Man United suffered 308 shots in the last 14 matches but surprisingly, opponents had difficulty with their strange open play.

Man United successfully retained 1 point at home against Liverpool

In their third encounter this season, Liverpool still couldn’t defeat Manchester United. The Kop once again became the “victim” of the chaos created by Erik ten Hag’s squad. After knocking Liverpool out of the FA Cup, Man United again caused their opponents to lose the top spot in the Premier League.

The equalizer in the 50th minute encapsulated perfectly the moments of madness that Man United can produce this season. Bruno Fernandes, from a distance of 45m, scored past goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher after a mistake by Jarell Quansah.

Ten Hag said after the draw against Brentford that he doesn’t care how many shots Man United have to face, as long as the team gets results. For a coach trying to shape the playing style, that’s a noteworthy statement.

Liverpool unleashed 87 shots in the 3 matches against Man United this season and were surprised not to win once. And it’s not just Liverpool finding it difficult to cope with Man United’s peculiar openness. In the last 14 matches, the “Red Devils” faced 308 shots. That’s an average of 22 shots per game, but Man United only lost 3 of those matches.

Salah and Liverpool’s strikers inexplicably wasted opportunities against Man United

A long-standing theory in football has been that 9 shots lead to 1 goal. In reality, Man United are conceding nearly 2.5 goals per game, however, in their last 14 matches, they have conceded an average of 1.71 goals.

Nevertheless, sooner or later, Man United will have to pay the price for this style of play, it’s just a matter of time. To some extent, conceding 2 goals in stoppage time against Chelsea served as a warning to Ten Hag. A similar scenario could have occurred in the draw with Liverpool if goalkeeper Andre Onana hadn’t performed brilliantly.

However, amidst Ten Hag’s open style of play, Man United still have bright spots on the field. Bruno Fernandes may not be as outstanding as when he first joined Man United, but he still demonstrates his ability to seize opportunities and his cunningness. Meanwhile, Kobbie Mainoo’s goal against Liverpool continues to affirm his talent and stature.

With Mainoo, Garnacho, and Rasmus Hojlund, there are clear reasons for optimism at Man United. However, in reality, the lack of cohesion, gaps between the lines, and a sense of confusion are making the future of the “Red Devils” unsustainable.

How can Man United return to the top when they practically leave the entire midfield unmarked throughout the match? Ten Hag wants creativity, but what he’s doing is illogical and unrealistic.

Ten Hag needs to find a new direction for Man United instead of a vague way of playing

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s ability to finish and capitalize on opportunities is truly alarming. As Klopp affirmed, Liverpool should have defeated Man United right after the first half. Clearly, they also dominated their opponents at Anfield last December, unleashing 34 shots but ending in a goalless draw.

Liverpool also had periods of dominance in home matches against both Arsenal and Manchester City. However, they ultimately drew 1-1 with both teams.

If Liverpool doesn’t win the Premier League this season, they will point to Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal against Tottenham. But the lack of accuracy in crucial moments against direct rivals is the main reason. The errors are almost negligible, but in a tightly contested title race like this, they can still prove costly.