Erik ten Hag vs Sancho

[Stobzilla]

Can the thread be renamed to "Sancho Vs. Sancho" ?

 

[henrysquire]

He has to go in January. What a weak mentality from him. The fact he's thinks he's a scapegoat is laughable, he's been given numerous chances. Is he really going home from games thinking 'Yeah I've done well there'. He's been nothing sort of shocking apart from a few games and rather than prove himself and turn it round he's just thrown in the towel.

And who's advising him - to basically go on strike and put out that statement? Are they not sitting him down saying 'You cost the club £70m, they've put a lot of faith in you, allowed you time off etc but you haven't really performed, you need to do better'.

This. Some players appall me. Take some responsibility and work harder. Earn the money the club has invested in you rather than taking it for granted. Same applies to Rashford.

 

[crossy1686]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

So you’re unable to separate yourself from a guy you think is so much worse than you and then expect sympathy from anyone? C'mon

Someone of his supposed caliber would've been expected to outplay and outgraft those in the way of a starting spot instead of throwing in the towel and crying to the press...

Imagine not being good enough to dislodge a guy you think is shit? Is this the reason why he insisted he wants to play on the left instead? Because he thinks he can get selected over Rashford and Garnacho? If he reflected on the situation for more than a second he'd realise how much of a dickhead he looks and sounds.

 

[Cassidy]

Maybe he wasn't deluded enough to believe he was going to get any game time over Rashford and Garnacho.

But he did, especially ahead of Garnacho when Rashford was moved to CF, Sancho was just rubbish and rightly dropped

 

[STYLOISRED]

I said it the day this began - this ends with one of them leaving. However, January is still months away, and it remains to be seen who it will be.

Unless it's both.

Sancho CANNOT remain a man utd player no matter the manager. No player should have a way back into the team after trying to undermine the manager. It sets a dangerous precedent.

 

[Zehner]

Will probably get much stick for it but anyway: I think most of the takes in this thread are very definitive although it not really known what happens. Most back up Ten Hag in this situation completely and I can't agree with that.

Some suggest Ten Hag's comment on Sancho's absence is a non issue but even if you ignore that the player suggests that's only the tip of the iceberg, every leadership expert I've ever met will confirm that this is a horrible way of handling the situation. Feedback is best provided under four eyes and if you absolutely have to criticize somebody in front of an audience (let alone one that spans millions of viewers worldwide) you have to do it with care. And that's not even considering that even such a seemingly minor comment will probably cause hundreds of Social Media degenerates to throw insults and threats in Sancho's direction - a 23 year old who was the target of racial discrimination not too long ago and was sidelined by "physical and mental issues" in Ten Hag's own words. Sancho's own conduct aside, I struggle to understand how anybody can think that Ten Hag managed this correctly. There's a reason you rarely if ever hear a coach or another executive say stuff like this about players. And bad training attitude or lack of motivation isn't uncommon even at top clubs, just that stuff like this isn't dealt with in public normally. Even if that means making up an illness or some other reason for the absence of a sanctioned player.

And then there's also Sancho's accusation of being treated unfairly. Of course Sancho has a history of being difficult (albeit nothing even remotely comparable to this has happened so far) so you can't take his claims at face value but that doesn't mean he can't be a scapegoat either. We know very little about his "sabbatical" or the nature of the "mental issues" but this goes both ways - I wonder how anybody can rule out completely that Ten Hag has his favorites. As if this is unheard of from coaches. As if he's not generally in a conflict of interest when he demands certain players for huge money and then benches them. Now, I'm not saying that he definitely does. I'm only saying that based on the currently available information, there's no way of telling it.

That doesn't mean I think Sancho conducted himself correctly by the way. It was definitely stupid and immature behaviour. But Ten Hag is the one in a leadership position. At the very least, this public feedback was very clumsy and unprofessional and he should know better than this. And the insistence on an apology is also a bit vane if you ask me.

 

[saivet]

Sancho is in idiot and wrong in this whole shtick. But what he said about Antony being ETH golden child is true as well. Antony has been largely shite which is similar to Sancho but you'll bet your house on it if Antony available he'll get picked ahead of everyone. Shite overpaid player and alleged woman beater too but hey ho he'll help the defensive shape.

Even if true, it doesn't really matter. Sancho hasn't performed at a level where he can't be dropped. Managers having favourites, rightly or wrongly is just part of the game he and fans have to accept. If I sanctioned a £90m move for a RW, I'd probably back him more than the previous guy.

If Sancho can't handle that situation then he's not one to thrive with serious competition.

