Man Utd's identity crisis is Ten Hag's fault - no matter how much Neville blames the Glazers
Sam McGuire
- 30 Oct 2023 08:25 CDT
- 5 min read
The 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon was Manchester United’s fifth Premier League loss of the season and their third at Old Trafford. We may only be 10 games into the 2023/24 campaign but the Red Devils already find themselves 11 points behind the leaders and eight points off a top-four spot.
Manchester City didn’t just beat United, they tore them apart. The visitors finished with an Expected Goal haul of four while limiting the hosts to chances worth just 0.95. Incredibly, Pep Guardiola’s men created seven big chances.
For a little context here, during Liverpool’s historic 7-0 win over the Red Devils last season, the Reds finished with an Expected Goals total of just 2.78 having created six big chances. In United’s 6-3 loss to City at the Etihad last term, the hosts created just three big chances and their opportunities on the day totalled 3.3 Expected Goals.
MORE: Five available managers who could replace Ten Hag
Ten Hag shielded
Had City been more ruthless at Old Trafford, it could’ve been yet another historical mauling. Make no mistake about it though, this was one of the worst showings under Erik Ten Hag.
Yet in the aftermath, there’s a scramble to deflect any criticism away from the manager. Gary Neville used his time on live TV for Sky Sports to blame the Glazers. He acknowledged that the substitutes weren’t good enough but refused to entertain Jamie Carragher when the former Liverpool full-back pointed out some home truths about the one-time Ajax tactician.
Carragher made some good points, saying: “None of us right here can explain what Manchester United do in terms of how they play. Here’s been here now nearly 18 months, we’ve seen Unai Emery come in at Aston Villa, we’ve seen Ange Postecoglou now come in at Tottenham and in a very short space of time.
“Now, that doesn’t mean you win every week but when you go to the games you know what you’re going to see. We still don’t know what you’re going to see with Manchester United. You tell me how they play with the ball. They’re playing underdog football and they have since he came in.”
Neville talked about other managers coming into stable environments and having it easier. That just isn’t true, is it? Spurs sacked Antonio Conte last season and then dismissed their interim manager. They also lost Fabio Paratici, their managing director, in April after he resigned following a worldwide ban. Tottenham sold talisman Harry Kane just days before the Premier League season kicked off. That wasn’t exactly a stable environment and yet Spurs find themselves two points clear at the summit. They are only one of two unbeaten teams this season in the English top flight.
Prior to Emery’s appointment, it appeared as though Villa might be in a relegation battle. He got them into the Europa League and they’re now fifth in the Premier League.
Both Postecoglou and Emery put their stamp on things and gave their side a clear identity.
As Carragher said, United are 18 months into the Ten Hag era and there are still no clear signs of what they are about as a football team. At first, we were told they wanted to dominate the ball and play out from the back. The Red Devils signed players suited to that style to make it easier for the 53-year-old tactician. You wouldn’t think that when watching them play.
Of course, situations away from the pitch haven’t helped, but that shouldn’t excuse what we are currently witnessing on the pitch.
Furthermore, Ten Hag himself has now claimed the idea wasn’t ever to replicate the football he was famed for at Ajax.
Speaking after the loss to Manchester City, he said: “We will never play that football. Because those were different players. This is also not why I came here. We are playing different football than I showed at Ajax because I have to, because I can't play the same way. The players decide how you play. Ajax has a very typical and characteristic style of play, with Manchester United I will always show different football, I did so last year as well. We play much more direct football here because I have the players for that here."
So why did United spend so much time and money looking to bring in players to give them on-ball dominance?
United are having an identity crisis and that is firmly the fault of Ten Hag. The situation at Old Trafford isn’t perfect but he’s been given the players to implement his style. Criticism of him is fair and he should be scrutinised for these performances. Turning a blind eye to the problem won't make it go away.
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