously close to the relegation zone. That is why they recently changed coach and hired Nuno Espiritu Santo, who left Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago.

However, during the first half The Red Devils did not show a good performance and hardly created chances to score the opener. They lacked imagination to break through their opponents' defensive barriers and accuracy near the box. And neither did Forest, although they are obviously much more satisfied with the draw.

This time coach Erik Ten Hag did not repeat the strategy he had used against Aston Villa and which worked well for him. That day Alejandro Garnacho played as right-winger, Marcus Rashford played on the opposite side and Rasmus Hojlund was the centre-forward. But this Saturday the Danish striker is absent due to illness, so the manager had to change everything. Rashford is playing as centre-forward, Garnacho on the left and Antony as right-winger.

What will Ten Hag do?

The Dutch coach is surely not satisfied with the team's performance during the first half. That's why he might make changes after the break. The substitutes are Altay Bayindir, Sergio Reguilon, Willy Kambwala, Donny Van De Beek, Scott McTominay, Hannibal Mejbri, Facundo Pellistri, Daniel Gore and Amad Diallo Traore.