Sport
Ten Hag is deluded if he believes his comments on Man Utd
Erik ten Hag hasn’t been short of interesting things to say recently. Under pressure as Manchester United’s season has fallen apart, the Dutchman has cut an increasingly desperate figure with some of his comments. Most recently, he called criticism of his team “embarrassing” and “a disgrace.”
It might be the case that ten Hag is defending himself so strongly out of fear that his job is under threat. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are making sweeping changes at Old Trafford and that could include the hiring of a new manager this summer. Ten Hag wasn’t their appointment and so a change in the dugout could be made.
If, however, ten Hag believes the words coming out of his own mouth, he has lost his grip on reality. Manchester United have struggled badly all season and that is ultimately reflected in their lowly league position which could see them miss out on European qualification altogether. The table doesn’t lie no matter what ten Hag says.
The Dutchman told Ratcliffe and INEOS earlier this month not to disrupt his process. “I think you need to follow the process,” he said in a press conference. “We have good young players coming through. They are developing very well in their progress. We are in a good way, a good direction and we need to make the next steps. Don’t interrupt this process.
What that process is, though, is impossible to tell. Manchester United play with no discernible identity. While ten Hag was originally hired to implement a modern, possession-heavy approach, there has been no sign of that, even going back to last season when United finished third by generally playing a transition game.
Ten Hag made tactical compromises in order to achieve immediate results, but has failed to progress Manchester United beyond that point. In fact, United have badly regressed this season while others around them have made strides forward. They have already matched their worst-ever tally for the most defeats (12) in a Premier League season.
Time and time again, ten Hag has insisted Manchester United are playing well when the reality has been very different. He claimed “small margins” decided March’s Manchester Derby which Manchester City dominated, winning 3-1 with 73% possession and 27 shots to United’s paltry three.
No team has conceded more shots than Manchester United in the Premier League since the turn of the year, but ten Hag has labelled the focus on this statistic “ridiculous.” He has also demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of how probability works by dismissing just how damaging this record is. “As long as we get results, no,” ten Hag when asked if he is concerned.
At the other end of the pitch, ten Hag has had some similarly deluded things to say. “We are one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league at this moment,” he claimed after being pressed on Manchester United’s lack of attacking impetuous. “We are creating loads of chances by playing good football.”
The statistics don’t back up ten Hag’s point. In fact, they make the contrary argument. United are ranked 18th in Non-Penalty Expected Goals (xG) for April and 11th for Big Chances Created in the same month. Ten Hag’s team are easy to play against on both the attacking and defensive side of the ball.
Manchester United are at a crossroads following the recent investment by Ratcliffe and INEOS. There is already talk of a squad overhaul in the transfer market while Gareth Southgate and Graham Potter have been linked with the manager’s position. Ten Hag is auditioning for his own job and is failing to make a case for himself, on and off the pitch.
