People are saying it’s not on him for tonight, but quite frankly we are terrible defensively in our structure which I do place on him. There’s a reason we struggle to see out games, we essentially never look solid at the back with this “half press” where we sit our CB’s deep yet still ask our midfielders to press high. Bizarre
Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24
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I look forward to the day he has minimal say in our transfers.
The Everton game didn't really prove anything other than if we played like that we'll concede loads to better sides, like tonight.
For like 10 years now...
Why do we keep playing this stupid variation of 4-3-3 which has two attacking midfielders very high on the pitch, plus the midfielder who has been instructed to track back is Bruno, somebody who is weak and clumsy and ends up giving stupid free kicks away.
Funnily enough he gave away both free kicks which ended up as goals, Plus he is also prone to losing the ball in the deeper areas which further expose us and end up with attempts on goals.
Why could not we play Mainoo and Amrabat or before why not Casemiro and Amrabat both, why only one. We need solidity in the middle, with a feeble keeper and average defence we need all the protection midfield can provide. ETH looks very naive in his decision making for somebody who has been around for a while.
Funnily enough he gave away both free kicks which ended up as goals, Plus he is also prone to losing the ball in the deeper areas which further expose us and end up with attempts on goals.
Why could not we play Mainoo and Amrabat or before why not Casemiro and Amrabat both, why only one. We need solidity in the middle, with a feeble keeper and average defence we need all the protection midfield can provide. ETH looks very naive in his decision making for somebody who has been around for a while.
His tactics and signings are the direct cause of our massive regression in performance this season. Don't be fooled by Galatasaray, Everton and Copenhagen. Playing only one holding midfielder and pushing the rest of the team so high up is the direct reason why we concede goals for fun. In modern football, midfield and possession control trumps everything else yet he does not seem to realise it. Copenhagen (even before 10 men), Galatasaray and Everton split us open at will. What do you think better teams will do?
I look forward to the day when he is sacked along with his poor signings and hopefully he takes them with him.
Interesting that the Caf seems to be very agreeable on what is troubling the team (see @Dannn411, @Fahad Jawaid, @Valencia Shin Crosses just like 3 of 5 posts above). Everyone sees the same issues, issues we could've addressed even with the current (depleted) squad, and yet here we are, doing the same mistakes over and over and over again.
IMO his career at United will come to a drastic end very soon.
IMO his career at United will come to a drastic end very soon.
His game management is so poor, no better than Ole's really. And this is supposedly a highly regarded coach not a PE teacher.
This - £200 million and god knows what in wages. Who would take them on the salaries they'll be on?
I think it's an easy criticism to make but we play them deep because they have no recovery pace, while if we had two deep midfielders dropping we'd essentially be inviting teams to control possession. What you are criticising here can be rectified with one deep sitting midfielder, which we saw against Everton, someone who has a brain and the ability to execute.
I can't say Onana losing us the win here is down to Erik. We clearly needed a new keeper in order to play out from the back, it's just a huge shame that Onana has cost us so dearly.
I honestly think he'll be sacked as soon as Ratcliffe has control. Feelers will be out.
4 points from 5 games in this group is unforgivable. Tonight cannot be put down to bad luck the keeper given we benefited from a very marginal offside call in the first half. Sadly the manager is not up to it at this level.
Why can’t he address the problems of the side being unable to withstand any pressure?
Truth in the Ancelotti rumours?
I am not as against him as others, but he really needs to sort the midfield out. If you're going to press, you need to press as a TEAM not as a front 5 and back 5. That space between the 6 and the 8/10s is way too large.
Onana and Antony were his former players, he knew what he was getting.
With managers like Ancelotti having contract issues it’s a no brainer to nip in there and get something done
That's because it's a pretty bad group. We can still qualify to next stage with only 7 points, if we defeat Bayern and the other 2 teams equalized, which is crazy.
His game management has always been poor even while at Ajax. remember how his Ajax team was knocked out by Tottenham and Benfica despite having healthy leads in those games. his teams are always open and will always give opposition chances. We are rarely in control. he should have taken out Scott for more control but instead he left him on the pitch because scot provides those goal scoring moments. The same reason he never substitute Bruno or rarely substitute Rashford regardless of their general play in games.
