The 3-3 draw at Porto further exposed the weakness in MU’s defensive system. The entire backline seemed to lose control against the power of Samu Omorodion.
At Dragao, Harry Maguire’s last-minute header saved Ten Hag from a clear defeat, but it couldn’t hide the major defensive issues. When Sir Jim Ratcliffe attends the Aston Villa vs MU match this Sunday, Ten Hag will need to show a much-improved defensive display compared to the disaster in Porto.
Even the top defensive duo, Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt, played terribly. Ten Hag’s decision to replace them with Maguire and Jonny Evans late in the match clearly showed his disappointment. Lisandro Martinez allowed Pepe to breeze past him for Porto’s opening goal, while De Ligt failed to stop Omorodion’s header for the equalizer and was helpless as Omorodion smashed the ball into Onana’s net early in the second half.
MU’s entire system collapsed under Porto’s fast-paced attacks, and Omorodion’s dominance was the key reason behind the three goals. This was the 24th match under Ten Hag in which MU conceded three or more goals, making them the worst defensive side in the Premier League over the same period.
MU has faced many defensive lessons but never learns. They conceded two goals in just four minutes against Bayern, two in four minutes against Copenhagen, and two in nine minutes against Galatasaray. Additionally, there were collapses against Crystal Palace, Coventry, and Chelsea, making MU vulnerable against any opponent. The serious issue is that they can’t seem to fix these weaknesses.
In the first half against Porto, MU performed well in the first 20 minutes, taking the lead through Marcus Rashford’s brilliance. However, as soon as Porto increased the intensity, MU’s system began to crumble. Two simple crosses left Mazraoui and De Ligt helpless against Omorodion, leading to two goals.
Ten Hag’s tactics seem overly naive. MU plays well for a portion of the match but collapses easily afterward, and the 3-3 draw with Porto resembled last season’s 3-3 draw with Galatasaray. The chaos at MU has been a constant theme throughout Ten Hag’s tenure, and he has yet to find a way to break free from it.
The problem also lies in the midfield. The trio of Casemiro, Eriksen, and Bruno Fernandes once formed the foundation of MU’s success in Ten Hag’s first season, but now their age is showing.
Casemiro and Eriksen, both 32, looked slow and struggled to cope as Porto increased the tempo. Casemiro was exposed for his lack of decisiveness when he allowed Nico Gonzalez to set up Omorodion for the 3-2 goal.
Regardless of personnel changes, the core issue is that MU lacks a stable defensive system and doesn’t have a solid enough style of play to fix these fatal weaknesses.
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