Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

[Rightnr]

That’s supposed to be a battering? I wouldn’t even call what Spurs did to us in the second half a battering.

People are desperate to find some positive to give EtH an out but there's no point pretending. He's fecked up majorly and has put himself in a proper bind.

I rate him much higher than OGS but he's on the same path to the bin as him if he doesn't wise up and drop some of the dross in our squad, no matter how expensive they are.

 

[RoadTrip]

Its liverpool at their prime under klopp.

You could see bits of it in the first half, where we win back possession high up and try to counter quickly, but our decisions were poor. Second half was a shit show.

The criticism from people in that thread were interpreting(the quotes) it as a team mainly functioning from low block counter attacks and that we would cede possession as well.

Most of our best chances in that 1st half came from us pressing high and winning the ball back which to me is a form of being a transition team. Our work with the ball starting from back to front left a lot to be desired in this game and was the far bigger problem. We don't look like we can string passes consistently together to pin a team back and have waves of controlled possession-based attacks.

I was being a bit facetious with my comment to be honest. But, I can’t remember that many great chances resulting from the times we did win the ball high up. We might have attackers who are geared for pressing but I’m not convinced they work for the subsequent counter attack after winning it high. We are so motionless and static when we win the ball back that the whole benefit of open spaces by winning it back high are completely wasted. Rashford is quick but he rarely plays quick intricate one-twos which you’d need him to do especially as striker to open up those around him. Garnacho isn’t ready to be a starter. Anthony, the less said the better. Bruno could be a valuable piece because he always looks for the killer ball which is what you need to make use of the space.

Maybe once Rashford is back on the wing and Hojlund is in, it might all suddenly click.

 

[leet]

Club has way bigger issues than ETH. Everything that's happening on pitch is just byproduct of years of club being poorly run. Just in the last 12 months: failed/lingering sale, shambles on market, whether it's sale of players or buying them, it's always absolute mess (right now we have probably unhappy Maguire/McT, even parting with DDG felt terrible), Greenwood fiasco, incoming Antony fiasco. Everything just feels dire, you can smell failure in the air and when atmosphere is like that you can't expect results either. Put these players and manager in Brighton and it won't look like this 100%.

After Wolves and the last seven days of Club being dragged through the media with leaks this just felt inevitable.

 

[Garethw]

Why do we look so tactically clueless though?

I was under the impression that ETH was some master tactician.

I just don’t see any improvement at all in the last 12 months. All of the same issues we saw under Solskjaer are still there.

I know it’s stupid to say, but it really does make you wonder whether the club has been cursed. Manager after manager has spent hundreds of millions of pounds and the football and results have remained awful.

 

[city-puma]

We need to consider to push a CB higher to help Casimiro in possession. But, we don’t have a CB with that profile.

 

[Ayoba]

Why do we look so tactically clueless though?

I was under the impression that ETH was some master tactician.

I just don’t see any improvement at all in the last 12 months. All of the same issues we saw under Solskjaer are still there.

I know it’s stupid to say, but it really does make you wonder whether the club has been cursed. Manager after manager has spent hundreds of millions of pounds and the football and results have remained awful.

I think so too. We had our time under fergie, now it's our turn to suffer. We could have jesus Christ and peps lovechild managing us with Saudis trillions and we would still be shite.

 

[The Mitcher]

Why do we look so tactically clueless though?

I was under the impression that ETH was some master tactician.

I just don’t see any improvement at all in the last 12 months. All of the same issues we saw under Solskjaer are still there.

I know it’s stupid to say, but it really does make you wonder whether the club has been cursed. Manager after manager has spent hundreds of millions of pounds and the football and results have remained awful.

The club just picks managers who have terrible decision making and also haven't even bothered to actually give our DOF power to do his actual job.

 

[DRJosh]

This was such a good move which deserved a goal.

It was a brilliant move but after watching Brighton and City today I feel we still lack that dynamic movement across the park when in possession. Players tend to remain in their positional zone until called into action in anticipation for a pass. So a lot of our attacking movement is centred between 2 or 3 players near the ball. Very rarely, (the exception being that Bruno chance), do we spread the play through creative movement away from the action. Also often when we attempt something innovative, that final pass is lacking in quality.

 

[Skills]

Why do we look so tactically clueless though?

I was under the impression that ETH was some master tactician.

I just don’t see any improvement at all in the last 12 months. All of the same issues we saw under Solskjaer are still there.

I know it’s stupid to say, but it really does make you wonder whether the club has been cursed. Manager after manager has spent hundreds of millions of pounds and the football and results have remained awful.

That was always a stretch. Anyone expecting him to be up there with Guardiola or Klopp was just delusional.

But I think the issues come from his poor talent identification. He's just got a terrible eye for talent.

 

[glazed]

He's spent hundreds of millions. He can hardly cry poverty

Arsenal bought Rice. We bought Mount. See how that works?

