Manchester United are a club used to playing their way and blowing away the opposition but they aren’t good enough to rely on that any more.
While fans might consider it a negative approach, Erik ten Hag needs to find a plan that factors in the strengths and weaknesses of Tottenham — otherwise there’s every chance they’ll lose.
I hope for his sake he’s been working on making special provision to stop James Maddison dictating the game — and exploiting the obvious weakness of Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario at set-pieces.
I’ve watched a lot of Spurs this season and think Maddison has been excellent after missing out on the Euros.
He was the best player on the pitch against Leicester, played very well against Everton, pinned Newcastle back and was brilliant from a deeper position against Brentford, when he also scored.
Danny Murphy believes Man United should adopt a restrained approach against Tottenham
The Red Devils will need to be wary of James Maddison, who has been in improved form
It’s brave of Ange Postecoglou to use him in a more withdrawn role because most managers wouldn’t rate Maddison’s defensive physicality. But Ange trusts his ability. United won’t be able to control the game, even at home, unless they try to nullify Maddison. They have to deny him space to get on the ball.
Bruno Fernandes has the energy to do it but it’s not the sort of thing he’d enjoy. Mason Mount looked sharp off the bench against FC Twente and could do the job if United played him as one of two 10s as they did in the opening games of the season. Mount has more tenacity than Bruno or Joshua Zirkzee for that role.
Better news for United is that Tottenham also have a glaring weakness. Spurs have a big, big problem defending corners and free-kicks. Vicario is hugely lacking confidence and that’s put the whole defence under pressure.
They have to set up differently than they would if they had a dominant keeper. They have to mark the blockers around the Italian because he can’t deal with it himself. United don’t have a team of giants like Arsenal but I’d be amazed if they don’t try to put men on Vicario to unnerve him.
For the Stretford End, used to champagne football over the years, it may seem a little basic but Ten Hag can’t afford to be picky how his results come about — he just badly needs one this afternoon.
Spurs have their own weaknesses, namely Guglielmo Vicario's ability to deal with corner kicks
SOLANKE’S A BETTER BET THAN HOJLUND
I played in midfield and if I had the choice between Dominic Solanke or Rasmus Hojlund ahead of me, I’d pick the Spurs man.
He’s currently more rounded and reliable in his link-up play. He scored goals for Bournemouth and I think he’ll get even more for Tottenham. Even though he didn’t play much at Chelsea and Liverpool, that experience of being at big clubs will serve him well dealing with pressure and expectation.
I like his demeanour on the pitch, focused, not involved in silly verbals or worrying about missed chances. There were a few groans from supporters when he miscontrolled a ball against Arsenal. That was unfair. His overall performance was good and since then he’s scored in consecutive games.
Hojlund has potential but isn’t there yet. He’s come from Atalanta to a monster of a club in United and I think it’s unfair they’ve given him the burden of being the team’s main goalscorer.
I’m bemused they didn’t spend some of their summer transfer budget on another centre-forward, which Zirkzee isn’t, to share the workload with the 21-year-old.
Murphy would rather play in a team with Dominic Solanke as the striker than Rasmus Hojlund
THE SPIKY TWINS
Both Ten Hag and Postecoglou are under huge pressure and have bitten back at criticism. I think there is a subtle difference between them, however.
I’ve enjoyed Ten Hag’s spiky side, protecting himself and his players. He’s tried to stick to facts — pointing to the trophies he’s won — and not said anything stupid. To be a leader at United, you need fire in your belly. His players will have enjoyed seeing him stand his corner.
Ange charmed everyone in his first few months but we mustn’t forget this is only his second season in the Premier League and he is still learning.
It was unwise for him to deflect from Tottenham’s defensive frailties by initially claiming he didn’t care about set-pieces.
Right now, Ten Hag is the manager under greater scrutiny but a bad defeat for Tottenham on Saturday and the minority who aren’t having Angeball will grow in number.
After inconsistent starts, both Ange Postecoglou (left) and Erik ten Hag (right) have come in for criticism
WHO WILL FINISH HIGHER?
It’s hard enough to predict the outcome of the game, let alone the next few months!
I started the season predicting Spurs would get that fourth spot and though I am a little less certain of that, I think they will be in the group with Chelsea and Aston Villa fighting to be next-best after Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
At the moment, United will be in the next group. Both teams lacked a cutting edge last season. Spurs have taken affirmative action by signing Solanke.
Murphy believes that United still have some work to do before they can reach the level of the league's best
Marcus Rashford showed glimpses of his best form during Man United's draw with FC Twente
ARE WE WITNESSING A RASHFORD REVIVAL?
It was great to see the weight lifted off Marcus Rashford after his goal at Southampton.
It was strange he was left on the bench at Palace but I took Ten Hag’s explanation at face value, that he was saving Rashford’s legs for a frenetic period that includes Spurs and Porto next week before a trip to Aston Villa.
Rashford is going the right way to earning an England recall but I don’t think he’s done enough yet with the other attacking talent Lee Carsley has to call on. My advice would be to carry on playing more instinctively, as he’s done in the last couple of games. At the moment, we’ve not seen the improvements for long enough.