‘Should he stay, or should he go?’ The question all United fans have been pondering since perhaps just the fourth match of the season. Everyone has an opinion but is there really a correct answer in this situation? Opinions have shifted in the media and amongst fans back and forth all season. Just recently Gary Neville said he would actually give Erik ten Hag another season. This new perspective from the all time United fullback has surely made many also stop and reconsider things. Up until recently it has slowly started to seem the universal consensus is ‘ten Hag out!’
Fortunately the final decision will be made by an entirely new footballing operations team in Sir Jim Ratcliffe and company. Not the Glazers.
The Case against ten Hag
Personally, I had defended Erik ten Hag up until just about February. I thought at the time, that a late season push could still land us in top 4 and a cup run would also be possible. Which both were and the latter did occur as United will play City in the FA Cup Final but unfortunately the more valuable of the two (a top 4 finish) will not occur and it wasn’t even close. Failure to finish in the top 4 is ultimately what pushed me to reconsider weather or not I was ‘ten Hag out’. Let’s discuss some reasons why ten Hag needs to go.
-Squad Selection
There have been several times United missed out on points this latter half of the season based entirely upon squad selection, substitutions and tactics. The Dutchman’s insistence to always play Anthony has been an absolute determent to the team in almost every possible way. Not only is the Brazilian winger trash on the field but from the sounds and looks of it he’s even trash off the field. Anthony provides absolutely nothing going forward, can’t defend and is slower than almost every fullback in the league. Meanwhile a young player like Amad Diallo hasn’t been able to even scratch the starting 11 despite a great loan spell last season and some brilliant and threatening cameos as a sub. Amad Diallo showed against New Castle what United had in its locker on the right wing this entire time. Why now Erik?
Ten Hag’s squad selection has always been his worst sin. Too often he’ll stick with a massively out of form Marcus Rashford, forcing an in form Garnacho to his unfavored right side. Meanwhile, keeping players like Amad out of the side. Sticking by a player through some rough patches is not a bad move in and of itself but not at a top club like Manchester United. A club where you must ensure you’re get the maximum number of points possible, at all times. Rashford has not once looked in form all season and it took an injury to get him out of the side. Sort of seems like Erik ten Hag can’t determine a good player from a pile of shit.
-Sancho and Ronaldo
Perhaps, at the time at least, Ronaldo’s departure seemed the right move. Ultimately the decision to leave Ronaldo out of the side was the right move…last year. But, was Ronaldo ever the problem? Is ten Hag too stubborn and weak to have anyone else in the club rival his presence? Ronaldo was not prime Ronaldo when with United the second time around but he was still the squads leading goal scorer and always looked a real leader on the pitch. Ronaldo did not help himself with some situations (i.e. refusing to come on as a sub) but it all came out of absolute frustration with ten Hag. Cristiano Ronaldo has earned himself the right to have some input and to let his emotions out from time to time.
Erik ten Hag had a world class goal scorer and leader in his locker room that he ultimately chased out the door just due to his own stubbornness. Ronaldo was not the last talented player to receive this treatment.
The next player ten Hag chased out of the club was Jadon Sancho. A highly talented winger that had shown real flashes of brilliance prior to Erik ten Hag. Sancho had already proven his talent in several seasons with Dortmund. Sancho also, like Ronaldo, did many things to hinder himself but he had looked threatening and enthusiastic during pre season prior to the start of this season. Then we just never saw him again. Erik ten Hag decided to give his absolute loyalty to an unproven Brazilian he bought from his last Ajax side. Now, coming to the end of the season, Jadon Sancho is playing in a UCL final while Erik ten Hag will most likely miss out on continental football completely.
-Tactics?
We all know how Erik ten Hag claims he desires his team to play. Ten Hag’s United side should press high, counter quickly and do its most damage in transitions. But, this season we’ve never really seen that team. There were a handful of game last season (Barcelona to name one) in which United looked like it had a clear identity. Too rarely has that actually been the case though. United fans have no idea who their team is and the team doesn’t even know itself.
Erik ten Hag can reference injuries amongst a handful of other excuses but the team should still have some sort of identity. Too many player look consistently clueless in the squad. The defense is riddled with errors on a regular basis, while the attacking players have no idea what they should do with the ball when they get into the final third. The offense against Crystal Palace was just abysmal to watch.
Wrapping it up
Erik ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford is more than likely coming to an end following the FA Cup Final with Manchester City on May 25th. Should United win the FA Cup Final it could make dismissing the Dutchman more complicated but it would not be the first time United dumped a Dutch coach following an FA Cup win. ‘Just as Louis Van Gal got going…neverminded.’ Erik ten Hag’s failures in his second season with United can very much be put on him but there is another side to this story.
There are several reasons as to why ten Hag may have failed this season. That will be discussed in part 2.
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