 

[Revan]

He needs to swallow his pride and drop Antony, play Mount there, and restore Eriksen.

Mount is horrible in the right. I do not get this obsession of United managers and fans to play players out of position in the hope that they will somehow be good.

It works once in 10 times (Valencia as a right back and Shaw as center back are probably the only examples I can think of in the last 20 years).

 

[Leftback99]

The way we're set up were going to be having similar batterings to last season, probably more of them.

Most of our best performances is last season had Fred as a starter, our only midfielder with energy to run all game but he's been quietly sold. What is the plan here?

 

[redshaw]

Why do we look so tactically clueless though?

I was under the impression that ETH was some master tactician.

I just don’t see any improvement at all in the last 12 months. All of the same issues we saw under Solskjaer are still there.

I know it’s stupid to say, but it really does make you wonder whether the club has been cursed. Manager after manager has spent hundreds of millions of pounds and the football and results have remained awful.

The common theme amongst it all is indulging managers rather than a set style by the club and getting players in that fit a sophisticated data system for the manager to coach and also getting the right mix of ages.

Some will say it's now been put in place but I don't buy it yet. What ETH has said this summer seems very much a compromise approach to the players we already have and aren't shifting soon. We'll continue with transitions counters, heavy on expensive manager player choices and it poorly fitting together, not a threat to the top.

 

[Lay]

He's hampered by having the same issues as last season, no CF, once our new one plays I think we'll see a huge improvement, not having a focal point up top IMO is what's hurting us the most, Hoijland doesn't have to score tons but he should open up space for the others

Tottenham sold their star striker and are playing Richarilson yet look decent enough

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

That was always a stretch. Anyone expecting him to be up there with Guardiola or Klopp was just delusional.

But I think the issues come from his poor talent identification. He's just got a terrible eye for talent.

True, but we're not winning league titles as long as those 2 are at the helm unless we found a manager of that level(which might not exist in today's game either way).

I'm a fan of ETH and I think we were on a good path forward, but our form/performances after the cup final have been atrocious. It's almost like that minor success went to everyone's head.

 

[Greck]

He needs to be protected from making some of LVG's mistakes. Some of these acquisitions don't seem to have the natural ability for his main playstyle. Even with the decent improvement of our poor possession players I don't think one can raise the combined team ceiling high enough to beat top teams who have the right talent for what they are implementing.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Mount is horrible in the right. I do not get this obsession of United managers and fans to play players out of position in the hope that they will somehow be good.

It works once in 10 times (Valencia as a right back and Shaw as center back are probably the only examples I can think of in the last 20 years).

He played mostly behind the striker and drifting out wide at Chelsea, in advanced positions, arriving late to the box to pounce on loose balls. He's out of position right now, despite what he himself says.

 

[RedIan]

I think so too. We had our time under fergie, now it's our turn to suffer. We could have jesus Christ and peps lovechild managing us with Saudis trillions and we would still be shite.

i think many forget how it took Fergie 4 years to win anything and before that the chants of “Fergie out” rang out loud and clear from the Stretford end. How those impatient pratts were made to choke on their words…


Fast forward to ETH , his first year in he won a cup and came third in the Prem, the same impatient souls now modern day keyboard warriors already smell blood because we lost a game,

 

[crossy1686]

Arsenal bought Rice. We bought Mount. See how that works?

We should also remember that he wanted to buy Gakpo last January. He can't be trusted to spend any more money

 

[Who's Kissing Cameras?]

Didn’t watch the game. Style of play? Any combinations?

 

[Stobzilla]

Didn’t watch the game. Style of play? Any combinations?

Bruno -> C. Romero was fairly.promising.

 

[crossy1686]

We'll have spent a billion quid on the entire Dutch league before some of you hold him accountable.

 

[crossy1686]

Didn’t watch the game. Style of play? Any combinations?

More of the same from Monday but with a good 30 minute spell in the middle of the first half. 2nd half was a disgrace.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

i think many forget how it took Fergie 4 years to win anything and before that the chants of “Fergie out” rang out loud and clear from the Stretford end. How those impatient pratts were made to choke on their words…


Fast forward to ETH , his first year in he won a cup and came third in the Prem, the same impatient souls now modern day keyboard warriors already smell blood because we lost a game,

Football has changed a lot since then and the situations aren't comparable.

 

[Revan]

He played mostly behind the striker and drifting out wide at Chelsea, in advanced positions, arriving late to the box to pounce on loose balls. He's out of position right now, despite what he himself says.

His only good position is as No.10 IMO.

 

[FriedClams]

i think many forget how it took Fergie 4 years to win anything and before that the chants of “Fergie out” rang out loud and clear from the Stretford end. How those impatient pratts were made to choke on their words…


Fast forward to ETH , his first year in he won a cup and came third in the Prem, the same impatient souls now modern day keyboard warriors already smell blood because we lost a game,

its not even close to being a similar situation.

