Walkers along the banks of the Thames behind Craven Cottage, Fulham’s stadium, could not miss the cry of alarm from Manchester United supporters. „Attack, attack, attack”, it sounded. Trainer Erik ten Hag continued to stare sullenly into space along the line, but must have understood the message. The fans are running out of patience with his team’s unimaginative style of play.
„Play like you mean it“, was written in black marker on a cardboard sign from a fan in the away section. Play like you mean it – the lyrics succinctly summarized the current malaise at the club. Players gave the impression that they no longer wanted to listen to Ten Hag’s orders, as if they were longing for his departure. The trainer is presented with the bill for his policy a year and a half after his appointment.
His blind faith in a solid core of players almost caused him to lose points again on Saturday in London. The Brazilian Antony, acquired from Ajax for around 100 million euros, was given a starting place again. Until his substitution after more than an hour, the attacker mainly functioned as a disruptor. He often surrendered the ball, did not defend and left opponents untouched.
His replacement, Facundo Pellistri (21), saved Ten Hag. Thanks to the eagerness of the Uruguayan, captain Bruno Fernandes was able to score the only goal of the game in injury time. The competition victory gives Ten Hag some relief, but the sporting crisis should force him to self-reflect. The fact that he keeps a hand on players like Antony is one of the reasons for the current malaise.
Loyalty to the attacker, accused of abuse by several women, conflicts with his principled approach. Ten Hag impressed in Manchester by not giving Cristiano Ronaldo any space last season. The management terminated the contract with the Portuguese after an unsanctioned interview in which he called Ten Hag a liar. After his departure, Manchester United won the League Cup, their first prize in six years.
Ten Hag was taunted by Jadon Sancho with an accusation on social media a few months ago. The coach reacted unrelentingly and removed the Englishman from the squad when his demand for a public apology was not met. Marcus Rashford was on the bench against Fulham on Saturday. Officially, the striker was suffering from a muscle injury, but his reserve role followed partying in a nightclub last Sunday, after the lost derby against Manchester City (0-3).
Unrest in the locker room
Tightening the reins was one of Ten Hag’s assignments upon his appointment in 2022. A lack of discipline had made the work of his predecessors impossible. One of Ten Hag’s first acts was to have his team run fourteen kilometers on a day off after a 4-0 defeat to Brentford. This strict approach lost its impact last summer. In addition, failed attempts to sell players caused unrest in the dressing room.
Ten Hag stripped Harry Maguire of the captaincy and barely let him play in the preparation. A transfer to West Ham United came to nothing. Maguire stayed, as did Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial. Hard evidence is lacking, but their stay was accompanied by an implosion of results. Of the sixteen official matches this season, Manchester United lost eight. A wave of injuries among defenders such as Lisandro Marténez, Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane did not help.
What makes the situation dire is that most of Ten Hag’s purchases fail. He was given a lot of power over technical policy than predecessors such as José Mourinho and Louis van Gaal. His intercession included Antony, Martínez, Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and André Onana; In total, Ten Hag invested approximately 500 million euros in three transfer periods. Manchester United is therefore shaped according to his ideas. The fact that most signings also played under him in the Eredivisie raised eyebrows. The involvement of football brokerage firm SEG, where Ten Hag himself is a client, led to critical comments in the British media.
His tactical decisions, previously often praised, increasingly surprise. United hired Sergio Reguilón from Tottenham Hotspur to temporarily act as left back, but Ten Hag barely plays him. He even chose midfielder Sofyan Amrabat there once, and last week he placed central defender Victor Lindelöf there.
A vision is missing
The coach who led Ajax to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019 gives the impression of having lost faith in the qualities of his team. There is no vision or sketch of your own way of playing. Goalkeeper Onana, attracted for his ability to support the build-up with clean passes, mainly shoots the ball forward with a long stroke.
Ten Hag relies on the individual qualities of some favorite players, but they are either injured or out of shape. Rashford, who scored thirty goals last season, is struggling with himself. Spaniard Casemiro can no longer keep up the pace in midfield, and the influence of Portuguese captain Fernandes is waning.
Ten Hag’s angular way of communicating doesn’t make things any better. His poor English would often lead to confusion in the dressing room. Despite this, the players are not abandoning him completely. Saturday’s victory over Fulham was a small boost for Manchester United after the debacle at Old Trafford in the League Cup against Newcastle United (0-3) earlier in the week.
However, Ten Hag’s position is not said to be in immediate danger, partly due to the upcoming sale of a quarter of the club to billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. The Glazer family, who have owned United since 2005, do not want to make any major changes before this deal is completed. The club can hardly afford a possible severance package at the moment.
However, Ten Hag’s credit is increasingly eroding. The fans gave him a serious signal at Craven Cottage: a Manchester United coach who hears ‘attack’ is close to saying goodbye.