Erik ten Hag EXPOSED as Arne Slot uses his own Ajax prodigy against him

Anfield Watch

Tue, Sep 3, 2024, 11:27 a.m.·3 min read

Erik ten Hag EXPOSED as Arne Slot uses his own Ajax prodigy against him

Mario Melchiot, ex-Ajax player, shared his tactical observations in a recent ESPN analysis regarding Arne Slot’s triumph over Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

His insights include how Slot exploited Ten Hag’s weaknesses, particularly through midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, signed by Liverpool in 2023, a player who Ten Hag should definitely have been very familiar with.

Melchiot when reflecting on the match stated: “I was surprised by the way Ten Hag got exposed by Slot because they both know each other. They played against each other a number of times because of the Dutch background and in the league in Holland."

This was meant to have benefited Ten Hag, but in fact it did the exact opposite. Slot’s strategy revealed a deeper understanding of Ten Hag’s tactics which clearly went unchallenged.

How Slot Outwitted Ten Hag

Gravenberch, who was originally a key player for Ten Hag at Ajax, was used in such a way that capitalised on the Manchester United manager's tactical tendencies:

"Slot has a player in Gravenberch who was the player that was very instrumental in the system when Ten Hag was on board [at Ajax]. So he knows a lot about that kid, the way he goes right through the middle and the way Slot played him was because he knew that when Ajax has the ball, we stretch the game wide open. When we lose the ball we make it very compact."

Slot's positioning of Gravenberch was used deliberately to exploit the spaces that Ten Hag's system had left wide open.

Melchiot also mentioned the lack of support for younger players like Kobbie Mainoo, which, combined with the severe disorganisation from the team only made matters worse.

Melchiot stated: “Mainoo is a young player, he needs some help from the experienced players. But the experienced players around him can only talk to him when they are comfortable themselves.”

Manchester United’s struggle to maintain a firm structure on the pitch allowed Slot’s tactics to shine even brighter.

He concluded that the game was a clear image of the dangers of underestimating a well-prepared opponent, detailing that this was "one of the biggest games in England and it clearly didn't look like it".