Erik ten Hag has no shortage of excuses to hide behind during his first two years in the Manchester United dugout.
The Dutchman inherited a club at an extremely low ebb – in need of ‘open heart surgery‘ to quote predecessor Ralf Rangnick – and found himself battling with a seemingly never-ending supply of off-field issues.
From that Cristiano Ronaldo saga to the Mason Greenwood situation, plus the drama surrounding Jadon Sancho and Antony.
Then, there was the takeover. Rumbling away behind the scenes to make Erik ten Hag’s highly successful debut campaign look all the more impressive in context.
Even during a largely miserable 2023/24, Ten Hag could point to an unprecedented series of injuries which robbed him of so many regular starters.
But now? What does Ten Hag have to hide behind these days?
Ineos are calling the shots these days. Ten Hag has a revamped backroom staff and a host of bonafide footballing experts supporting him. Manchester United also brought in five first-team additions, including two more of the manager’s former Ajax favourites in Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt.
And while the injury issues continue to linger – Mason Mount joining Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund on the sidelines – Ten Hag had the luxury of a pretty much full-strength XI at his disposal during damaging defeats to both Brighton and Hove Albion and then Liverpool.
Erik ten Hag still under pressure at Manchester United
If the blame for Man United’s underperformance could previously be laid at the door of the Glazers, at Ed Woodward, at an overpaid bunch of players, then massive changes both on and off the pitch leaves Ten Hag more exposed than ever before.
Ineos came out batting for the under-fire Dutchman after Sunday’s Liverpool collapse, both Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth stead-fast in their support.
After opting to stick with the FA Cup and Carabao Cup winner over the summer, despite holding talks with numerous other managers, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co are not going to make any knee-jerk decisions based on two bad results.
Lest we forget, United were excellent against Man City in the Community Shield, impressed against Fulham, and really should have wrapped up three points at Brighton long before Joao Pedro’s 95th minute decider.
Omar Berrada and Dan Ashworth back Red Devils boss
According to The Guardian, however, there are still ‘serious concerns’ developing about the tactical make-up of Ten Hag’s approach.
The same mistakes that plagued United throughout 2023/24 were brutally exposed once again by a clinical Liverpool side.
An outstanding centre-back pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt were powerless to prevent Arne Slot’s side running through on goal time and again, while a kamikaze midfield merely highlights the weaknesses of Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo while undermining their strengths.
The Guardian add that Ten Hag ‘is in danger of being removed’ as long as he persists with such an approach.
It is no secret that Ineos want to move towards a high-possession model, as spelled out to Ten Hag by new sporting director Jason Wilcox, per reporter Alan Nixon.
The Red Devils have improved slightly in that department – averaging 53 per cent possession compared to 50 last term – but not sufficiently enough to suggest that Ten Hag is the man capable of presiding over such a tactical overhaul.
Ask yourself this; if, say, Unai Emery had access to Man United’s squad, would the Red Devils have more than three points to show from their first three matchdays?
Would they have been filleted so brutally by Liverpool? Would a roster containing Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Mainoo and Martinez be sleepwalking towards another eighth-place finish?
“That type of football leads to seeing players at the worst at times,” legendary former United defender Rio Ferdinand told Vibe with Five over the summer.
“Casemiro, for all that he’s won and the great player that he’s been, he will look a worse player when the tactics are the way they are, when it’s open, transition football, when there’s big spaces around him.
“In that midfield, at times, another midfielder is 20 yards away, 30 yards away. That never happened at Real Madrid, so you don’t see his worst traits, which is his mobility.”
“Same with Kobbie Mainoo.
“Their worst traits are probably their mobility. So you do things with a structure of a team, so you don’t see that. We’re doing things that mean you’re going to see exactly their worst trait. It makes them look worse at times.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