 

[Ubik]

Sancho is in idiot and wrong in this whole shtick. But what he said about Antony being ETH golden child is true as well. Antony has been largely shite which is similar to Sancho but you'll bet your house on it if Antony available he'll get picked ahead of everyone. Shite overpaid player and alleged woman beater too but hey ho he'll help the defensive shape.

Antony played 120 minutes more than him in the league last year, despite Sancho not being available for 3 months.

 

[Taribo's Gap]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

So you’re unable to separate yourself from a guy you think is so much worse than you and then expect sympathy from anyone? C'mon

Someone of his supposed caliber would've been expected to outplay and outgraft those in the way of a starting spot instead of throwing in the towel and crying to the press...

I really hope the "how many mistakes he makes" part is not alluding Antony's off field issues as part of a cynical ploy by Sancho to dredge that up again and gain leverage in a public opinion battle with ETH. That would be quite nasty, if so.

 

[NotQuiteManc]

The thing is, Sancho didn't even perform anywhere near well/good when he was chosen to play, be it as a starter or subs.

If, let's say, he took the games where he played like Garnacho for example, with energy, enthusiasm and eagerness to impress, I would probably give him more time but in this case he just looks like an idiot.

 

[Judas]

Antony delivers what the manager wants and probably trains better, and plays in position Sancho has refused to play if talk is to be believed. It’s shite, the bloke is an embarrassment.

 

[Winrar]

Will probably get much stick for it but anyway: I think most of the takes in this thread are very definitive although it not really known what happens. Most back up Ten Hag in this situation completely and I can't agree with that.

Some suggest Ten Hag's comment on Sancho's absence is a non issue but even if you ignore that the player suggests that's only the tip of the iceberg, every leadership expert I've ever met will confirm that this is a horrible way of handling the situation. Feedback is best provided under four eyes and if you absolutely have to criticize somebody in front of an audience (let alone one that spans millions of viewers worldwide) you have to do it with care. And that's not even considering that even such a seemingly minor comment will probably cause hundreds of Social Media degenerates to throw insults and threats in Sancho's direction - a 23 year old who was the target of racial discrimination not too long ago and was sidelined by "physical and mental issues" in Ten Hag's own words. Sancho's own conduct aside, I struggle to understand how anybody can think that Ten Hag managed this correctly. There's a reason you rarely if ever hear a coach or another executive say stuff like this about players. And bad training attitude or lack of motivation isn't uncommon even at top clubs, just that stuff like this isn't dealt with in public normally. Even if that means making up an illness or some other reason for the absence of a sanctioned player.

And then there's also Sancho's accusation of being treated unfairly. Of course Sancho has a history of being difficult (albeit nothing even remotely comparable to this has happened so far) so you can't take his claims at face value but that doesn't mean he can't be a scapegoat either. We know very little about his "sabbatical" or the nature of the "mental issues" but this goes both ways - I wonder how anybody can rule out completely that Ten Hag has his favorites. As if this is unheard of from coaches. As if he's not generally in a conflict of interest when he demands certain players for huge money and then benches them. Now, I'm not saying that he definitely does. I'm only saying that based on the currently available information, there's no way of telling it.

That doesn't mean I think Sancho conducted himself correctly by the way. It was definitely stupid and immature behaviour. But Ten Hag is the one in a leadership position. At the very least, this public feedback was very clumsy and unprofessional and he should know better than this. And the insistence on an apology is also a bit vane if you ask me.

ETH’s statement that made Sancho publicly come out against him was such a nothingburger. ETH has plenty of issues but this isn’t one of them.

 

[sincher]

What about casting a player out because of something he posted on twitter, then. Good management?

 

[Remember the geese]

But he did, especially ahead of Garnacho when Rashford was moved to CF, Sancho was just rubbish and rightly dropped

So what is his issue with Antony then? Sancho has proven to be not good enough regardless of whether he plays on the left or right. If anything, he's been a fortunate beneficiary of Mason Greenwood's downfall because there was no contest between the two of them.

 

[Reapersoul20]

What about casting a player out because of something he posted on twitter, then. Good management?

Depends what they posted. If it was "do u want picking up in the morning pal?" then it's probably harsh. If it's "ETH is a cockwomble" then probably fair.

 

[Krakenzero]

So many management experts around here and I still haven't seen a possible better response to the question on the press conference.

Maybe he could have tried moving him into his preferred position as a LW. Or maybe he could have given him a couple of months to sort his head out before getting him back on the squad. Of course, he already tried both before.

 

[Rolaholic]

What about casting a player out because of something he posted on twitter, then. Good management?

Said player was already cast out ahead of a big match against Arsenal for his behavior in training prior...

