Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager

Robbie Boy

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Ah yes, saying there is room for improvement in attack is an anti Ten Hag agenda and I 'hate' him.

Not sure how you'll cope if I actually say something remotely bad about him. Probably sets an alarm off for you to burst into action.
Popping up in here screaming COUNTER ATTACKING after every bad performance is pretty agenda driven, yeah.

Having one post with one word after our first trophy in 6 years, and zero posts after beating Barca etc, kinda solidifies my beliefs. You were also absent from this thread after beating Betis - in a very convincing manner, I might add - and straight back after yesterday's game. This was after you were 'randomly' very active after the Liverpool game. Strange, strange coincidences.
 

Stadjer

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Popping up in here screaming COUNTER ATTACKING after every bad performance is pretty agenda driven, yeah.

Having one post with one word after our first trophy in 6 years, and zero posts after beating Barca etc, kinda solidifies my beliefs. You were also absent from this thread after beating Betis - in a very convincing manner, I might add - and straight back after yesterday's game. This was after you were 'randomly' very active after the Liverpool game. Strange, strange coincidences.
If the research is correct and you all sum it up like that it does look suspicious :lol:
 

Robbie Boy

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Gladly wrong on that one :lol:
Tbf, we all make mistakes, but it seems needlessly hyperbolic tbh.

I won't go quoting all your posts in here, but sheesh, all I'll say is there's a tone of negativity. I'm really not sure what you expected of ETH, after the nightmare fuel, that was last season.
 
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Marwood

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Yeah course we were at times.

When Bruno, Martial, Rashford and Greenwood were all firing for spells you don't think that was better than our current attack i.e. Rashford?

It's not ETH's fault as such but there are some really poor memory's in here if folk think our front line is better now than it was say for instance post lockdown.
 

Anustart89

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Found this very interesting. It's a good reminder of how much churn and rotation our team has actually had this season. A few key players, then a lot of minutes are spread amongst the squad.
Martial :lol:

Despite being a nailed on starter when fit he has fewer minutes than a guy who arrived late to pre-season, was suspended for refusing to come off the pitch as a sub and then kicked out of the club in November.
 

NLunited

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I wasn't really fond of ETH's lineup yday it looked a mess and all over the place. Bruno kept vacating his position leaving casemiro isolated by himself. I have an idea that could suit the team at the moment. From what I can remember ETH uses a 2-3-5 shape in posession. So why can't we do this:

Normal formation: (4231) DDG-- ||AWB/DALOT-VARANE-MARTINEZ-SHAW||--||CASEMIRO-SABITZER/MCTOM||--||BRUNO-FRED-RASHFORD--WEGHORST||

Attacking formation: (2-3-5) DDG-- ||VARANE-MARTINEZ--||SABITZER-CASEMIRO-FRED||--||SHAW-RASHFORD-WEGHORST-BRUNO-AWB/DALOT||

Defensive formation: (4-4-2) DDG-- ||DALOT-VARANE-MARTINEZ-SHAW||-- ||BRUNO-SABITZER-CASEMIRO-RASHFORD||--||WEGHORST-FRED||

Just to explain, in the normal formation we can keep the shape solid by having 3 CM's in middle with Fred as the CAM to provide the high press as he's adept at that. Bruno wide but ready to come inside.

In the attacking formation, because both our fullbacks are good at supporting overlaps, they can provide the width instead of two wingers or one winger doing that. So If you think less in terms of formations and more roles, this can allow rashford to dovetail with weghorst and come inside left to make to runs in the channels and be a nuisance to the CB/FB and keep weghorst doing his primary function which is to hold up the ball and link play which would be easir now as he has lot of options inside and outballs outside with the fullbacks. Bruno can come inside and retain this sort of "free" role by roaming BTL and coming deep to collect the ball of the CM's and he can do his thing and provide the creative spark. Then the 3 CM's in the middle can pack up the centre and act as a springboard for the attack, keep the shape and retain the ball. At the back is self-explanatory with varane and martinez.

In the defensive formation, you can take a leaf off pep's book by utilizing a 442 press keeping it nice and compact. By shifting bruno out wide out of possession you can limit his lack of defensive awareness, especially in the center and allow him to focus on a more simplified pressing scheme by pressing from wide areas and harrying the FB/cutting off wide passing lanes etc.. Bruno is v.good at pressing and is a willing presser if you utilize him correctly. Fred pressing alongside weghorst to make up for the lack of press urgency from weghorst is good.
Overall just allows the team's defensive scheme and plan to be just that more efficient.


