The scrutiny and pressure facing a Manchester United manager at the best of times can be overwhelming but what happens during losses is borderline feverish.
The latter is exactly what Erik ten Hag is experiencing right now after a 0-3 defeat to Tottenham provided a new nadir for his reign.
For many, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and like clockwork, the rumours of a potential Erik ten Hag sack started swirling around.
From deadlines given by Sir Jim Ratcliffe to the opinion of senior players in the dressing room, the speculation is unending and with a daunting fixture list ahead, it won’t quieten anytime soon.
In the meantime, the manager himself has broken the silence to address these reports with an emphatic statement.
Erik ten Hag on sack rumours
Ten Hag has never been a “master manipulator” of the media as the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho were.
However, he sometimes still drops direct and emphatic statements, mainly in his own defence, when cornered by the press.
An example of this was seen in the aftermath of the FA Cup win last season which Ten Hag treated as vindication and wasn’t afraid to fight back.
Now, in arguably his lowest moment at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has ensured that the fight hasn’t gone from him as he addressed the sack rumours in emphatic fashion-
Speaking to Sky Sports in an interview to address his future, he said that the club has been in transition since he arrived, needing a tactical and cultural reset but he’s aware of the expectations.
He said: “In the meantime [of reset], we have to win and we have proven in the last two years, that we win. I have proven in my career always that I will win. In the last six years of my career, I have eight trophies. We have to back the game model and back the strong team we have now.
“We have to work on our problems, give the solutions, and we have good potential of players so once it is embedded we will drive forward and I’m sure we’ll achieve the targets for this season.”
Unpacking Ten Hag’s words
That is undoubtedly brave and fighting talk for a man widely believed to have just two games remaining to save his job.
His point of winning trophies and the two he won at Old Trafford is unlikely to go down well with supporters anymore because the league form has been terrible.
Having said that, his point about the club needing a reset and being in transition all three years he’s been there is pretty valid.
It is why Ineos gave him another chance this season, curious to see how the manager performs in the new structure put in place by them.
Still, the first step towards solving a problem is to acknowledge there is one, and Ten Hag’s comments don’t seem to hint at it.
He talks about the specific problems vs Tottenham but the reality remains that United have been mired in these issues for a while now.
They are not game-specific and Ten Hag still going on about the two trophies in the last two years won’t satiate the supporters who approach every matchday with borderline trepidation now.
The process is all fine and good, but a few more of these results will make all this talk for void.
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