Old Trafford fans will not be eager for a quick trip back to Hull. Beyond the disappointing performance on the field, supporters were told two return rail services to Manchester had been pulled during the second period, adding to what was an miserable opening away fixture of the campaign.
Everyone would rather put the Humberside encounter behind them and concentrate on welcoming Ipswich Town to their home ground this week. Yet glossing over such a humbling reverse means United risk failing to absorb the necessary lessons.
With this in mind, MEN Sport has examined the painful loss to Hull to determine how the club can get better.
Take the game to the opposition
Against a side newly promoted to the top flight, one would anticipate United’s attacking players bursting forward at the Hull rearguard, seeking to unsettle the defensive unit. Instead, per Opta statistics, the red shirted side managed just 17 dribbles throughout the contest. Harry Maguire represented the sole Red who managed more than a solitary successful dribble, finishing with two.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford comprised the other United players who managed one successful dribble each. This resulted in a mere 23.5 per cent success rate when attempting to beat opponents. To illustrate quite how poor the opening period was, only Fernandes registered a successful dribble, and that arrived when United had already fallen two goals behind.
This mirrored United’s careful approach to proceedings. Rather than seeking to run at the Hull backline, the side opted to try and play through them. At home this week, United must release the handbrake and look to vary their approach.
More penetration
Michael Carrick’s tactical plan involved passing through the Hull rearguard. This resulted in a commanding 71.7 per cent share of possession and 669 passes, the greatest number attempted in a single Premier League match since the beginning of last term, per Opta.
Their pass accuracy stood at a respectable 87.9 per cent, but those passes lacked sufficient incision. From those 669 attempts, 261 arrived in the attacking third, with an 82 per cent completion rate. However, United’s most frequent passing pairing throughout the match was Ayden Heaven and Maguire, with the teenager playing the vast majority of those either sideways or backwards.
This reflects not on Heaven but rather on United’s approach when passing. On numerous occasions the side were content with safe passes rather than compelling Hull to alter their defensive shape.
There were numerous key passes delivered in and around the penalty area, but at some juncture those passes must translate into situations where the goalkeeper can be tested. Twenty-one efforts with merely five on target indicates United fell short in this department.
Tackles and duels
Carrick reacted strongly when questioned after the match whether he felt his side displayed a deficiency in commitment during the loss to Hull. That question understandably drew a dismissive response from the manager. However, one manner in which the players can exhibit greater resolve is through their tackling and physical confrontations.
Strikingly, United managed only six tackles throughout the entire match. That represents an extremely minimal tally, despite winning four of those attempts. Midfield ball-winners Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans managed one tackle collectively.
This absence of bite in the centre of the park is worrying, and an issue United will anticipate Carlos Baleba resolving once match-fit. In reality, United finished second-best across the pitch in those crucial confrontations.
The match featured a total of 86 duels, with United prevailing in just 41.9 per cent of them. Of the 86, 39 occurred in the air and, once more, United came off second best, securing victory in merely 43.6 per cent.
Simply put, the red half of Manchester requires more physical presence. They lacked a player capable of getting stuck in and winning back possession like Casemiro could. United cannot consistently lose these battles, particularly against teams anticipated to struggle.
Final third entries
Having touched on this briefly with the passing and dribbling aspects, United’s forward play simply lacked incisiveness against Hull. Maguire registering the third-most entries into the final third (11) should raise concerns. He sat only behind Tielemans (12) and Fernandes (19), yet the desire is for attacking players to be making these forays more regularly than a centre-back.
Yet this encapsulated how underwhelming United’s forward line performed. Consider Cunha as an illustration; he managed merely three attempts throughout the contest with an xG of 0.24. His average position sat far too deep, resembling that of a number ten rather than a striker. He registered just two entries into the attacking third.
As illustrated by the Opta graphic below, Benjamin Sesko occupied a higher starting position when introduced and that represents what United required from Cunha. This absence of a focal point proved costly for the side but no swift remedy exists.
Sesko appears to be a player yet to reach full fitness following injury. Throwing him in from the outset against Ipswich would constitute a gamble, yet United cannot operate without a genuine centre-forward. Nevertheless, based on Saturday’s evidence, Sesko remains the sole option capable of providing that.