Erik ten Hag revealed his playing style in first Man Utd press conference, he’s done the exact opposite two years on

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Of all the criticisms levelled at Erik ten Hag during his time at Manchester United, the lack of a playing philosophy is arguably the biggest one.

After an encouraging first season, the identity on the pitch has been non-existent and this has been exacerbated this year as there’s no nightmare injury situation of 2023/24 at Man Utd to serve as a mitigating factor.

Three wins from 11 games, a non-existent playing style, players not performing up to their potential, and new signings struggling to bed have seen a recipe for disaster brew in front of Man Utd fans.

The fall after the first season has been difficult to explain and looking back at Erik ten Hag’s comments from his first press conference as Man Utd manager, it is hard to ascertain if it’s the same person speaking!

Erik ten Hag’s Man United playing style

When Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford, he did so as one of the most highly-rated coaches in club football, having thrilled everyone with his adventurous Ajax team.

For a club like Man United, it was finally a commitment to a consistent style of play after years of fluctuating between managers with conflicting playing styles.

• READ MORE: Manchester United manager history, trophies won, win percentage

Therefore, when Ten Hag took to the stage to answer questions for the first time as the United manager, fans were most looking forward to hearing about his playing style.

At the time in his first press conference as United boss, in May 2022, the Dutchman gave a pointed answer which balanced his ideal style with pragmatism perfectly.

He said: “Maybe you have seen Ajax? And I like that. But it is always players who dictate the way of play. I have the ideal, I will line up my best team, and I will line up my players like that to get the best out of them. That they can go to the maximum, that they feel comfortable in the role, and in the end, it’s about getting success together.” [Relevant comments begin near 8.14 minute mark]

Glimpses of it were visible in an encouraging first season after the first two defeats vs Brighton and Brentford were followed by the win at home vs Liverpool.

United rode that momentum en route to a third-place finish in the league, winning the Carabao Cup in the process to end their trophy drought of nearly five years.

Then it all unravelled and Ten Hag started doing the exact opposite of what he said at the time.

Ten Hag abandons his principles

In a cruel twist of fate, each section of that response can be taken separately and analysed because Ten Hag has managed to do the exact opposite of that in years two and three.

Right off the bat, he made clear last season that he wasn’t going to play the football he did at Ajax at Manchester United.

With that, the biggest sheen of hiring Ten Hag in the minds of the supporters came off.

Then, he says in that response that his players dictate the style of play. However, last season’s injury problems laid bare the falsity of that statement as despite players dropping like flies, Ten Hag refused to tighten the team up and bring about a change in playing style.

United kept conceding shots for fun, barely scored, and “90 minutes of chaos” became the norm for every United game.

Then comes the part about players feeling comfortable in their roles which has been far from reality the last two seasons.

Marcus Rashford’s form has fallen off a cliff, and even Bruno Fernandes, the one constant source of quality in bad years, has seen his production collapse this season.

Sometimes asked to drop deep to help with the buildup, sometimes played on the wing, at times as a false 9, and at times as an out-and-out striker, Fernandes’ form for Man Utd has fallen drastically.

The frustration is palpable, as evidenced by Fernandes getting sent off for United in consecutive games this season, even though Fernandes’ red card vs Spurs was rescinded later.

These are not isolated incidents either. Jadon Sancho is enjoying himself at Chelsea after leaving United, Donny van de Beek is starring in the Champions League, and youth products like Alvaro Fernandez are eyed by European elites.

Leaving United seems to still be the only way to save your career, a far cry from Ten Hag’s proclamation in 2022 that he gets the best out of players and they feel comfortable.

Ultimately, that is what looks like will cost him his job at the club.