Let me know if there are any questions!
4141 in defense and 316 in attack. I don‘t think Ten Hag needs your help btw.
 

JustinC00

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club just hung ETH out to dry not appealing the red after his comments i'm expecting him to get a match ban now.
 

Abraxas

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club just hung ETH out to dry not appealing the red after his comments i'm expecting him to get a match ban now.
Huh...this makes no sense. Ten Hag would be part of the decision making about appealing the red. He said he'd talk with the club and decide after the first time he got sent off.

Erik being pissed off with the refs and thinking it's a good idea to appeal are two separate ideas.
 

bosskeano

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can't appeal the red card....he would lose and possibly add on another game to that ban
 

maxtrash

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I really hope we'll just get top 4. Losing in Europe (after Betis though) and in the cup really doesn't matter.

If the injuries really get to us and we become 5th all hell breaks loose because we were spoiled in the middle of the season and we will see stories like ETH running them into the ground. That would be terrible for his long term credibility so let's really hope for the best!!!
 

DJ_21

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I really hope we'll just get top 4. Losing in Europe (after Betis though) and in the cup really doesn't matter.

If the injuries really get to us and we become 5th all hell breaks loose because we were spoiled in the middle of the season and we will see stories like ETH running them into the ground. That would be terrible for his long term credibility so let's really hope for the best!!!
If we get top 4 then it won’t matter getting knocked out of Europa. I think we have a massive chance of winning the FA though aswell as finishing 3rd. The only team to stop us in the FA cup would be city.
 

MonkeysMagic

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Even before ETH joined us, I was adamant that he would be a massive upgrade on Ole, and everything that has transpired this season reflects that.

He has improved most players in the squad but there is no escaping the fact that players remain at the club that just don't the quality or mental fortitude to elevate Utd to the next level. There is no shame in that and these players I'm sure will be moved on in the next couple transfer windows. Given the competitiveness of the league, ETH realises that in some games he has to take a pragmatic approach and play his best players most of the time due to drop off in quality is stark. We've already tasted success and with a bit of luck we may achieve some more but the team really needs focus and determination to not let the season fizzle out.
 

MUrphFC

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I love this guy. But recently he's surprised me a bit with his change of tone. He's starting to moan a bit more and I'm not sure why - maybe it's because results are slipping a bit and he's feeling the pressure?

He seemed to refuse to blame refs for anything up until the Southampton game and then he went in on them. Now he's gone and moaned about injuries and suspensions and randomly pointed out (wrongly) that Arsenal always have a fully fit squad available.

Do you think it's only a matter of time before he complains about fixture congestion? Something he's always refused to do, but I think the effect on the squad is clear to see for everyone now.

Anyway, I still love him and think he's a top manager, but I think I preferred the stoic, never-complaining Erik we were getting for most of the season up until now.
 

charlenefan

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I love this guy. But recently he's surprised me a bit with his change of tone. He's starting to moan a bit more and I'm not sure why - maybe it's because results are slipping a bit and he's feeling the pressure?

He seemed to refuse to blame refs for anything up until the Southampton game and then he went in on them. Now he's gone and moaned about injuries and suspensions and randomly pointed out (wrongly) that Arsenal always have a fully fit squad available.

Do you think it's only a matter of time before he complains about fixture congestion? Something he's always refused to do, but I think the effect on the squad is clear to see for everyone now.

Anyway, I still love him and think he's a top manager, but I think I preferred the stoic, never-complaining Erik we were getting for most of the season up until now.
It's about time he spoke out look at the absolute shite we've had to put up with this season

1- Ridiculous hand ball decision against Socidad leading to us finishing 2nd in the group and having to play 2 extra games against Barcelona no less
2- Andy Carroll puts Eriksen out for pretty much the remainder of the season and he didn't even get a red card for it
3 - Ridiculous red card for Casemiro against Palace while there was no punishment for any of their players one of which smacked Fred in the face
4- Another ridiculous red card for Casemiro against Southampton which leads to us dropping 2 points in a game where Garnacho is taken out for possibly the rest of the season and no red card for the offender

And I've genuinely lost count of all the clear pens we've been denied, goals wrongly disallowed and goals that should have been disallowed against us being allowed to stand (West Ham in the cup for example)

