Erik ten Hag has vowed to stick to his guns despite Manchester United's players reportedly pining for a change in tactics following their humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford last weekend.
The Red Devils welcome old foes Liverpool to Old Trafford on Monday, with new manager Ten Hag under mounting pressure to deliver his first victory of the season - or at least avoid defeat. United's first two Premier League outings have gone down as embarrassing losses, firstly at home to Brighton and then at Brentford.
In the latter, Ten Hag's side were continuously torn apart by the Bees' high-intensity football, a style of play synonymous with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool. But the stubborn Red Devils boss won't deviate from his plans to turn United into a front-foot team - even though reports from inside the dressing room suggest that his players would prefer a more pragmatic approach.
"Every game is different, but the philosophy and the plan will be the same," the Dutchman affirmed in his pre-match news conference. "We work from game to game. We know what is going on when you play against Liverpool, especially when you are Man United, so yeah, you have to be ready."
It was claimed by the Manchester Evening News this week that members of Ten Hag's squad feel his approach, one based on building play from the back and pressing high, doesn't suit their skill set. From only 180 minutes of Premier League action, it's clear that some Red Devils indeed aren't suited to playing free-flowing football.
David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo are notably two stars who've struggled to adapt to the new system, with De Gea at fault either directly or indirectly for three of the six goals which United have already conceded. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has highlighted the Spanish goalkeeper's deficiencies, which Klopp and co will almost certainly look to exploit.
Get involved! Will Ten Hag be vindicated against Liverpool? Give us your score prediction in the comments section.
"I go back to how important Ten Hag sees his goalkeeper, on the ball. For him, he thinks he has a back three and the goalkeeper is a player. But the problem is, this goalkeeper is not good enough on the ball, yet," Carragher declared on Sky Sports. "He wants to give the goalkeeper angles - the idea is fine, but I just think the player he has got in there is not good enough to do it."
Analysing Brighton's calamitous opening goal, the Anfield icon added: "De Gea had just given the ball away to Fred. De Gea was a bit unnerved by that, and he panics and goes long. It means United are then stretched [as their defenders are hanging back] and this is where the first Brighton goal comes from - Ten Hag will absolutely hate that."
