Ten Hag makes his case as Man United’s worst modern manager

NOTTINGHAM, England — It’s by no means a very good factor for a Manchester United manager to be in comparison with David Moyes, however Erik ten Hag is now posting extra alarming statistics than the person usually regarded as the worst manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson period at Old Trafford.

United’s 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday — United’s 14th loss in all competitions already this season — adopted the identical rinse-and-repeat sample of lots of their collapses. Concede first, equalise after which throw the sport away with amateurish defending. Add in some dismal particular person performances and confused techniques and you’ve got the story of Ten Hag’s season to date.

It was chaotic as traditional, however chaos would not lend itself to success too usually. Rather, it usually results in failure, and Ten Hag’s second season is starting to resemble Moyes’ solely marketing campaign as United manager, when he was fired simply 10 months after changing Ferguson in May 2013.

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The downside for Ten Hag is that his staff is now performing worse than Moyes’ was after 20 video games of the 2013-14 season.

Moyes’ United had been seventh after 20 video games, with 34 factors from 20 video games, having scored 33 objectives and conceded 24. Fast ahead and now Ten Hag’s United are additionally in seventh, with simply 31 factors from 20 video games. With 22 objectives scored and 27 conceded, Ten Hag’s staff is scoring fewer and conceding greater than the facet that value Moyes his job.

Moyes was by no means convincing when he tried to clarify poor outcomes and performances, and Ten Hag is falling into an identical lure.

“Every time you have to swap [players], the routines are not there and top football is going quick, so you need the communication in the split moment,” Ten Hag stated when requested why his staff makes recurring errors. “We went for the win and there was one counterattack where we probably did not defend too good as a team, but what I saw in the second half was a team going for a win and that was what we missed in the first half. I saw some decent football in the second half.”

Ten Hag has new bosses since INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 25% stake within the membership, and INEOS director of sport Dave Brailsford was watching on Saturday from the administrators’ field alongside Ferguson, the legendary former manager of Man United. Although Ten Hag insists INEOS is eager to work with him, the sound of the clock ticking on Ten Hag’s reign grew to become louder each time the digital camera shot switched from Brailsford to a forlorn-looking Ten Hag on the touchline.

It was an identical story with Moyes earlier than his sacking. Back then, the digital camera shot could be of a pissed off Ferguson earlier than slicing on to the struggling manager, trying an increasing number of haunted with each defeat.

One can solely think about what Ferguson was whispering into Brailsford’s ear throughout this defeat at Forest, though it’s a secure guess to imagine that he would not be over-complimentary in regards to the efficiency of Antony, United’s £85m winger who has not registered a objective or help all season.

The Brazil worldwide was substituted on 54 minutes to chants of “What a waste of money!” from the Forest supporters, however the former Ajax winger’s lack of influence in a United shirt is changing into a significant downside for Ten Hag just because the previous Ajax manager pushed the membership to signal him 18 months in the past.

“He is so frustrating,” former United captain Gary Neville advised Sky Sports. “I blame the football club. It’s not [his] fault he was bought for that money. There has to be a ‘no’ when it gets to that level. If I was looking at him at £25m, we would be looking differently.”

Pursuing Antony was a misjudgment on Ten Hag’s half, however he repeats it each time he selects Antony in his beginning lineup. The participant is solely not ok for a membership aiming to contend on the high of the Premier League, so Ten Hag’s incapability to simply accept that won’t assist his trigger with his new bosses — Brailsford can be on a three-person soccer board with co-owners Joel Glazer and Ratcliffe as soon as INEOS’ funding is ratified by the Premier League within the weeks forward.

There are mitigating circumstances that Ten Hag is coping with, in fact. United’s damage listing has been prolonged all season and ahead Rasmus Hojlund, who lastly scored his first Premier League objective for the membership in Tuesday’s 3-2 win towards Aston Villa, missed the Forest sport as a consequence of sickness.

But all managers should overcome accidents and sickness issues — they’re a truth of life in elite sport — and people Ten Hag is anticipated to compete with are doing a greater job of it proper now.

When requested to pinpoint United’s largest downside, Ten Hag was direct: “The injuries,” he stated. “Also some issues but mainly the injuries hold us back in the process. In January, we have a lot of players returning so then our levels can be higher.

“We have had 9 totally different partnerships within the again. It would not matter as nicely, the followers do not need to hear this, they need to see us successful and that’s what we’ve to serve them.”

The upside from this sport was that Marcus Rashford scored from open play for the primary time since September. Alejandro Garnacho additionally confirmed himself to be a star of the longer term once more. But with Nicolás Domínguez and Morgan Gibbs-White scoring both facet of Rashford’s objective for Forest, the factors went to Nottingham Forest, leaving Ten Hag with extra unfavorable statistics.

Under Ten Hag, Man United now have misplaced 14 video games this season with one other 18 video games left to play — Moyes misplaced solely 16 in a single full season at United. Meanwhile, United’s 21 defeats suffered in 2023 in all competitions is the membership’s worst mark since 1972 and the fourth-worst tally in its historical past. This staff has additionally misplaced the identical variety of video games — 9 — as it suffered within the Premier League all through the entire of final season. Nottingham Forest, for his or her half, beat Man United for the primary time since 1994.

So, the disaster returns. Next up is an FA Cup third-round tie at Wigan Athletic, who sit 18th in EFL League One. Ten Hag merely can’t ponder dropping that one.