Erik ten Hag | 2022/23 & 2023/24

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The difference in the quality of the football we play, and the football Brighton play is night and day. They’ve played us off the park everytime we’ve played them this season.

The results have been better this season, but the football is still horrific. We play like the underdogs and collapse every single time away from home. Questions should be rightly asked.
??? We were better in the first half, our chances were bigger than Brighton. They had one 1 on 1 after a mistake, we had three/four? Should have been up 2-0.

Second half we were tired and we have a lack of quality on the bench.

Questions should be asked, but not of Ten Hag.
 
LVG had some absolute plodders dominating possession against the likes of City. It's all about set up of the team, players positioning and movement and just drilling it into players to be calm on the ball through practice. So yes I agree with you, if we want to play possession then you obviously start straight away. But, I suspect we don't. I think everything we see in our shape and eagerness to ping balls over the top or quickly into the feet of the attackers is exactly what he wants.
Agreed, unfortunately
 
We are pretty good at over paying, and overrating players and after they come here, they are shown to be not good enough.

Overpaying I agree with. And yes they can only be judged on what they do here - but sometimes you do have to question why we can't get the best out of them. Even in dead rubber games with no pressure, there is still no performance. If Fergie was in charge I reckon he'd get far more out of some of these players than any of our managers have done. You would never, ever see a player like Sancho playing without belief under him, because he was so good at building them up to perform.
 
I get that we dont have a natural striker but,feck me, we have a pretty decent midfield and wide options to try and keep the fecking ball longer for 2 seconds.

What the flying feck are they doing in training ? we lack so much composure in the middle and we shouldn't when we have Casemiro and Bruno.
What training? We have had no fecking chance to train.
 
Love the guy but he needs to do something about the selfishness in our attack. We cannot allow players to take a shot where a pass creates a guilt-edged chance.

This is on the manager because if it happens time and again, he's letting it go. No player should feel safe in fecking so much and this is definitely what Luke Shaw alluded to as well

And this is our biggest problem of the season we have ; Rashford who has improved and you can see him maturing and being less selfish than he used to be, Martial whose not selfish but his attitude is so hit and miss or he’s just injured, he’s fit right now and not giving you what he should which is goals, when’s the last time he scored?

Then you have Antony who is just so incredibly selfish that he can’t see the pass as his heads constantly down and he’s become a one trick pony, then we have Jadon Sancho who is not selfish, but not happy either as he thought he was getting the number 7 shirt and since he was being paid more than any other of our strikers he would expect to start most games. Then we find in Garnaucho , a young superstar who seems to have it all, not selfish can score a goal but he gets injured so we can’t use him and finally we have the Dutch Cart Horse Weghorst whose 6’7 and whose so unselfish he doesn’t even want to win a header when our hapless keeper goes long which is 77% of the time, he would rather let the 5’11 CB bully him. Not forgetting the most selfish of the lot , ‘He who shall not be named’ and has not played for 18 months but had he made different life decisions and been a good human being, we would now be glorifying his selfish acts on the football field because he could put the ball in the net and finish.

My points is Garnaucho is 18, Antony and Sancho 23, Rashford 25, Martial 27 and Weghorst 29. We are at least 1 top striker short but more important one decent human being, one leader short up front, someone who rallies the troops and offers advice to the younger players. This is why ETH wants Kane so badly and we may wait for a free transfer next summer if we can’t get him now, going for a cheaper option this summer. Leaks are coming out again about the number 7 shirt, why no one in that squad deserves it yet, if Garnaucho, Sancho or Antony set the place alight in the last 5 or 6 games thats different but not yet and having Rashford, Antony, Sancho and Martial on £1m per week between them and less than 30 PL goals is not good enough either, so maybe show them what the players at Newcastle get because with all their wealth ; Isak, C Wilson, Almeron
Yep we are fully aware of the away form. We'd be challenging for a title if it could be addressed.

I think ten hag has displayed some naivety but he also looks like he does need better players to implement the style he wants in a consistent manner with the right mentality.

Im not too surprised to be honest, there are a bulk of games that we prob would put to bed early and silence the away crowd if we had a striker.

He needs to show he can learn quickly, away football in the PL is a baptism of fire, There is now a top 8; Villa and Newcastle both have serious wealth and have ambitions on CL football every season.

Then there is incredibly well run teams from 8th -14th like Brighton, Palace, Brentford, West Ham, Wolves and Fulham that now have the financial resources to dominate the Europa and Europa conference league. All this without mentioning Everton, Leeds, Leicester , Forrest where 1 or 2 might go down. All PL clubs have their own Parisian home support and now most due to PL , untold wealth to build elite squads.

He needs to find a way and quickly because should this cost him top 4 this season, incoming new owners will be quick to pull the trigger 5 or 6 games into the new season!
 
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I have no issue with us not becoming a possession based team. My main issue that we have been pathetic whenever the pressure is on us playing away from home. We collapse immediately once the opposition gets ahead and it ends in a disaster. Look at us during that 2nd half yesterday, there was only one team trying to win in the last minutes and that wasn't us. It's truly pathetic.

Not sure why it's hard to ask from Man United team and manager to have some dignity.
 
If this summer he spends anything like what he did last summer, then it will need to be cystal clear what his style of play is. Because rightly or wrongly, the expectation will be to push City all the way in the league. Anything less and I don't think he'll survive. If Qatar come in, he'll probably be gone without a PL or CL trophy.
No way, that is an entirely unrealistic expectation. Literally a similar season to this won but just better showing in big away games and he'd be fine, cementing top 4 but showing progress in play style.

The reality is we aren't seriously competing for the title with City until we sort out our CF, sort out our goalkeeper, get a press resistant midfield playmaker and fix our depth issues. That's at least 2024/25. Anyone who sacks a manager before all that is sorted is just rushing it and getting us back to square 1.
 
He is brought on as a defensive reinforcement. Martial‘s workrate is terrible. Who would YOU bring on when our team is knackered?

Eriksen? Keep the ball = less running?

EDIT: If Weghorst is being brought on because of a tired team, then ETH is stupid. Honestly, I would be worried. The guy can't trap a bag of sand, so he doesn't alleviate any pressure. And by bringing on one player to press only means the rest either follow suit or it all falls to bits. It's a rubbish tactical sub for many reasons.
 
Even if we finish 5th, I think it would be madness if we sacked him. I'd be just beyond fed up with us and football if we acted in that manner.

Of course it would be madness, but some people are too short sighted.
 
Why does he keep bringing Weghorst on? What does he see in him? I think it is such a big mistakes that it is worrying. It looks like stupid stubbornness.
Have you watched Martial not being able to press or defend? Half the time Bruno or Antony would help out pressing for him.

Now you understand why Weghorst was brought on hopefully? We needed legs.
 
When did "the top 9" become a thing?

Not defending our away record because it's absolutely garbage, and is something that the manager needs to sort out. He absolutely deserves criticism for it. Just don't think I've seen this "top 9" thing when it comes to judging how a team is doing. Used to be just the top 4, then that got extended to the top 6. So it just seems like they're working their way down the table.
 
Eriksen? Keep the ball = less running?
How‘s that gonna help if the rest of the team is gassed? You need energy to get open for passes. Possession football when you are pressed takes lots of energy.
 
And it's probably only me, but it's really very very disappointing Liverpool are having their worst season in 7 years while this is arguably our post season post Fergie and yet they're only 4 points behind us, we only won 2 more games than them and they have scored +15 goals more us and with far better goal difference. That's Liverpool at their worst. They won't be that bad next season.

Not to mention they thrashed us 7-0 along the way.
 
Some highs and low this season...but at the finish United will still be around 20 points off the leaders.

Goes to show how much work is needed just to stay still in the league...Hopefully the club sale can be resolved in time for the summer to give EtH a fighting chance next season.
 
Needs to love the ball more.

Don't think we have the players in midfield to do that. I would say all of our midfielders (apart from Eriksen, maybe) are there to get the ball and move it on as soon as possible. Look at how many times we win the ball back, and hit the long, Hollywood pass. It happened many times last night. Granted, they play quite a high line and it nearly worked. But when it doesn't, you immediately relinquish possession and are back in defensive mode.
 
How‘s that gonna help if the rest of the team is gassed? You need energy to get open for passes. Possession football when you are pressed takes lots of energy.

Damn, if they can't move 5 yards into space then we're screwed. So what do you think bringing Weghorst on was supposed to achieve? Possession football can be low energy - it's basic stuff. You always run more without the ball unless in a low block, but then what do you do when you win it? Ideally try and keep possession and let them chase after the ball, which moves quicker than any player. Add Eriksen and give them too many players to press, leave their CBs without a man and dominate the areas where you have a numerical advantage, then advance as a unit.
 
Even if we finish 5th, I think it would be madness if we sacked him. I'd be just beyond fed up with us and football if we acted in that manner.

This will be a decision for potentially new owners and new owners like their own man in charge.
 
Even if we finish 5th, I think it would be madness if we sacked him. I'd be just beyond fed up with us and football if we acted in that manner.

And that's how season by season the standards at this club have been eroded away.

In 5 years time, it'll be a madness if we sacked "insert manager" even if we got relegated.
 
And it's probably only me, but it's really very very disappointing Liverpool are having their worst season in 7 years while this is arguably our post season post Fergie and yet they're only 4 points behind us, we only won 2 more games than them and they have scored +15 goals more us and with far better goal difference. That's Liverpool at their worst. They won't be that bad next season.

Not to mention they thrashed us 7-0 along the way.
Yes they have been a much better team than us post Sir Alex. Also you can't ignore that going all the way in all the cups has impacted our league form, it's shown to have an impact time and time again for teams, especially teams without squads like City's. So given that we are 4 points clear of them with 1 game in hand despite going all the way in both domestic cups (and going further in Europe though in the easier competition)... I'd say it's easy to see why it isn't 10 points+ clear.
 
And that's how season by season the standards at this club have been eroded away.

In 5 years time, it'll be a madness if we sacked "insert manager" even if we got relegated.
Yeah, having patience for long term project = having low standards, makes sense. :wenger:
 
Just get him as far away as possible from selecting who should join the squad and who should get contract extensions.

I feel if given a set of players who can truly play his style of football he will produce but the man is absolutely blinded by certain qualities he sees in some players even if they are totally the wrong fit.

How can he justify wanting to give DDG an extension if he can't pass to save his life. He adores Bruno but he's a bang average possession player. He allows Casemiro the freedom to pass the ball like he's Xabi Alonso. Continues to play Weghorst when it couldn't be clearer he's the biggest liability we've ever had in attack.

Murtough needs to gut this team for him and recreate a squad suited to his style because Ten Hag will not do it and will keep stubbornly trying to win games with players not fit for him.
Ten Hag is hampered by the squad and lack of financial possibility. The recruitment has been so poor since 2013 that we are in a terrible place now.

Ten Hag‘s signings have been excellent. (WW is a loan)

Many players have improved under him. For getting rid of Ronaldo, he should be allowed to stay until retirement.
 
Yes they have been a much better team than us post Sir Alex. Also you can't ignore that going all the way in all the cups has impacted our league form, it's shown to have an impact time and time again for teams, especially teams without squads like City's. So given that we are 4 points clear of them with 1 game in hand despite going all the way in both domestic cups (and going further in Europe though in the easier competition)... I'd say it's easy to see why it isn't 10 points+ clear.

It was only few weeks ago when Liverpool were 8th and we were looking at a potential 10 points difference from them. Spurs looked closer as a potential top 4 competitor than them.

It's honestly very disappointing. Reminds me 2 years ago when we finished 2nd under Ole and Liverpool were also struggling all season then they ended up 3rd behind us with only 4 or 5 points gap. Next season they competed for the league and we completely collapsed.

Next season is going to be much harder than this year.
 
Have you watched Martial not being able to press or defend? Half the time Bruno or Antony would help out pressing for him.

Now you understand why Weghorst was brought on hopefully? We needed legs.

Then push Rashford up top alone and bring on another midfielder to pack the middle of the park and add to the press.

There is absolutely no need to ever bring Weghorst on for Man Utd, no need.

Just as there was no need to sign him on loan.

Both are jump the shark type decisions from ETH.
 
He’s doing a fine job. Could he do better and has he made mistakes? Yes. Ultimately though he’s still working with a large pool of average players, missing our first choice centre backs, lack a proper centre a forward and our best players have been run into the ground.

Needs to do everything he possibly can now to make sure we don’t lose 4th.

It’s a big summer for him, we need this takeover sorted and our board to back him because of not he’s doomed regardless.

Let’s not forget Pep, ‘greatest manager of all time’, finished 3rd in his first season a City squad of former title winners.
 
And that's how season by season the standards at this club have been eroded away.

In 5 years time, it'll be a madness if we sacked "insert manager" even if we got relegated.

Bollocks, what a hysterical take :lol: . Under other managers it made sense if a manger didn't get top 4 to sack them, but it's not the case for Ten Hag. I'd be gutted and it won't be good enough if we finish 5th after how the season has panned out, but to start again would be utterly ridiculous when painful slop like Jose and LVG got longer.
 
Bollocks, what a hysterical take :lol: . Under other managers it made sense if a manger didn't get top 4 to sack them, but it's not the case for Ten Hag. I'd be gutted and it won't be good enough if we finish 5th after how the season has panned out, but to start again would be utterly ridiculous when painful slop like Jose and LVG got longer.

Why ? You didn't really explain, did you ?
 
It was only few weeks ago when Liverpool were 8th and we were looking at a potential 10 points difference from them. Spurs looked closer as a potential top 4 competitor than them.

It's honestly very disappointing. Reminds me 2 years ago when we finished 2nd under Ole and Liverpool were also struggling all season then they ended up 3rd behind us with only 4 or 5 points gap. Next season they competed for the league and we completely collapsed.

Next season is going to be much harder than this year.
I don't think next season is going to be that different for us. I think Liverpool will be better, I think Newcastle, Brighton and Arsenal will struggle as they've almost exclusively focused on league football and will have far more fixture congestion, Chelsea will likely still be a mess, Spurs likely deep in a rebuild, while I think United will be mostly similar. Progressing in ways, position in the table not changing because we are still far from a title race.

Also, that's mostly impacted by Liverpool winning 5 straight and us having games in hand. 13 points from our last 18 available is decent. Win the game in hand and we are 7 clear. Liverpool need to win 9 straight to end the season and hope that United fail to get 9 points from the last 15 available for them to be ahead of us... And again, you just can't ignore cup game impact.
 
It was explained many times, this is long term project, real judgment should be reserved at least for second season, it is not that hard.

So it's a long term project for Ten Hag but it wasn't for the previous managers ?
 
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