West Ham dominated once Christian Eriksen was subbed off 

The desire to exert authority over Manchester United has been made abundantly clear by Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman not only wants to reassert managerial authority over player power, but he also wants control to be demonstrated out on the field.

In recent years, United has earned a reputation as a team that thrives on'moments.' They frequently relied on moments of magic, individual artistry, and overloading on the counter-attack to accomplish their goals, rather than beating their opponents by smothering them into submission as a result of pure dominance. This allowed them to accomplish more.

The consequentialist approach has frequently been taken. Even though there was a lot of room for improvement, the fact that United won all three points meant that their strategy was successful, so the end result justifies the means they used to get there.

During the victory over West Ham that we had last weekend, we got to see both sides of that. United did all of their good work when they were winning the battle in the middle of the field and had complete command of the game. Everything that went wrong for them started when they lost that calming presence in the middle of the field, and their opponents quickly overran them.

Again, a significant contributor to this was the role that Christian Eriksen played. In point of fact, it was his cross that provided Marcus Rashford with the opportunity to score the game's lone goal. What's more, the manner in which the momentum shifted in West Ham's favor after he was taken off the field was just as significant.

Eriksen is arguably the most important player in United's philosophy under Ten Hag, with his calmness, composure, and creativity on the ball being integral to the measured approach they are looking to implement. In other words, Eriksen is arguably the most important player in United's philosophy.

The disadvantage of this is, of course, his restrictions. The 30-year-old player was initially brought in to serve as a member of the squad, but due to his impact and authority on the field, he has since become indispensable to the team. United is a much stronger team when Eriksen is on the field, and the team needs to do whatever it takes to find a way to shield him from harm.

This was demonstrated over the weekend by the fact that he was replaced with just over ten minutes remaining in the game. Fred took his place after he was gone. The Brazilian brought a great deal of energy and initiative to the center of United's midfield, but this came at the expense of his composure on the ball, which contributed to United's style transitioning from possessive to passive.

This was amplified by West Ham's own desperate desire to attack, which was amplified by the fragility of the United midfield without Eriksen. The threat was amplified by the fact that West Ham's desperate desire to attack was amplified. Even without Eriksen on the field, United was able to keep the game close enough to win, but it was alarming how many chances they gave up after the Dane had left the game.

During the previous season, Manchester United frequently looked to adopt a more conservative approach in the final moments of the match. As a result, they frequently brought defensive specialist Nemanja Matic on to break up play and keep things simple.

They are unable to afford such a luxury during this season. Fred is a valuable member of the team, but in high-pressure situations like the one we saw on Sunday night, he has a tendency to make erratic decisions and does not have the same passing range as players like Eriksen and Matic. Despite these shortcomings, Fred is still an excellent asset to have.

In a perfect world, United would be in a much more comfortable position when they enter the final stages of a match, and they wouldn't have to rely on defending so heavily to the very end of the game. However, the reality is that there will always be instances in which this will be the case.

Although it is not a pressing priority right now, it is clear that there is still a need for another midfielder who is as comfortable in possession as Eriksen and Casemiro. This only serves to further emphasize the fact that United's long-term squad needs to undergo a gradual overhaul under Ten Hag's direction.

Right now, there is an obvious drop-off in quality whenever either of the veterans is missing, and if United want to compete toe-to-toe with the very best sides in Europe, then they need another midfielder who can interchange similar passing qualities from the bench. Currently, there is an obvious drop-off in quality whenever either of the veterans is missing. Currently, there is an obvious drop-off in quality whenever either of the veterans is missing.

United found a way to hang on against West Ham, but they won't always be able to do that; it won't always be easy for them.