After withering a turbulent season, Manchester United and Erik ten Hag delivered yet another FA Cup to the trophy cabinet at Old Trafford. Despite the injuries and the chaotic narratives peddled against the personnel within the club, Manchester United seem inevitable to win a trophy. A wise man once said – “this is football heritage.”
A nidus of criticism has been Erik ten Hag and his playing style or lack thereof. The Manchester United boss was brought into the club to impose a possession-heavy, dominant, and free-flowing style of football. He has done everything but that, and whilst the blame doesn’t solely rest with him, the buck stops with the manager at the end of the day. Ten Hag apologists will say that he doesn’t have the required players to implement his style of play despite spending more than £400 million across two summer transfer windows (more on this later).
Those defending ten Hag will also say that despite the money spent, the Dutch manager never had his best team out on the pitch as often as he’d like. Manchester United has suffered more injuries on separate occasions than any other club in the Premier League (45). The statistics below detail the injuries sustained by them and their rivals. Only one other club on this list has won a trophy this season, and that is Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
The Premier League team that suffered the most injuries this season has been revealed 🤕
Nobody suffered more separate injuries than Manchester United this campaign.#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/tQqDdNegdt
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 23, 2024
But the blessing in disguise of these injuries has been the minutes accrued by youngsters like Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho. Ten Hag has been credited with developing these youth academy players, and rightfully so. Both played a starring role in Manchester United’s FA Cup win over Manchester City.
There is also something to be said about making changes right now would be a backward step for Manchester United. INEOS have now taken control over the sporting responsibilities of the club and are adamant about getting the club back to where it belongs, which is at the very top. But Dan Ashworth is still not a done deal. Omar Berrada is still on his gardening leave. So, why change the manager before having the right personnel in the right positions of power?
However, the barrage of criticism coming ten Hag’s way has been warranted, especially with how he’s handled some of the high-profile names in the squad, like Casemiro and Jadon Sancho. For starters, ten Hag over Antony did not prefer Sancho. The manager exiled Sancho over a social media post for which he did not apologize, and the club released him on loan. But even before then, the manager preferred Antony over Sancho. Sancho did not prove he was worthy of the money the club spent on him, but he was certainly better than Antony. Yet, Erik ten Hag continued to pick Antony over the Englishman.
As far as Casemiro is concerned, the defensive midfielder is clearly on the wrong side of 30. He is not the player he once was and needs help. Tactically, ten Hag has done everything but mask Casemiro’s weakness: mobility. Going man-to-man cannot be your strategy when your team’s holding midfielder is not as mobile as he once used to be. Also, playing him as a centre-back over Willy Kambwala against Burnley was a shocking decision that proved fatal. Kambwala was good enough to start against Liverpool in the FA Cup but not against Burnley at home.
How does ten Hag’s Manchester United compare to their rivals?
One of the best ways to conclude a club’s or manager’s performance is to draw parallels with their rivals. Whilst this metric shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of the argument, it does serve as a reference point and puts things into perspective. This is where Erik ten Hag’s argument to continue as Manchester United manager develops robustness.
The name of the game is to win trophies. Erik ten Hag has two trophies as a Manchester United manager. Only Jose Mourinho can say that since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Despite all the clamour about Ten Hag’s style of play and his tactical shortcomings, he has delivered two trophies and reached three finals as Manchester United boss. This alone has earned him at least one more season at the helm.
Now, let’s look at their closest rivals, not named Manchester City and what they have done in the last two seasons (since Ten Hag took charge). Liverpool have won a single trophy in the last two seasons. Arsenal have won zero trophies since 2020 unless you want to count the FA Community Shield. Since the oil-rich Saudi investment, Newcastle United has one final to show for and zero trophies. Chelsea also has one final to show for this season under Mauricio Pochettino. But Pochettino has already parted ways with the club.
Financial management has often driven club success. So, financially, all these clubs match Manchester United in terms of player expenditure. Liverpool have spent more than £300 million. Arsenal have invested over £400 million. Newcastle United has spent £330 million, and Chelsea has worn out over a billion. Yet, none of them have tangible success to show for like Manchester United.
As aforementioned, the best way to identify a club and manager’s performance is to draw parallels to their rivals. Erik ten Hag wins this argument, so he must remain in charge for at least one more season at Manchester United.
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