Erik ten Hag is not a great manager

 At the moment of writing, Manchester United have just won the Carabao cup, their first trophy in 5 years - and everyone loses their mind. The fanbase went from hoping to get into the top 4 to booking their train tickets to Manchester to celebrate the quadruple. The hype is real and there is only one man who is responsible for the success — Erik ten Hag. The coaching mastermind from the Netherlands who came to the island and turned a miserable team into one which is bringing the glory days back. Even though the progress is undeniable, here are 3 reasons why Erik ten Hag is not a great manager.

Low expectations

Remember the days when people called David Moyes “the chosen one”? I do too. The impossible task to take over an organization which has just seen the greatest manager in history retire together with his right hand. Everyone was trolling United when they lost a game because no one was used to it. Everyone was just expecting things to continue as they were and any form of slip-up was considered below the standards of this great club. The pressure was massive, and the expectations were through the roof as if the club would get another Sir Alex to take the help for another 30 years.

In the summer of 2022, Erik ten Hag became the 8th manager in 9 years after the glory days. The reputation of the club had taken a big hit due to the unsuccessful run of seasons, the dressing room was in disarray following a questionable spell from a man who hadn’t been a manager for two years and the connection between the board and the fans was at an all-time low. Fans were not expecting miracles, they just wanted to not suffer as much as they have during the past couple of years.

When you put things into perspective, taking on a job where the fan base has been grounded due to years of preceding failure is a much more manageable task than taking over an organization spoiled for success over the past 25 years.

Change in personnel

Do you remember Ed Woodward? He used to take at least 3 transfer windows to get a player in. Also known as the guy who massively overpaid for players and awarded them huge contracts for no apparent reason. Over his tenure, there have been countless examples of stories where a player, the manager desperately wanted, had slipped away because United was “slow”, “unorganized” and “disrespectful in negotiation”.

There have also been just as many examples of players coming in lured by the big contracts, with no apparent emotional connection to the fans or the club history — Alexis Sanchez and Di Maria just to name a few.

Luckily for Erik, before his appointment as a manager, this person was replaced by a person who has established a way of working which is closer to what successful clubs are used to seeing.

In addition, the club has seen some highly negative figures like Paul Pogba, Lukaku etc. leave the club for their and the clubs’ sake. A much-needed fresh start for a club desperate for a breath of fresh air.

You could argue that there was no better timing to become a manager of this club.

Squad

I would argue that Casemiro and Varane are not the most important players for Erik ten Hag, but before I get into that, we cannot mention the two players who have 9 Champions leagues between them. Many years have passed, and I have grown up used to my father moaning about how United hasn’t properly replaced Roy Keane ever since he left. I am not comparing the two midfielders in their technical ability or aggression but rather the confidence that they instil around their teammates when they are on the pitch, a true leader. I was too young to properly watch and analyze his influence on the team, but going by my father’s words about him, Casemiro is as close as Roy Keane gets for United in modern football. It sounds funny in retrospect that the reds were about to sign Rabiot before snatching a last- second clutch signature of Casemiro — thank god for Rabiot's mother.

Pretty lucky if you ask me.

Varane was already in the squad when Erik joined so I will not talk too much about him.

But as I mentioned earlier, the two legends of the game are not even the most important players for the manager. But if not them, then who? It’s the two lads he brought from his days at Ajax — Licha and Antony. There is no better way to fight the unknown than with people whom you know you can count on. In Martinez and Antony, ten Hag has two individuals who are leaders on and off the pitch. People who set the standards and the mentality and exactly what the manager demands of his players — I am yet to see a game where one of them hasn’t started a fight. And the most important thing of all. There is no question who Martinez or Antony will choose if there is discontent in the ranks. Other players know that they can’t do or say whatever they want because Erik’s eyes and ears are among them.

That is a great position to be in as a manager of a team.

Conclusion

After discussing the above briefly, it is safe to say that Erik ten Hag has had it easy, and anyone would have succeeded in his position.

Or would he?

Not quite. Even if those things are true and there are certain advantages to the position he is in, compared to previous managers, it takes a massive personality to assume control of a club like Manchester United. He has had his fair share of important decisions that he had to make to keep this control. Do you remember when he made the team run 13 km in training and led the run? Or when he dropped his best performer Rashford for the game against Wolves because he overslept. And we also wouldn’t do him justice if we don’t praise him for how he dealt with the person who couldn’t accept that he is not as valuable as he once was. It takes big balls to make those calls, but they are the ones which put you in control.

All of this without mentioning his tactical depth and game management — a topic for another post.

There you have it, three reasons why Erik ten Hag is not as great as people make him, not yet. Do you agree? Or do you think he is already the pinnacle of the new generation of managers?