Erik ten Hag’s career at Manchester United is under scrutiny after a disappointing FA Cup semi-final performance.
Erik ten Hag is pleased to have reached the FA Cup final for the second consecutive season. But it won’t mean much if Manchester United loses the final to City again.
Currently, there is a lot of reflection on the team handing away a three-goal lead against Coventry City.
Manager Erik ten Hag is under intense criticism, and the team’s collapse hasn’t helped matters. Gary Neville feels his job will be secure if he wins the final, but this is definitely a huge if.
Erik ten Hag ‘on trial’
Manchester United’s technical director, Jason Wilcox, attended Wembley with the Ineos senior team, which included Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford.
The Telegraph reports that Erik ten Hag is basically ‘on trial’ between now and the conclusion of the season, with Wilcox making a judgement based on what he discovers over the next month.
The manager has dealt with injury challenges throughout the season, but there are serious concerns about his tactics, with the squad being overly open from the start of the season till now.
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says Ten Hag made a crucial error in not adjusting the team’s approach.
Erik Ten Hag’s Error
Rio Ferdinand told Five that Erik ten Hag should have adopted a more defensive strategy and taken a realistic approach to dealing with the prolonged injury issue.
He stated if Ten Hag had done this, fans and the media would have been more sympathetic, and he accepted that he is dealing with tough conditions.
He stated: “If he had set up to become a counter-attacking team and claimed, ‘We’ve had too many injuries and can’t play any other way,’ he would have almost certainly been assured his job the next year.
“We wouldn’t have been as open, wouldn’t have conceded as many shots, and wouldn’t have lost as many games I’m sure, but its difficult.”
In some aspects, Ten Hag can be applauded for adhering to his ideals, yet his favoured style is overly risky, surrendering an excessive amount of shots every game, and is difficult to watch week after week.
Adopting a completely defensive strategy would have also drawn criticism, particularly if he had done so against lower league opponents like Coventry, but a more strict defensive framework is unquestionably required.
This season, United has been an easy opponent. Some of this is the fault of the players and the badly formed team, which has been plagued by injuries, while others are the responsibility of the management.
It is too late to expect him to adjust his style in the last month of the season.
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