 

[giggs-beckham]

What exactly are you expecting him to say? He is never going to tell you midfield was shite because he is the one that set them up to play like that.

Stock response to unfavourable manager comments (which point to him having poor judgement)

 

[PoTMS]

He's really overrated. His achievements last season are clouded by the constant batterings and tumescent away performances. If we fail to improve on last season, he deserves serious criticism.

 

[hobbers]

We'll have spent a billion quid on the entire Dutch league before some of you hold him accountable.

He could sign Blind Tadic and Haller for £200m and finish 10th and there’d still be a big contingent saying we need to wait until he’s got the missing piece, like with Ole and Rice.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Spurs had no problem creating chances. I agree against good sides it’s difficult to create chances. But Spurs are not that good, they have a new midfield, new manager, their best player left.

Neither did we.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

He could sign Blind Tadic and Haller for £200m and finish 10th and there’d still be a big contingent saying we need to wait until he’s got the missing piece, like with Ole and Rice.

Don't give him any ideas.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

He's really overrated. His achievements last season are clouded by the constant batterings and tumescent away performances. If we fail to improve on next season, he deserves serious criticism.

If we fail to improve this season alone, he deserves loads of criticisms.

Most of the signings brought were his 1st choice targets.

 

[FujiVice]

Antony and Mount could end up being giant mistakes for him. Those two are long term and expensive. Could take years to shift those two. Hope I'm wrong, but that money could have been used elsewhere.

 

[edgecutter]

Lost a lot of faith in him over the last two games and also with the Mount transfere. Needs to seriously make statement in next week's match to show that he can turn this around because we have been dire.

 

[Revan]

He could sign Blind Tadic and Haller for £200m and finish 10th and there’d still be a big contingent saying we need to wait until he’s got the missing piece, like with Ole and Rice.

Plus it took Fergie 6 years to win the league. If we give to ETH just another 4 and another 600m to buy the lower leagues in the Netherlands, he is actually gonna lead us to glory.

Plus, he already won the Mickey Mouse Cup last season.

 

[spiriticon]

i think many forget how it took Fergie 4 years to win anything and before that the chants of “Fergie out” rang out loud and clear from the Stretford end. How those impatient pratts were made to choke on their words…


Fast forward to ETH , his first year in he won a cup and came third in the Prem, the same impatient souls now modern day keyboard warriors already smell blood because we lost a game,

Why does this idea gets repeated all the time even after the club has fired 5 managers in the last 10 years, some of whom have had better first seasons than Ten Hag?

We are a 'results now or get fired' club and it's probably time to accept that...

 

[CM]

Are we seriously better off than we were under Ole? End of last season, pre-season, beginning of this season - not so much the results, but the performances have been just dire. I did think it was time for Ole to go, but we had the most Fergie like times under him. There's either a curse on the club or it's the sheer toxicity of the Glazers - why is it that manager after manager, and player after player, come to us with a decent reputation and never live up to it?

It doesn't feel like it at this point in time. There's still time for that to change if we do something about the midfield and ten Hag realises he's on a hiding to nothing by continuing with that set up, but it feels like stubborness at this point. We saw it at times with Weghorst last season, playing Fernandes out of position to facilitate someone who could barely pass for a footballer. Now we have a completely unworkable midfield 3 which we are stuck with because one is the new marquee signing, one is the club captain and the other is our only defensive minded midfielder.

Even purely on the scale of playing good counter attacking football, we're nowhere near where we were at our best under Ole. We've won the ball countless times in the final third against both Wolves and Spurs and barely got any shots off, and the ones we do get off lack any kind of potency. It's a huge concern.

 

[hobbers]

Fast forward to ETH , his first year in he won a cup and came third in the Prem, the same impatient souls now modern day keyboard warriors already smell blood because we lost a game,

LVG improved us and then went to shit. Mourinho improved us, won two cups then lost the plot. Ole vastly improved us and nearly won half a dozen cups but ultimately built the most spineless feckless bloated squad the club has ever had.

Cant blame people for seeing the writing early at this point

 

[holdsteady]

Why does this idea gets repeated all the time even after the club has fired 5 managers in the last 10 years, some of whom have had better first seasons than Ten Hag?

We are a 'results now or get fired' club and it's probably time to accept that...

Because we aren't close to being in the position where our results should be guaranteed wins

 

[Big Ben Foster]

The common theme amongst it all is indulging managers rather than a set style by the club and getting players in that fit a sophisticated data system for the manager to coach and also getting the right mix of ages.

Some will say it's now been put in place but I don't buy it yet. What ETH has said this summer seems very much a compromise approach to the players we already have and aren't shifting soon. We'll continue with transitions counters, heavy on expensive manager player choices and it poorly fitting together, not a threat to the top.

This is it 100%. We keep trying the same thing over and over, and unsurprisingly it doesn't work.