HOW TEN HAG HAS CHANGED MAANCHESTER UNITED FROM THE EARLY DISAPPOINTING START TO THE SEASON

Key Points

• The 'red devils' chain four consecutive victories after the disastrous start to the season and are already fifth, just three points behind league leaders Arsenal
• Ten Hag adapts his style of play to create a much more vertical and offensive tactical model, even if that means losing control of the ball and possession based attack

Manchester United have gone from a disastrous start - their worst in 29 years at the bottom of the Premier League table - to beating current Premier League leaders Arsenal. The Red Devils have jumped to fifth place, ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool. After matchday 6, Ten Hag's team is just three points behind leaders Arsenal.

Many things have happened in recent weeks both on and off the pitch, and as naysayers were predicting a catastrophe, the Dutchman has overseen a 180 degree turn.

But what exactly has changed during this time? All the momentum was gathering against United: the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo [he doesn't want to play the Europa League], the new signings that were slow to arrive [many sought after players rejected the project and snubbed United's advances], the possible sale of the club with the fans asking the Glazers to leave. There was even speculation from the English media that the Dutch coach no longer had the support of the dressing room in terms of the game model. All this seems to have been forgotten, even CR7 is seen to have accepted the reality of occupying a secondary role. And the results have started to roll in.

The hard truth is that Ten Hag started with a tactical idea that seems to have failed to develop so far in the United squad. The total football of the Dutch school made popular by the legend Johann Cruyff, the positional, offensive game, something that worked to perfection at Ajax, didn't really gather much pace with the non technical players available in the United squad.

So what really happened? The data reveals what the naked eye could have missed. After the win against Liverpool on matchday three (2-1), United ran 19 kilometers more and up to 100 more sprints were recorded than on the previous matchday when Brentford thrashed United 4-0. Ten Hag's team also had less possession than Liverpool, in contrast to the match against the 'Toffees' where, despite the defeat, they had a higher percentage of possession than the rival.

Since then we have seen a Manchester United radically different from the first two matchdays. A much more vertically oriented team, not much focused on possession and positional attack, to quickly burst on to dominate the areas in front of goal. A style much more typical of English football and Bundesliga than what Ten Hag was used to in the Netherlands [Ten Hag has previously coached Bayern II].

To implement a model that is both risky and effective, you need to have key profiles that complete the puzzle. The squad that Ten Hag now has is perhaps not the most suitable to carry out the possession play and build up from the back, but is much more effective playing quick transition based football. And for that, it is only necessary to see how Antony - the blockbuster signing from Ajax - has adapted wonderfully, completing his first goal on his debut only 35 minutes into the game.

The change of the center-back pairing from Harry Maguire-Lisandro Martínez to Raphael Varane-Lisandro Martínez has generated much more security and calm in United's defensive third, and the inclusion of Tyrell Malacia as the left-back has also given the defense an extra level of support with three-at-the-back. Malacia is a powerful player defensively but also offers that good offensive run when required.

In the midfield double pivot, Christian Eriksen has managed to get closer to his best level and that is something to celebrate after the scare he received in the last Euros. A creative player with brilliant knowledge of the Premier League, he has the acumen of finding the ideal moment to initiate an offensive transition. All this together with Bruno Fernandes unleashing his link up play bring United an overpowering vertical superiority. Despite Arsenal dominating the match, the Gunners could do nothing to stop United on the breaks.

Antony comfortably adapted to the new system together with Rashford as the striker, capable of accompanying and finishing off transitions with his great speed and unchecking. Add to that a penetrating Jadon Sancho down the left wing, creating spaces in the back of the rival defense, adding more speed and overflow.

With Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire relegated to the bench for now, Ten Hag seems to have hit the right key. It remains to be seen if he is able to maintain the level and results with such an offensive and risky game model, but what is clear is that they are on a brilliant run, with four consecutive wins and a whisker away from the top of the Premier League table. Not only that, Ten Hag also seems to be a master of managing the dressing room as he introduced Ronaldo in the 58th minute for Antony and once the match was in control, brought on Harry Maguire in place of Lisandro Martinez to further solidify the defense in the 80th minute.