Ten Hag must learn that performance analysis demands a loyal partner

The Manchester United manager can resort to performance metrics now but if he did so earlier, he may have been able to identity and resolve familiar flaws that linger from last season.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag watches on during the Premier League match against Liverpool at Old Trafford. Picture: Nick Potts/PA Wire.

After Manchester United were humiliated by Liverpool in a 3-0 defeat at the weekend, Erik ten Hag appeared for his post-match television interview and began the search for some solace. Within the first minute, he settled on an explanation: Liverpool were clinical after certain Man United mistakes, look at the xG.

Minutes earlier, Roy Keane was asked about the statistics. If someone saw them without watching the game, they might think it was an even contest. Was it? “Absolutely not,” he declared. “It was far from an even game.”