Him being out of the team had feck all to do with Twitter. Subsequently publicly insinuating that your boss is lying or being dishonest while already being on thin ice was also something most bosses wouldn't let fly either

 

[stefan92]

Will probably get much stick for it but anyway: I think most of the takes in this thread are very definitive although it not really known what happens. Most back up Ten Hag in this situation completely and I can't agree with that.

Some suggest Ten Hag's comment on Sancho's absence is a non issue but even if you ignore that the player suggests that's only the tip of the iceberg, every leadership expert I've ever met will confirm that this is a horrible way of handling the situation. Feedback is best provided under four eyes and if you absolutely have to criticize somebody in front of an audience (let alone one that spans millions of viewers worldwide) you have to do it with care. And that's not even considering that even such a seemingly minor comment will probably cause hundreds of Social Media degenerates to throw insults and threats in Sancho's direction - a 23 year old who was the target of racial discrimination not too long ago and was sidelined by "physical and mental issues" in Ten Hag's own words. Sancho's own conduct aside, I struggle to understand how anybody can think that Ten Hag managed this correctly. There's a reason you rarely if ever hear a coach or another executive say stuff like this about players. And bad training attitude or lack of motivation isn't uncommon even at top clubs, just that stuff like this isn't dealt with in public normally. Even if that means making up an illness or some other reason for the absence of a sanctioned player.

And then there's also Sancho's accusation of being treated unfairly. Of course Sancho has a history of being difficult (albeit nothing even remotely comparable to this has happened so far) so you can't take his claims at face value but that doesn't mean he can't be a scapegoat either. We know very little about his "sabbatical" or the nature of the "mental issues" but this goes both ways - I wonder how anybody can rule out completely that Ten Hag has his favorites. As if this is unheard of from coaches. As if he's not generally in a conflict of interest when he demands certain players for huge money and then benches them. Now, I'm not saying that he definitely does. I'm only saying that based on the currently available information, there's no way of telling it.

That doesn't mean I think Sancho conducted himself correctly by the way. It was definitely stupid and immature behaviour. But Ten Hag is the one in a leadership position. At the very least, this public feedback was very clumsy and unprofessional and he should know better than this. And the insistence on an apology is also a bit vane if you ask me.

But EtH did not criticise Sancho, he just said that the training performances were the reason to decide. He even explicitly made clear that this is not about disciplinary action for something (unlike the time he left Rashford out due to being late, which was also publicly stated and didn't cause further trouble).

So please answer that: what could EtH have said about his squad selection that would have been better and not hurt Sancho's feelings AND would not hurt the feelings of the player selected instead?

 

[tomaldinho1]

Will probably get much stick for it but anyway: I think most of the takes in this thread are very definitive although it not really known what happens. Most back up Ten Hag in this situation completely and I can't agree with that.

Some suggest Ten Hag's comment on Sancho's absence is a non issue but even if you ignore that the player suggests that's only the tip of the iceberg, every leadership expert I've ever met will confirm that this is a horrible way of handling the situation. Feedback is best provided under four eyes and if you absolutely have to criticize somebody in front of an audience (let alone one that spans millions of viewers worldwide) you have to do it with care. And that's not even considering that even such a seemingly minor comment will probably cause hundreds of Social Media degenerates to throw insults and threats in Sancho's direction - a 23 year old who was the target of racial discrimination not too long ago and was sidelined by "physical and mental issues" in Ten Hag's own words. Sancho's own conduct aside, I struggle to understand how anybody can think that Ten Hag managed this correctly. There's a reason you rarely if ever hear a coach or another executive say stuff like this about players. And bad training attitude or lack of motivation isn't uncommon even at top clubs, just that stuff like this isn't dealt with in public normally. Even if that means making up an illness or some other reason for the absence of a sanctioned player.

And then there's also Sancho's accusation of being treated unfairly. Of course Sancho has a history of being difficult (albeit nothing even remotely comparable to this has happened so far) so you can't take his claims at face value but that doesn't mean he can't be a scapegoat either. We know very little about his "sabbatical" or the nature of the "mental issues" but this goes both ways - I wonder how anybody can rule out completely that Ten Hag has his favorites. As if this is unheard of from coaches. As if he's not generally in a conflict of interest when he demands certain players for huge money and then benches them. Now, I'm not saying that he definitely does. I'm only saying that based on the currently available information, there's no way of telling it.

That doesn't mean I think Sancho conducted himself correctly by the way. It was definitely stupid and immature behaviour. But Ten Hag is the one in a leadership position. At the very least, this public feedback was very clumsy and unprofessional and he should know better than this. And the insistence on an apology is also a bit vane if you ask me.

I know you love Sancho but surely you can accept he's at fault here?