ETH needs to go full Klopp, Casemiro has had more red cards this season alone than the likes of Fernandinho, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara have got in all their years in the prem combined

It's nothing short of a fecking joke
 

mav_9me

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It's about time he spoke out look at the absolute shite we've had to put up with this season

1- Ridiculous hand ball decision against Socidad leading to us finishing 2nd in the group and having to play 2 extra games against Barcelona no less
2- Andy Carroll puts Eriksen out for pretty much the remainder of the season and he didn't even get a red card for it
3 - Ridiculous red card for Casemiro against Palace while there was no punishment for any of their players one of which smacked Fred in the face
4- Another ridiculous red card for Casemiro against Southampton which leads to us dropping 2 points in a game where Garnacho is taken out for possibly the rest of the season and no red card for the offender

And I've genuinely lost count of all the clear pens we've been denied, goals wrongly disallowed and goals that should have been disallowed against us being allowed to stand (West Ham in the cup for example)

ETH needs to go full Klopp, Casemiro has had more red cards this season alone than the likes of Fernandinho, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara have got in all their years in the prem combined

It's nothing short of a fecking joke
:eek::eek::eek:
That's fecked up.
 

Shimo

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Just saw the press conference; ETH has held his tongue most of the season but, we are in the business end of the season where any more bad calls can really impact us, being able to protect our players from harsh treatment, this has go to be the time to work the press. That he pointed out 4 penalties not given and VAR being so selective which cost us points needed to be called out. When so much was made of the Brentford goal against Arsenal and after that they seemed to have got favorable calls. Unlike on field refs that make decisions in an instant, it's clear that VAR officials bring a big a lot of subjectiveness to when they decide to review - hopefully we get a few calls to go our way but, more importantly, not let teams to hurt our players without consequence.
 

DRJosh

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The irony is that VAR was supposed to bring a bit more objectivity to refereeing (an extra pair of eyes) but it has ended up doing the opposite - forcing on-field officials to make quickfire reactive decisions to safe face. It’s poorly implemented and I do wonder what the quality standards are when it comes to VAR.
 

Rusholme Ruffian

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I won't go quoting all your posts in here, but sheesh, all I'll say is there's a tone of negativity. I'm really not sure what you expected of ETH, after the nightmare fuel, that was last season.
It's the tone of negativity combined with the absolute refusal to be critical of Ole even after 2 and half years of mediocrity. Plus persistent jumping on anyone that was even mildly critical of Ole. To then be negative and critical of ETH after a matter of months (or weeks where Martinez was concerned!) is absolutely evidence of an agenda. It's mad to me that some people cared more about Ole than they did the club!?
 

pascell

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Found this very interesting. It's a good reminder of how much churn and rotation our team has actually had this season. A few key players, then a lot of minutes are spread amongst the squad.
Ronaldo with more minutes than Martial, he hasn't been at the club for nearly three months and we still have people pining and making excuses for Martial.

We'll never move forward and challenge until we rid ourselves of players like Martial.
 

astracrazy

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I love this guy. But recently he's surprised me a bit with his change of tone. He's starting to moan a bit more and I'm not sure why - maybe it's because results are slipping a bit and he's feeling the pressure?

He seemed to refuse to blame refs for anything up until the Southampton game and then he went in on them. Now he's gone and moaned about injuries and suspensions and randomly pointed out (wrongly) that Arsenal always have a fully fit squad available.

Do you think it's only a matter of time before he complains about fixture congestion? Something he's always refused to do, but I think the effect on the squad is clear to see for everyone now.

Anyway, I still love him and think he's a top manager, but I think I preferred the stoic, never-complaining Erik we were getting for most of the season up until now.
He has complained a number of times about inconsistent refereeing, way before the Southampton game. He has every right to moan about injuries and suspensions, they have all come from poor ref performances. I'm just surprised it took this long.
 

Leftback99

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It's the tone of negativity combined with the absolute refusal to be critical of Ole even after 2 and half years of mediocrity. Plus persistent jumping on anyone that was even mildly critical of Ole. To then be negative and critical of ETH after a matter of months (or weeks where Martinez was concerned!) is absolutely evidence of an agenda. It's mad to me that some people cared more about Ole than they did the club!?
I mean you're accusing someone of having an 'agenda' when nearly every one of your posts is about Ole and none of mine are. He left 15 months ago and we now have a better manager, just let it go :lol:.
 