I'm tired of critiquing his transfers so I'll refrain from doing that today, despite the fact that his GK of choice (and ex-player) has been a major reason for us being bottom of our CL group with a game to go.
I will however, again shit on his in-game management which is horrific. Okay, I can perhaps understand the insistence on starting games with 1 CM/DM and 2 #10s. It puts pressure on the opposition. It paid off today, McTominay did contribute offensively.
But with the score at 1-3 on 58', when you need to slow down the tempo and see out the game, why is he swapping one DM for another and not taking McTominay off for Mainoo to bolster the midfield? We were so fecking open at the end and that is 100% on him.
I will however, again shit on his in-game management which is horrific. Okay, I can perhaps understand the insistence on starting games with 1 CM/DM and 2 #10s. It puts pressure on the opposition. It paid off today, McTominay did contribute offensively.
But with the score at 1-3 on 58', when you need to slow down the tempo and see out the game, why is he swapping one DM for another and not taking McTominay off for Mainoo to bolster the midfield? We were so fecking open at the end and that is 100% on him.
Not absolving Ten Hag of blame, he definitely needs to do better with identifying these players. But a valid point nonetheless.
Agreed. Real / Barca / Bayern / Juve fire the coach for this, try the next one and move on! Still incredibly far from convinced that Erik Eh will come good. Very poor in game management and why if we are so poor at defending leads does he not work on this ? I mean it’s the basic principles of management, identity a weakness, improve it! Bin him off, next underwhelming manager please.
We're incapable of controlling games vs anyone unless they're complete cannon-fodder.
He's completely failed at improving us this season. I don't see what makes people hopeful that he's going to turn us into a title winning side.
Our results have improved lately, but our performances haven't. Our performance vs Everton was heavily masked by the score.
He's completely failed at improving us this season. I don't see what makes people hopeful that he's going to turn us into a title winning side.
Our results have improved lately, but our performances haven't. Our performance vs Everton was heavily masked by the score.
I think he doesn’t want us to control the game through possession. This has become more and more obvious game after game. It’s hard to predict that it won’t work eventually. I would let him continue his idea until a change has to be done. By now, let’s see how we will come out of the tough fixtures next.
We won't make a change until Jim is part of the club. So probably 2025 at this rate.
We're going to go nowhere if we keep ceding possession vs any half-decent team. It doesn't work. All of the best teams the past decade were miles better than us in recycling the ball/pinning teams back via waves of sustained/controlled attacks. The point was to build towards that. This chaotic football on display won't manage much vs the top teams. Any time we face a top team lately, we look comfortably worse.
It has a ceiling cap unless you have 8-11 world class players in your team.
When lightning strikes once it can happen, twice you start asking questions, three times it’s no longer by chance but by design?
ETH CL SF 2 goals up gets done by Pochetino tactically.
ETH CL Group 2 goals up against Copenhagen and loses the game to try E weakest team in the group
ETH Group 2 goals up twice against Galatasaray and free kicks are immaterial he bought the keeper, he spent £400m, he falls out with players who have won the WC and the CL, he so stubborn he can’t tactically shut down and close out games, he’s a fraud, the manner of defeats his teams experience. Is hugely worrying and if you look at Ajax only 18 months after he left, they are the biggest mess currently in European football.
The rumours that Sir Jim is looking at other managers is no surprise, the ETH bubble has burst, let’s hope his legacy is United not turning into 2023 Ajax !
He's just not ruthless enough for a job such as this, or he doesn't inspire our players to be ruthless enough to win games such as this. It was clear what was going to happen when Galatasaray got their second. There's no 'steel' or toughness to close a game like this out, or to stop the opposition from coming back into it.
I believe the best managers have that urge or desire to win every game. ETH just doesn't scream 'winner'. He's a cloud when we need the silver lining.
I believe the best managers have that urge or desire to win every game. ETH just doesn't scream 'winner'. He's a cloud when we need the silver lining.
Ajax was weakened due to EtH leaving, but the whole Overmars disaster had a bigger impact on them, so I wouldn't worry about this kind of downfall for United. EtH isn't the right man to win big stuff for United, but he also isn't that bad.
