“[Manchester] United are going backwards. They are rock bottom right now,” former Liverpool and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports after Tottenham’s 3-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday. “It’s embarrassing. A club of this stature shouldn’t be producing performances like that.”
Redknapp’s analysis was almost flawless, save for one key detail. United hit rock bottom nearly a year ago; this was just the latest horror entry in Erik ten Hag’s ever-growing Hall of Shame. On October 3, 2023, Galatasaray secured their first Champions League win on English soil to leave the Red Devils bottom of their group with a record of six defeats from 10 games across all competitions at the start of the season.
Most clubs would have sacked Ten Hag at that point, but he’s inexplicably held onto his post for another 12 months as United have continued to lurch from one disaster to the next. The INEOS group, who completed a minority takeover at the club in December, did interview potential replacements for Ten Hag after the Red Devils slumped to their worst-ever Premier League finish in May, including ex-Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel, but couldn’t agree terms with any of them, which led Sir Jim Ratcliffe to declaring that “the coach isn’t the central issue”.
Ten Hag was given a new two-year contract he simply did not deserve. And, inevitably, just two months into the 2024-25 campaign, fans and pundits across the country are calling for that agreement to be ripped up. INEOS have to listen this time if they want to stop United’s slide; they’ve become a laughing stock under Ten Hag, and nothing will change until he is put out of his misery.
‘No identity, no culture’
The Red Devils’ third Premier League defeat of the 2024-25 season leaves them languishing down in 12th in the table, six points adrift of the top four after just six games. That position is not at all misleading; United have been playing like a bottom-half club for some time now, and Tottenham were just the latest team to make Old Trafford their own personal playground for 90 minutes.
Spurs took the lead inside three minutes after Micky van de Ven was allowed to run around 55 yards unchallenged before squaring the ball for Brennan Johnson to score the easiest goal of his career. There was no reaction from the hosts, who could barely string two passes together and neglected to press as a team once again.
Bruno Fernandes’ red card in the 42nd minute was a decisive blow, but Tottenham were already well on their way to a comprehensive victory. “It was an absolutely disgusting performance in that first half in effort, quality, everything you want in a football team,” United legend Gary Neville said after commentating on the game for Sky Sports.
Former Aston Villa and West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker went a step further, telling BBC Sport: “What can be said about them that has not been said before? They have no identity, there is no culture, and none of it represents what Manchester United once were as a club. That is the scary thing.”
United’s display was “disgusting”, in both halves, but it wasn’t a surprise. There have never been any clear patterns of play under Ten Hag and the players aren’t doing the basics in or out or possession. Any half-decent team can play through the disjointed Red Devils. The word “scary” doesn’t quite cut it; ’embarrassing’ is more appropriate at this point.
Refusal to take responsibility
In his post-match press conference, Ten Hag addressed the mounting speculation over his future, telling reporters: “I am not thinking about this. We have to make some improvement in [the overarching] organisation, we still have some injuries, we need some time. We are all on one page or in one boat together, the ownership, the staff and the players as well. I don’t have that concern.”
How much time does he want?! We’re fast approaching the half-way stage of Ten Hag’s third season at the helm. There is no excuse for the lack of progress United have made in the last two-and-a-half years.
Ten Hag did admit he “has to look in the mirror as well” after his side’s dismal draw with Twente in their Europa League opener last week, but they were empty words, because he would later insist that United are “on the right pathway”. There has been no evidence of that since an all-too brief resurgence after the 2022 World Cup that saw the Red Devils flirt with a potential title challenge.
Sky Sports reporter Patrick Davidson asked Ten Hag if “familiar failings” are holding United back after the Spurs defeat, to which he responded: “I don’t think… I’m not aware what you are thinking. What do you mean?” Davidson then added: “I mean turning the ball over when you’re trying to play out, I mean the press not looking entirely coordinated…”
Instead of taking the chance to take some proper responsibility, Ten Hag continued to stumble over his words. “The press was no good in the first half, that I agree with,” he said. “But how we concede some counter-attacks after we counter, we make very bad decision-making, we had a lot of space and that’s then also, I would say, the form of the day.”
The United boss is still suggesting that the players are failing to execute his plan, ignoring the fact his plan – whatever that may be – is inherently flawed.
Terrible transfers
Ten Hag has spent over £600 million ($805m) on 15 permanent signings since moving to the club from Ajax. Lisandro Martinez is probably the only one who can be considered a success, but even ‘The Butcher’ has had his share of poor performances, including against Tottenham at the weekend.
Antony has proven to be a complete waste of money at £85m ($114m), registering only 17 goal contributions across 84 games while looking physically well below the required standard for a Premier League player. United also blew £70m ($94m) on past-his-peak Real Madrid legend Casemiro, whose body has started to let him down at 32.
Elsewhere, persistent injury problems have prevented £135m ($181m) duo Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount from making any significant impact, and £48m ($64m) goalkeeper Andre Onana has been wildly inconsistent between the sticks. And then we come to the summer arrivals.
Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui have settled in reasonably well, but they were both little more than back-up players at Bayern Munich, and United’s £60m ($76.6m) investment was too steep. Joshua Zirkzee, meanwhile, might prove to be a snip in the long run at £36m ($46m), but it’s already clear that the ex-Bologna forward is ill-equipped to solve the Red Devils’ problems in front of goal.
