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Erik ten Hag is out of excuses at Manchester United, although he is still looking for them as he attempts to prove he remains the manager to bring success back to Old Trafford.
Yet while United’s beleaguered coach searches for mitigation, the smiling faces of counterparts Arne Slot, Unai Emery, Ange Postecoglou and Enzo Maresca only serve to make his situation worse because they are proving that managers don’t always need time; they just need to be able to win.
Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur — United’s third loss in six league games this season — left the team 12th in the Premier League, eight points behind leaders Liverpool. Only promoted Southampton have scored fewer goals than the five that Ten Hag’s team have managed.
But despite being overrun by a Spurs team that arrived at Old Trafford with pressure growing on Postecoglou, Ten Hag claimed the first-half red card shown to captain Bruno Fernandes “changed the game” after United had created several chances and Alejandro Garnacho hit the post.
In isolation, Ten Hag was correct in his assessment. But he failed to mention Tottenham’s catalogue of first-half chances — they also hit the post (on a Brennan Johnson shot) — and that Spurs could have been four goals ahead by half-time had they taken some of the many opportunities that came after Johnson had put them ahead in the third minute.
The stats up to the red card were damning and only suggested dominance by the visiting team. Spurs had enjoyed 60.4% of the possession, made 260 passes to United’s 172, had 28 touches in the opposition box to United’s seven, and had 12 shots to United’s three.
Selective memory is becoming a theme of Ten Hag’s increasingly predictable defence of his record as United manager. He has blamed injuries for a lack of consistency and bad results — every team suffers from injuries — and pointed to the two trophies he has won in two seasons, the Carabao Cup in 2023 and FA Cup last season. But that overlooks guiding the club to their worst-ever Premier League finish in 2023-24 and overseeing an array of humiliating defeats: a 7-0 loss at Liverpool, 4-0 at Crystal Palace, 4-0 at Brentford, 6-3 against Manchester City and, already this season, 3-0 losses at home to Liverpool and Spurs. United have scored only one league goal at home this term.
Ten Hag’s has spent £550 million on transfers since arriving at Old Trafford from Ajax in the summer of 2022, with huge sums lavished on the likes of Antony (£80m), Rasmus Højlund (£72m), Mason Mount (£55m), Manuel Ugarte (£50m) and Joshua Zirkzee (£36.5m). That outlay takes away any possibility of the 54-year-old suggesting he has not been given the funds to rebuild his squad. Only Chelsea (£1.1 billion) have spent more on transfers since he took charge at United.
There is now a real possibility that Ten Hag is entering the final days of his reign as United manager. Thursday’s Europa League trip to FC Porto would be a tough one at the best of times, and with a visit to Aston Villa in the Premier League just three days later, only victories will be enough for Ten Hag. Positive performances will mean little if United go into the international break without a win.
The focus is now on United’s new football leadership team. United minority owner Jim Ratcliffe and director of sport Dave Brailsford chose to keep faith with Ten Hag after the FA Cup final win against Manchester City. They are now supported by CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Dan Ashworth, who both assumed their roles during the summer.
Sources have told ESPN that there is a growing acceptance at United that the Dutchman is now under severe pressure, and the club believe they are well-prepared to make a change if results and performances do not pick up. But while the public noises about Ten Hag from within Old Trafford have been supportive, the sight of Ten Hag’s team slipping further away from the Champions League spots — they are already six points adrift of fourth-place Chelsea — have set alarm bells ringing.
What will not help Ten Hag’s case is his record at United in contrast to Emery at Villa, Postecoglou at Spurs and, to a lesser extent, the immediate impact made by Slot at Liverpool and Maresca at Chelsea.
Emery took charge at Villa Park less than two years ago, with the team he inherited from Steven Gerrard 15th in the Premier League, just three points above the relegation zone. Emery will celebrate the second anniversary of his appointment later this month with Villa playing in the Champions League.
Postecoglou took charge of Spurs at the start of last season with the team finishing eighth in the previous campaign and with the unenviable challenge of rebuilding without Harry Kane, who had left for Bayern. But Postecoglou, while not without some ups and downs, guided Spurs to a fifth-place finish last season and is now shaping a team with a post-Kane future.
Slot and Maresca have started incredibly well in their new jobs, putting Liverpool and Chelsea firmly in the title chase. Even Mauricio Pochettino, who left Chelsea in May after just a season in charge, delivered a higher finish than Ten Hag and gave Cole Palmer the platform to succeed at Stamford Bridge.
It shows that managers can have an instant impact if they have the skill set, personality and conviction to do so. Ten Hag certainly has the conviction that he is on the right track, but it is debatable that he has the skill set or the personality.
This is his team now. Six of the starting lineup against Tottenham, and all five of the substitutes used, were signed by Ten Hag, while youngsters Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo have become regulars under the Dutchman. They are his players, but there is none of the chemistry or understanding that Emery, Postecoglou, Slot and Maresca have developed in their teams. In contrast, United resemble a team of unhappy strangers.
After Sunday’s defeat, Ten Hag was once again defiant, saying that he doesn’t fear for his job and adding: “We are all in one boat together.” What Ten Hag failed to mention was that the boat is rudderless and is heading for an iceberg unless he can somehow turn it around. Time is running out.