ten Hag is still experimenting. Manchester united's performance is still not stable. This team needs to play better if they want to stay at the top of the points table. Manchester united have 10 strikers in their squad. united management should have sold some players and added experienced strikers to the squad. But they don't do it. They added Hojlund to the squad. And he is still young. It would be foolish to expect good performances from this youngster this season. And at the same time, Ten Hag will be experimenting more as he strengthens his squad's attack. Manchester United are not favorites for the title this season either. The team will have trouble even qualifying for the Champions League.
Whenever Ten Hag uses the 4-1-4-1 formation pattern, their play is often inconsistent. that means, Ten Hag can't just rely on Casemiro alone as a pivot, he has to apply it with another pattern. maybe too, as you said, in this match, Erik Ten Hag, as usual, was experimenting with rotating players and testing the system he implemented. btw, I didn't watch this fight live. but referring to the statistics of the match, it seems that the match took place quite tough. let alone the only goals that United created, through the touch of a defender, namely Varene.
IMO, this team will gradually lead to better performance, so it's normal that in the first match sometimes what is shown is not what we expect. after all, there is still plenty of time for Ten Hag to achieve the game he wants. as for newcomers such as Mason Mount, it doesn't seem like he has achieved a good bond between the players. also, achieving Chemistry so that he can follow the rhythm of the game that the coach wants. As for the other points, we agree that United must sell a few more players. thus, Ten Hag will get the funds to bring in Sofyan Amrabat.
As for their young striker, referring to some of the rumors I read he could not be played due to an injury. that's why, in United's first match Hojlund could not be played. speaking of Hojlund, there was obviously not much to expect from him. however, it seems that Ten Hag has a different perspective and this player has the talent to grow. that's why United brought him in and at the same time there weren't many strikers that United could afford to bring in with a limited budget.
maybe yes, Manchester United is not the favorite team to win a trophy in this competition, let alone in the more prestigious Champions League. however, Erik Ten Hag's squad cannot be taken for granted. maybe they will give us a surprise. After all, there are still 37 games ahead. so let's just see how Ten Hag brings his team's squad to play game after game.