Rob Blanchette

#MUFC fans, watch the latest episode of TPL here. Available on Spotify, Apple & all podcast providers: youtu.be/hd-OpArFEcY?si=RXeh…

New @tplmufc out now: - a blow for Erik ten Hag as Thomas Tuchel officially confirms his Bayern Munich departure. INEOS have the chance to hire a Champions League-winning coach. Will Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth pull the trigger on this appointment? - we look at #MUNNEW and ETH’s curious decision to fundamentally change his tactics. Jason Wilcox is in charge of technical matters, did he have an impact on this profound late-season adjustment? @__scottsaunders and I also chat about the call to scrap VAR. Why have the PGMOL made such a huge mess in its implementation? Would a technology-Brexit be best for English football? I explain how I would fix VAR. Tell us your thoughts about the potential arrival of Tuchel at Old Trafford. Is the German coach the man to lead United back to The Promised Land?

The breaking news today is Thomas Tuchel has confirmed after talks with Bayern Munich he’s decided to leave. On today’s @tplmufc we ask what does this mean for Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United. We know Tuchel wants a return to the Premier League. He’s an obvious choice for INEOS & #MUFC, but the right choice?

Erik ten Hag might well have saved his job vs Newcastle, not with the 3-2 result, but with the tactical display and performance. He’s stubbornly stuck with 4-1-4-1 this season & it’s killed the team. The new technical director, Jason Wilcox, has clearly had an influence on the formation, shape, tactics and game plan. A False 9, going man-for-man 4v4 up top with two midfielders creating a block with the defence. We really should have seen this months ago when the fires were burning & teams were walking through our chaotic system. If Erik can prove to INEOS he can take their instructions on the style of play, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe has spoken about, then he could be retained. His competition for the job isn’t deep. As I said recently, he isn’t a bad coach. However he’s made repeated mistakes this term. No doubt, Amrabat showed he could have provided a solution in the centre this season. Amad is a better option than Antony. Playing Bruno exclusively at the top of the pitch solves his weaknesses and gives him more purpose. The players appeared more ‘at home’ with the compact system vs Newcastle, and we must never go back to basketball tactics ever again. It’s a hiding to nothing and Erik should have recognised that at Christmas. I’m not against Erik staying if he gives up the out-of-control transition nonsense. Set the team up properly, we’ll get the players fit, buy and sell individuals - and we can give it a go again next year. I liked ETH’s speech. He came across as a leader and motivated - just like the coach we hired from Ajax. If Dan Ashworth demands a change of manager, I firmly want it to be a tactician like Kieran McKenna. Arteta had never managed before Arsenal, so McKenna already has more experience than he had. If Erik stays, he’ll have my support.

If the Premier League scrap VAR, fans, pundits, journalists and clubs do not get the right to publicly kill referees every single week - just like they did for decades before technology use. People have short memories. I think there’s a reality where we can scale back VAR and change what we use it for, mainly because the PGMOL have made such a gigantic, pathetic mess of how we use it. If we return to a world without technology in football, people will need to accept we’re going to get multiple errors from officials in pretty much every single match. Mistakes that will change the destination of silverware. And you’ll just have to accept it. Note: Coventry would be in the FA Cup final, not #MUFC, if technology didn’t make the correct call. Be careful what you wish for.

I feel sorry for Bruno Fernandes. For most of the past two seasons, he’s been played out of position at Manchester United. He’s done a job for his team, even though that #MUFC role leans on his weaknesses more than his strengths. On TPL in recent months, we’ve spoken about the Saudi interest in Bruno and why he turned the offer down. We also explained how that offer would be placed on his lap again this summer. Bayern Munich & Inter Milan are now reportedly interested in him. Bruno is United’s most productive attacker, but if he’s playing the 8, his tactical-value plummets. I’ve been critical of him in the past and said United might be at the stage where they need a 10 that offers more control of the ball. A Trequarista type who can both roam and attach himself to a No. 9 in the passing phases. I’m not sure that’s Bruno. He’s almost the wrong side of 30, he’s on a big wage. He must be central to the way United play if he stays, not an auxiliary midfielder. If United get a huge offer, taking it will help rebuild a team not currently fit for purpose. It’s not personal. Bruno has served the club well. He’s loved for a reason. However, all senior players have their heads on the chopping block along with Erik ten Hag after a dire campaign. Things must change. It’s time to get technical. Young players who can pass, move and press. United’s DNA must match its playing-stock and the wage bill must be more sustainable than it currently is. More players in their early 20s on their first bigger contracts, as Ralf Rangnick preached. He was right. It’s time for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS to make that a reality.

Manchester United players are unhappy at giving Rasmus Hojlund the ball? I would disagree. The issue is the system, the plan and #MUFC’s lack of creative players. No one can feed Rasmus besides Bruno Fernandes. Antony is useless at creation. Garnacho is a shoot-first wide forward, as is Rashford. Our fullbacks don’t cross the ball enough. Ideally, Hojlund needs Mason Mount high up the pitch to feed him & we know why that hasn’t happened. Last summer on TPL, we said United needed Hojlund and an experienced 9 like Harry Kane. It isn’t Rasmus’ fault he’s been asked to carry the burden alone this season. He’s learning on the job. He has talent and pace. He’s young. Don’t kill him now. He needs support. Buy some creative footballers to help him and another striker to rotate with him. Antony Martial’s complete disintegration has been the biggest factor in this story for Erik ten Hag and the football club. That, and United’s fragile recruitment.

Manchester United’s frontline vs Arsenal: 2x 21-year-olds and a 19-year-old. Three talented kids learning their trade: Rasmus Hojlund, Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho. Two of the three are clearly burned out after too many games. Yes, #MUFC had little threat going forward vs Arsenal: one of the very best defences in European football… And fans & pundits are surprised by what exactly? It’s sad to say, and a poor reflection on Erik ten Hag, that United looked more organised in this match than the vast majority of performances this season. You’ll clearly lose attacking threat without Bruno Fernandes & Marcus Rashford, but the upside is United looked after the football in midfield like a professional football team and not a pub side going long at every opportunity in transition. That balance must be fixed this summer. Be competent in possession (United had 54% v Arsenal - a step in the right direction) while formulating a coherent attacking plan that isn’t just running in straight lines at 100mph. It could have been much worse at Old Trafford. Arsenal had plenty of gears in reserve, but United didn’t make it easy for them. On another day, you nick a goal and earn a draw. A bit of pragmatism goes a long way. Being entertaining is at the end of the journey, not the beginning. United have a big opportunity in the weeks ahead to reshape the squad with hungry, technical players that can consistently sing from the same songbook. Watch our TPL post-match show on #MUNARS, available now on playback.

If you missed LIVE TPL straight after #MUNARS, watch on playback now. A 1-0 victory for Arsenal didn’t tell the whole story. Despite a lack of attacking quality, #MUFC were compact and competent in a 4231. It was a much better Manchester United shape and gameplan than we’ve seen for months! The midfield was solid. Amad Diallo & Sofyan Amrabat helped the team. On @tplmufc, we challenge Erik ten Hag and ask: WHY? How have United not set up to keep the ball this season but can do these vital functions vs a title contender when Top 4 has evaporated? Make it make sense. @__scottsaunders and I cover everything from a drenched Old Trafford. Thanks to everyone that joined us live and contributed to the show with your comments and questions. WATCH HERE: 📺 youtube.com/live/d1JL735ch0E…

LIVE TPL. WATCH NOW 👇🏾 #MUFC #MUNARS @tplmufc 📺 youtube.com/live/d1JL735ch0E…