Four things Man Utd can do differently to beat Burnley

When Erik ten Hag was unveiled as Manchester United manager in 2022, he teased the toppling of Manchester City's dominance by declaring: "All eras come to an end."

Less than 18 months into his tenure at Old Trafford, there is the increasing possibility that Ten Hag's short reign comes to an end long before it could be classified as an era.

For the first time since 1986, Manchester United have lost four of their opening six matches across all competitions. Ron Atkinson only lasted until November before making way for a certain Sir Alex Ferguson - who also endured some shaky starts that year.

In a bid to avoid yet another loss, here's what Ten Hag could tweak ahead of United's trip to Burnley's Turf Moor on Saturday night.

Rejig the midfield

During pre-season, Ten Hag spoke of building a "new midfield". Yet, the rapidly ageing duo of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro have continued to haul their creaking limbs alongside one another at the base of United's porous - and familiar - set-up.

Eriksen, in particular, could do with a break. Ideally, that would mean a debut for Sofyan Amrabat. The former Fiorentina midfielder came through at FC Utrecht under his new boss. "I know exactly how Erik ten Hag likes to work and what he needs from his players," Amrabat explained at his unveiling. The dynamic ball-winner is yet to make a Manchester United squad but took part in training ahead of Saturday's trip to Turf Moor.

If Amrabat isn't fit enough to start, Scott McTominay's industry may need to be called upon in place of the waning Eriksen. The Scot has been prolific at international level of late but would be able to cover more ground than Eriksen, helping plug the cavernous holes that have littered United’s midfield this season.

Pace yourself

United began their last two matches against Bayern Munich and Brighton at a healthy clip, haring all over the final third and causing both sides considerable issues. However, their fast starts were punctured by an opposition goal on each occasion. Heads dropped and the legs got heavier - particularly among the team’s frontline.

This week, Ten Hag felt the need to reiterate his mantra: "We attack with 11 players and we defend with 11 players. When one or two are not doing their job, it is like a pack of cards." As soon as the first wave of pressure is mistimed, the team structure tumbles - as Bayern and Brighton both exploited.

Burnley will no doubt stick to Vincent Kompany's philosophy of playing out from the back. Yet, that patience can be ponderous, giving United ample opportunity to steal the ball in the final third.

If United can avoid such a dramatic drop off in intensity, the Championship champions will make mistakes - as they have consistently done this season; heading into the weekend’s fixtures, no team had made more errors leading to an opposition shot than Burnley (per FBref).

Ease off the throttle

Ten Hag's stated goal with Manchester United is to make them "the best transitional side in the world". In an era when positional, possession-based teams dominate, it's odd that Ten Hag's ideal is a tactical system that peaked a decade ago.

Fittingly for a club that has been in flux for at least ten years, United have embraced Ten Hag's transitional goal. Only the direct outfits West Ham United and Nottingham Forest have moved the ball up the pitch with greater urgency this season than United. Yet, those two clubs - with much more modest ambitions (and resources) than the Red Devils - have five counter-attacking goals between them to show for their urgency. United have scored just once on the break this term.

Ten Hag's side are creating chances but frequently snatch at their efforts too early in the move. Bruno Fernandes is the team's second-most prolific shooter but takes aim from an average distance of 24.4 yards. United's skipper has a highlight reel of long-range goals but he could do with picking his moments a little more wisely.

Marcus Rashford, one of Europe's most threatening players at his best, has been particularly hurried in the final third this term. Of players to have taken 15 or more shots this season, no one has a lower conversion rate than Rashford's meagre 4%.

Set-piece solutions

As has been the case since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign, United have struggled to create openings against a set defence. Given the spate of injuries Ten Hag is taking to Turf Moor, it is nearly impossible to solve that long-standing problem this Saturday.

However, there is a set-piece solution to United's struggles in open play

Burnley are particularly poor at defending dead balls, a weakness that was evident even in England's second tier last term and has reared its ugly head again in the top flight. Across four games this season, Kompany’s side have conceded three set-piece goals - a league-high.

Yet, United have desperately struggled to take advantage of the many dead-ball scenarios that naturally arise from their territorial dominance against most teams.

Ten Hag's side have been oddly reticent to deliver in-swinging corners this term - even when Luke Shaw was fit to provide a left-footed option. A study which Manchester City commissioned when Roberto Mancini was manager indicated that in-swinging deliveries were far more valuable than out-swingers. The Italian ignored that advice a decade ago and Ten Hag also seems opposed to the idea.

Arsenal proved the value of dead balls against a stubborn opponent just last weekend, teasing Everton apart from a well-worked corner. Leandro Trossard scored from a short corner in that contest but it's interesting to note that the Gunners are yet to attempt a single out-swinging delivery this season. No team has taken more than United, with zero goals to show so far.

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP