The future of Erik ten Hag as the Manchester United boss has been a hotly contested debate in the past months, and that discussion has only ramped up since their phenomenal 2-1 FA Cup victory over their local rivals Manchester City.
Man Utd’s worst-ever English Premier League finish, lower than David Moyes’ seventh-place in 2013/14 with eighth this year, has rightfully earned ten Hag plenty of criticism and reports throughout the late stages of the season suggested the club’s owners were looking at potential managerial replacements.
Fan outcry after winning the FA Cup has meant the decision of whether to sack or persist with the Dutchman has been made much harder for the owners and in this article, we’re going to take a look at if we believe the club should stick or twist with ten Hag.
Difficult times
The former Ajax manager joined the club in extremely difficult circumstances as Manchester United had just gone through a season that saw them have three managers (Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick) and record their lowest-ever points tally in the Premier League with 58 points.
Hopes were high for ten Hag after he had won three Eredivisie titles in four full seasons in charge at Ajax and taken them to a UEFA Champions League semi-final, and the Dutchman certainly delivered as Manchester United finished third and went to two cup finals, winning the EFL Cup and losing the FA Cup.
This season has been far from ideal for ten Hag though, finishing eighth with a staggering 14 losses and recording a minus-one goal difference, the first time Manchester United have ever finished a Premier League campaign with a negative goal difference.
Ten Hag has had to deal with a staggering number of injuries this season, resulting in 32 different backlines being deployed across the campaign, and done exceptionally well to lift the FA Cup trophy, but the quality of football on display throughout large parts of the season has been simply disastrous.
Horror league season could decide his fate
Man Utd conceded the fifth-highest expected goals of any side in the division with 70.3 and faced one of the highest number of shots of any side in the division, while also scoring the least of any team in the top nine.
Despite being in charge of the club for two seasons they still appear to have no consistent style of play, some weeks playing with a focus on possession and others on counter-attacks and they have often been described as one of the worst coached teams in the Premier League.
Admittedly it has been an extremely difficult time in charge for ten Hag this year, but other teams have also dealt with plenty of injuries and have continued to play the same style of football, but this has not been the case for Manchester United.
Verdict
This has left the club taking a huge backwards step this season, and we think it is time for Man Utd to move away from ten Hag and bring in a manager who can implement a consistent style of play and philosophy that will help take the club back to the top of English football.
Should ten Hag stay or go? Comment with your views below!!
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1 Comment
by Akinsanya Abiodun.
No. He is too defensive conscious. The team under him is structureless. Not organized n lack character.