Forevergiggs1

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If ETH can get us firing and in a position to win trophies with no forward line to speak of (Rashford apart) just I imagine what he can do in a few transfer windows. People can voice doubts on some of his in game management but actually doubting him as a manager is ludicrous.

We've waited a long time for a manager of his ilk to come along and as an added bonus bringing along Martinez with him. How can people not be excited for the future?
 

Partridge

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If ETH can get us firing and in a position to win trophies with no forward line to speak of (Rashford apart) just I imagine what he can do in a few transfer windows. People can voice doubts on some of his in game management but actually doubting him as a manager is ludicrous.

We've waited a long time for a manager of his ilk to come along and as an added bonus bringing along Martinez with him. How can people not be excited for the future?
We all should be. I can finally see a manager who is super serious about getting the club where it belongs. Discipline, fitness, fire in the belly, personal improvement in players. I'm excited for the first time since 2013. Very excited.
 

Reddevildans

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Hes doing a fantastic job but there's still glaring issues in the team he hasn't fixed which I'm surprised with. Passing. We give away too many sloppy passes, especially in dangerous areas. We're also not composed enough on the ball though I believe that comes down to a lack of quality in midfield and missing eriksen.

We're also giving away too many easy chances. The first half they had a one vs one and cut us open too easily with one pass. That shouldn't happen but it's been happening frequently recently. Losing shape. We still look like a europa league team rather than a ucl team and until we get a midfielder who dictates the tempo we won't win the league. Big summer ahead.
 

Irwin99

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I know some people are worried about Rashford and Bruno experiencing fatigue but I think he's managed Varane and Shaw pretty well in picking their games, and they're obviously two players that have had issues with injuries throughout their careers.

If we win on Sunday we're going into the last part of the season with so much to play for. What a job he's doing.
 

marktan

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One major criticism - in a game where we're leading 4-1, he plays both Rashford and Bruno who've had no rest, for 70 minutes. It was a major weakness of Oles too, not rotating. Klopp and Conte have that weakness too.

SAF was a master at it, and Pep is excellent at rotating also with weekend and midweek games often having different attackers (with the caveat of a large attacking squad). But when you have an opportunity to rotate like tonight.. you have to take it. It will catch up to the team just like it did with Ole.
 

The holy trinity 68

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One major criticism - in a game where we're leading 4-1, he plays both Rashford and Bruno who've had no rest, for 70 minutes.
Rashford came off in minute 60, which was not long after his goal to definitely finish the tie. Bruno came off in minute 68 so I will give you that.

We only have one more game anyway, the one on Sunday, then there is no more United games for 2 weeks.
 

No Idea For Nickname

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One major criticism - in a game where we're leading 4-1, he plays both Rashford and Bruno who've had no rest, for 70 minutes. It was a major weakness of Oles too, not rotating. Klopp and Conte have that weakness too.

SAF was a master at it, and Pep is excellent at rotating also with weekend and midweek games often having different attackers (with the caveat of a large attacking squad). But when you have an opportunity to rotate like tonight.. you have to take it. It will catch up to the team just like it did with Ole.
Tell me, who would you play instead? Garnacho, Martial, Eriksen injured, Antony ill. Sabitzer came back from injury.
Sancho? Elanga? McT?
One of the kids?
Word rotating mentioned here like we have squad like Pep has.
 

united_99

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Tell me, who would you play instead? Garnacho, Martial, Eriksen injured, Antony ill. Sabitzer came back from injury.
Sancho? Elanga? McT?
One of the kids?
Word rotating mentioned here like we have squad like Pep has.
Why not? McT and Sancho could have started instead of Bruno and Rashford. I mean when else if not after a 4-1 first leg win against Betis?
We do look toothless without Bruno and Rashford so I get it that ETH wants to use them all the time, but these two players definitely need more rest than they’ve had so far.
 

Rightnr

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Sancho comes on, looks like a pub player and people whine about not resting our starters. There's no replacements
 

Olecurls99

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I know some people are worried about Rashford and Bruno experiencing fatigue but I think he's managed Varane and Shaw pretty well in picking their games, and they're obviously two players that have had issues with injuries throughout their careers.

If we win on Sunday we're going into the last part of the season with so much to play for. What a job he's doing.
Not positive enough Irwin99.

Now get out
 

Rightnr

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Single-handedly jinxed Arsenal out of the Europa League and they got two injuries.