Manchester United have long been suffering from subpar performances in the defensive compartment of the team.
With captain Harry Maguire often being out of form and not having a proper destroyer in front of the defensive four, the team has found it quite challenging to find a rhythm, which has been pretty devastating for them in a lot of big matches.
But now, they seem to have found a solution with the arrival of Casemiro, the veteran ex-Real Madrid midfielder with plenty of experience and often put on the same pedestal as some of the greats, such as Claude Makelele and Patrick Vieira. Moreover, Casemiro is comfortable with the ball and breaking plays, which Ten Haag direly needs in his team.
Also, with Raphael Varane settling in quite well lately and fostering a formidable partnership with Lisandro Martinez, it seems like everything is turning out well for Erik Ten Haag.
During the recent victory over Liverpool, Manchester United looked quite good at the back, which had not been the case for a long time.
Manchester United played a 4-2-3-1 against Liverpool with Lisandro Martinez and Varane as centre backs, with the newly acquired countryman of Ten Haag, Tyrell Malacia, as a left back.
The ex-Feyenoord man had an excellent performance in the match, with United legend Rio Ferdinand already comparing him to Patrice Evra.
Lisandro proved his versatility as he was a rock at the back, guarded by the elegance and reliability of Raphael Varane. And the chemistry between Lisandro and Malacia reminded the United fans of the chemistry between Vidic and Evra in the era of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Although it's still early to conclude seeing the result of a single game, Manchester United's defensive woes will largely be mitigated in the coming days.
With Casemiro in the centre as a defensive midfielder and Eriksen and Fernandes pulling the creative strings for the team, United might have an edge in two departments where they have struggled even in the recent past; their creative output from the midfield and the shielding of their defence.
Ten Haag is a manager known for his no-nonsense and serious approach to training. He was reportedly making the players work extra hard, which included a running session after their defeat against Brentford. It seems to have paid them a lot, as the team ran 18.3 km more than they did in West London.
Although United went through a series of sloppy performances at the beginning with Ten Haag, it seems to get better with time.
If the new signings somehow manage to perform at their level, which seems to be the case now, the team will eliminate their problems in the defence and the midfield.