I’d rather at this point the most disappointing thing is that we can’t replicate anything near his football at Ajax, the signings have been poor for the most part and I have no confidence we can dominate many teams.
Mainoo looks like a player that belongs in a functional team, which is a damning indictment of some of our players.
Mainoo looks like a player that belongs in a functional team, which is a damning indictment of some of our players.
We all missing the main issue here and that is this team has no character at all. That's not Manchester United. We're conceding silly goals and are the only ones whether we're down or up by a goal and just stop playing. Every other team is still trying to play even when they're down by a goal. Every opponent knows that their goal will come because we're leaking of goals. Where's the defending in this team ?
I am no less frustrated than you when watching our games in such a messy and chaotic manner.
But, it is in some aspects like Liverpool in early days under Klopp.
I have no idea whether it will work out. It’s out of our control as fans. Somehow I have got used to it, as long as I control my expectations, my frustration can be still under control. That’s the only thing I can do.
United fans are unforgiving and his record in the CL will be the reason why he loses his job. No he’s not that bad but he’s not an elite manager that should be allowed to spend £400m on a squad, how many of his signings will be a success by the end of this season?
He’s simply not good enough when managers like Conte, Flick, Zidane, De Zerbie are all available and have far superior man management skills.
We couldn’t have done any better tonight with the unbelievable, unprecedented, historical number of injuries.
But honestly, every single game we won this year we could have easily lost, and in CL every game we dropped points in bar Bayern could have been a win. With our erratic style (or lack of) of football we are bound to find ourselves in these positions. It’s just pure coincidence we won all tight games we have had so far in the league but have failed to win all but one in Europe.
But honestly, every single game we won this year we could have easily lost, and in CL every game we dropped points in bar Bayern could have been a win. With our erratic style (or lack of) of football we are bound to find ourselves in these positions. It’s just pure coincidence we won all tight games we have had so far in the league but have failed to win all but one in Europe.
Ten Hag is just so inflexible and he cannot see that he has zero structure in midfield, so other teams are constantly able to target us in that area.
Of all the times to use a double pivot, going away from home in Europe after shipping eleven goals in your previous 4 games is the time, but no he continues with a single pivot as we watch the same thing happen over and over again.
Just experiment, put Mainoo and Amrabat in a double pivot and see if it stops teams cutting through us like butter.
It's the stubbornness which is so infuritating.
Of all the times to use a double pivot, going away from home in Europe after shipping eleven goals in your previous 4 games is the time, but no he continues with a single pivot as we watch the same thing happen over and over again.
Just experiment, put Mainoo and Amrabat in a double pivot and see if it stops teams cutting through us like butter.
It's the stubbornness which is so infuritating.
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I hate not having a midfield. Watching us get ran through over and over again is maddening. It's absolutely bizarre that a Dutch manager - probably the second most precious about midfield control and order after Spanish, per school of thought - is so reckless with control and pacing of the midfield.
It's looking increasingly like ten Hag can only work with special midfielders, otherwise his instructions simply do not transfer to a lower tier of midfielder. No wonder he was obsessed with FDJ.
People calling it a basketball game are right. We just run back and forth with no ability to kill a game or keep it orderly.
It's looking increasingly like ten Hag can only work with special midfielders, otherwise his instructions simply do not transfer to a lower tier of midfielder. No wonder he was obsessed with FDJ.
People calling it a basketball game are right. We just run back and forth with no ability to kill a game or keep it orderly.
He sometimes looks like a deer in front of the headlights.
But he is stubborn with his tactics in big games, I can give him that.
Thar LC final look so long ago. We didn't beat any decent team since then.
But he is stubborn with his tactics in big games, I can give him that.
Thar LC final look so long ago. We didn't beat any decent team since then.
Same same. I chose not to acknowledge it anymore because the reality is probably that he doesn't care or can't coach it, which is just too depressing of a thought as it leaves us with a low probability chance to really improving or becoming progressive in the long term.
The hope is that I'm massively wrong and/or something changes but yeah
I'm not talking about the result necessarily today. I'm talking about how our defensive structure (and even pressing structure early on in the year when we played a high line) is so poorly organized. It's why we always look like conceding even if we've dominated a game. And when you add in the fact that our midfield likes to go play striker in an end to end game, it's even worse.
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