Manuel Ugarte was the last man through the door as Paris Saint-Germain sanctioned his sale for £51m ($68m), and the Uruguayan made his first Premier League start against Spurs. It did not go well. Ugarte certainly didn’t look like the accomplished ball-winner he’s been built up to be as Ange Postecoglou’s team dominated the midfield battle from the first minute.
Ten Hag has been free to build a squad in his own image, but United are still a complete mess. How can he be trusted heading into the January window with such a damning record? It’s staggering that he’s been allowed to have so much control for this long.
Inexcusable favouritism
Ten Hag’s refusal to drop his favourites has also been a huge factor in United’s downfall. Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot are the three players who have racked up the most minutes during the Dutchman’s tenure, with all of them practically guaranteed starting roles even when performing well below expectations.
It’s true that Fernandes was the best of a bad bunch last season, but he’s been nothing but a disruptive presence this term. The Portuguese is misplacing passes, rushing his shots and ruining United’s shape while transmitting negativity to the rest of the team with his poor body language. Fernandes shouldn’t keep being protected just because he’s the captain. None of the risks he takes on the ball are paying off anymore and he’s leaving United exposed defensively by constantly straying out of position.
Still, at least you could never question Fernandes’ effort levels; the same cannot be said for Rashford. Since scoring 30 goals for the first time in his career in 2022-23, Rashford has been pretty much a complete waste of space. United fans have even turned against the academy graduate, with one even calling Rashford a “Championship player” on social media in response to him giving the ball away cheaply in the build-up to Tottenham’s first goal on Sunday. On current form, Rashford wouldn’t get in the starting XI at any other top club in Europe, but Ten Hag is still praying he will magically become the Red Devils’ talisman again.
Dalot was the man who should shoulder most of the blame for Johnson’s opener against United, though. He left the Spurs forward completely unmarked to tap home at the back post, never bothering to break into anything beyond a light jog despite the obvious danger. It was vintage Dalot, who has always been a poor defender and doesn’t offer much going the other way, either.
Ten Hag is ensuring the continuation of mediocre standards by sticking with these players despite their obvious short-falls. He’s also alienating those stuck on the bench waiting for their opportunity, potentially creating a discord in the dressing room because he’s too stubborn to pick the team based on merit.
Baffling man-management
“It was far from good enough,” Christian Eriksen said after United’s draw with Twente. “They looked like they wanted it more – that can’t be right. We didn’t lose, but it feels like a loss.”
It’s definitely not right, and it boils down to one key factor: frustration. You could hear it in Eriksen’s voice, and you could see in the players’ demeanour. Ten Hag tried to change the tide of the match by bringing on Alejandro Garnacho shortly after Twente’s equaliser, but an awkward dugout exchange before the Argentine’s introduction spoke volumes.
“[Ten Hag] wanted to have a meeting with Garnacho, but he didn’t feel like it at all,” former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit said to Dutch media. “Garnacho was preparing to come on and Ten Hag kept talking to him. You can just see it when a player thinks: ‘Leave me alone, man!'”
It was a shrewd observation. Garnacho didn’t appear to be taking in anything Ten Hag was saying, and moved out of his vicinity as quickly as he could. That kind of behaviour indicates the absence of mutual respect, which is a result of Ten Hag’s baffling man-management.
Garnacho has been in and out of the United line up this season, despite being their most dangerous player in attack. Why should he listen to Ten Hag? Jadon Sancho cut a similarly exasperated figure in his touchline interactions with the former Ajax coach, who publicly questioned his commitment on several occasions. Sancho left United for Chelsea, and is now flourishing.
Ten Hag was similarly hard on Cristiano Ronaldo, which sparked a saga that served as an unwelcome distraction for the squad before the Portuguese was cut loose in November 2022. The Dutch coach has also challenged the likes of Harry Maguire, Amad Diallo and Antony to do more in front of the media, instead of keeping everything in house.
It’s a risky approach. Why would anyone run through a brick wall for a manager who might hang them out to dry? Ten Hag has insisted the squad is “together”, but there are no signs of that being the case. The 54-year-old has yet to earn the trust of his players, and it may be too late to fix that.
Charisma-less imposter
Ten Hag guided Utrecht into Europe in his first head coaching spell, before going on to win three Eredivisie titles at Ajax. He also masterminded Ajax’s thrilling run to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals, earning plenty of plaudits for the team’s free-flowing, fearless style of play.
Ajax are a huge club in their own right, but they’re not expected to compete with the elite year in, year out, and don’t face anywhere near close to the same level of scrutiny as United. Being a good coach isn’t enough to succeed at Old Trafford; you have to be able to thrive in the face of huge pressure, and that takes a special kind of character.
Sir Alex Ferguson had fiery charisma and commanded respect from everybody around him. That’s why he’s still held up as the shining example of what a United manager should be. Unfortunately, Ten Hag is the complete opposite.
The Dutchman comes across as a perfectly pleasant man, but he doesn’t inspire any confidence. He’s not a strong communicator, often speaking in riddles rather than clear sentences, and his cringe-worthy attempts to shame reporters who dare to point out the issues with his team indicate a deep-seated insecurity.
The United job is too big for Ten Hag, and it always has been. He’s an imposter who was given the keys to a historic institution when he wasn’t ready for it. The Carabao Cup and FA Cup triumphs Ten Hag keeps pointing to as proof of his credentials don’t hold the weight he thinks they do.
Most fans would probably trade those two trophies in for a team showing genuine progress and some entertainment value. Ten Hag is not equipped to give United those things. If INEOS don’t realise that by now, then perhaps they are not going to be the saviours the United faithful have long prayed for either.
Source:Goal.com