Manchester United have found their new manager. Can he learn from his predecessor’s mistakes?
Change has been a constant at Manchester United over the past 12 months. The club has seen new part-ownership with INEOS coming in last winter, new board members, sporting directors, and a bevy of other additions and subtractions. There’s probably a new lunch lady too.
All this change made the decision to keep manager Erik ten Hag over the last offseason all the more surprising. After a disastrous Premier League campaign, the Dutchman was able to keep his job off the back of an FA Cup final win over rivals Manchester City.
However, ten Hag’s nine lives at United ran out earlier this week, as he was officially given his marching orders and sacked from the football club on October 28. Not even a week later and the club found its new man, 39-year-old Ruben Amorim.
ten Hag’s dismissal came off the back of a 2-1 loss to West Ham, which saw United fall to 14th in the Premier League table. It has been another disastrous campaign for United so far, their worst ever in the Premier League era, and the question lies — where did it all go wrong with ten Hag?
The Downfall
After a successful first six months at the club which included a Carabao Cup, things started quickly going sideways for ten Hag’s Red Devils. The first seeds of doubt were planted when the club lost 7-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in March 2023. It was one of the most embarrassing defeats in Manchester United’s storied history, and although it was shrugged off at the time, it is now a moment fans look back to as the first sign that something wasn’t right. Nonetheless, United would end up limping towards a third-place finish that season.
Ten Hag’s second season is where everything went sideways. The list of negative records broken was endless, including Manchester United’s worst ever Champions League and Premier League campaigns. In the UCL, United finished bottom of their group, earning just four points in six matches. Losses to FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray were particular lowlights.
In the Premier League, things were just as bad, as the club was never able to get a consistent run of form going outside of a great month in February, where it went undefeated in the league. The club ended the season in eighth place, its lowest final position in EPL history.
A Lack of Confidence
Manchester United manager is one of the most difficult jobs in sports just based off the sheer pressure. You need to be not just a perfect tactician, but also a reassuring, well-spoken leader who instills confidence. There were times in the first season where ten Hag fit the bill, but it was the second and third seasons where the social side of the Dutchman completely ruined him.
His post-match press conferences often displayed a lack of conviction, which seemed to bleed onto the pitch. From early last season it felt like ten Hag was out of his depth. Consistent toothless performances from his side only strengthened that argument.
ten Hag would also continuously fall out with his players. Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo all at one point feuded with the manager, which isn’t totally uncommon elsewhere, but for someone that already had questions about his leadership ability, it further emphasized criticisms from fans and pundits alike.
Accountability
Erik Ten Hag: “We have won trophies. Remember, 6 years before, Manchester United did not win any trophies. So we’re coming back, we’re returning. But obviously, we’re not there yet.”
byu/oklolzzzzs insoccer
Accountability is a word that appeared to not be in ten Hag’s dictionary during his struggles in Manchester. Just last week, he said that he chose to “deny” and “ignore” the club’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham earlier that month. His reasoning was the Bruno Fernandes red card that led to the club playing down a man. However, he completely disregarded the fact United were already losing at the time of said red card.
ten Hag would also regularly use his two trophies as a shield when criticized by reporters. The constant deflection to the past caused anger amongst the fanbase on top of the horror that was United’s style of play. A recipe for disaster.
The Value of Trophies
Winning is the most important thing in football, and every club and player’s biggest ambition. But what happens when winning may not be worth it?
ten Hag won a trophy in each of the two full seasons he completed at United, yet to many, his tenure has been one of the worst stretches in recent memory. He gave United their worst Premier League and Champions League campaign in the same season. United’s attacking stats are the worst they have ever been in the Premier League era. Was winning two trophies worth all of that?
ten Hag’s predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once said, “trophies are for egos.” When you look at ten Hag’s pressers this season, Solskjaer might have had a point. There have been moments where ten Hag talked like the trophies gave him full immunity from criticism.
From my point of view, as a fan of the club, beating City in the FA Cup final was a special and feel-good moment. However, the negatives far outweigh the positives when it comes to ten Hag. It felt like standards dropped, and the squad is potentially in a worse state than when he got it. Overall, it has been a monumental failure, and the trophies were not enough to cover that.
What’s Next
Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon has been officially brought on as the replacement for ten Hag. The Portuguese manager enters the club in similar circumstances to his predecessor — a bright managerial prospect looking to take his success from a smaller league to the EPL. Fans will be hoping the young manager will be the one to break the post-Fergie managerial curse at Manchester United.