Ten Hag said he wasn't picked based on training performances, literally nothing else. He's been woeful for us, dreadful, and Antony for his flaws is the better option. I had massive expectations for Sancho, there's a such a good player hiding in there somewhere, but there's nothing wrong with what ETH said. That's without factoring in ETH seems to have been very protective of him previously and allowed him liberties most players don't get, albeit we don't know the full details.

 

[Zehner]

But EtH did not criticise Sancho, he just said that the training performances were the reason to decide. He even explicitly made clear that this is not about disciplinary action for something (unlike the time he left Rashford out due to being late, which was also publicly stated and didn't cause further trouble).

So please answer that: what could EtH have said about his squad selection that would have been better and not hurt Sancho's feelings AND would not hurt the feelings of the player selected instead?

Assuming it was really not disciplinary and Ten Hag thought that a 19 year old with one first team appearance could be of greater help than Sancho, he could have said that said player's training performances were really good and he wanted to reward him for his efforts. Direct the attention away from him, not criticize him directly. But I guess the modus operandi in such situations is rather to talk to the player in private, tell him you're disappointed with his performances and then invent a cold or a pulled muscle or something like this to avoid the media circus.

I mean, put yourself in Ten Hag's shoes. You're the coach of one of the most followed teams on the planet, one of your young players is under enormous pressure since he's not living up to the expectations, he's been subject to racial abuse and cyber mobbing recently and you yourself said that he has mental issues not too long ago. Then he shows up unmotivated to training after not being picked for the starting line up. You decide to leave him out of the team on the weekend, tell him the news and understand he thinks you treat him unfairly. Would you really criticize his training performances infront of millions (and yes, saying somebody was left out because he trained bad is at least indirect criticism), knowing fully well that he disagrees and will be put under lots of pressure, probably receive a few more hate messages on social media?

I know you think I'm only saying this because of my sympathies for Sancho but I honestly don't get how anybody can think that Ten Hag couldn't have handled this better. Do you think that is how somebody like Ancelotti or Klopp would have answered? Or Guardiola who never says a bad word about one of his players publicly?

 

[mu4c_20le]

That doesn't mean I think Sancho conducted himself correctly by the way. It was definitely stupid and immature behaviour. But Ten Hag is the one in a leadership position. At the very least, this public feedback was very clumsy and unprofessional and he should know better than this. And the insistence on an apology is also a bit vane if you ask me.

Agree with this. I don't see black and white here and both could/should have done better. But like you said, Ten Hag is the leader here and he fumbled the incident. It should never have gotten so out of hand that Arnold and Murtough had to get involved.

 

[Zehner]

I know you love Sancho but surely you can accept he's at fault here?

Ten Hag said he wasn't picked based on training performances, literally nothing else. He's been woeful for us, dreadful, and Antony for his flaws is the better option. I had massive expectations for Sancho, there's a such a good player hiding in there somewhere, but there's nothing wrong with what ETH said. That's without factoring in ETH seems to have been very protective of him previously and allowed him liberties most players don't get, albeit we don't know the full details.

I think Sancho's response is immature and helps nobody. That doesn't mean that Ten Hag said nothing wrong, though. Whether or not he's guilty of favoritism, I can't say, nor do I know if Sancho's training performances were bad. But even assuming Ten Hag rightfully picks other players over Sancho and that Sancho lacks self reflection and is making a fuss out of nothing (basically assuming the best from Ten Hag and the worst from Sancho), I think Ten Hag showed bad leadership in this situation and should do better.

Anyway, you could also sum it up the other way round and say that even if Sancho is fully right and Ten Hag treats him poorly, his reaction is childish. But Ten Hag is not only the older one, he is also the one trusted with managing a team and the characters in there and thus should be held to higher standards.

 

[Remember the geese]

Ten Hag has done nothing wrong. 100% on Sancho. Waste of space.

 

[Taribo's Gap]

But EtH did not criticise Sancho, he just said that the training performances were the reason to decide. He even explicitly made clear that this is not about disciplinary action for something (unlike the time he left Rashford out due to being late, which was also publicly stated and didn't cause further trouble).

So please answer that: what could EtH have said about his squad selection that would have been better and not hurt Sancho's feelings AND would not hurt the feelings of the player selected instead?

ETH could have just said that it was merely a tactical decision and emphasized the good qualities of players in the squad that he hoped to utilize to win the match, as opposed to shining a light on Jadon's deficiencies. It's still BS, but perhaps might have avoided all of the furor.

Edit: If it' true this happened right after a bust up between them, he could have even sprinkled in some more BS about "Jadon had a really good preseason blah blah, but we thought XYZ traits from XYZ player would give us the best chance this game." Then when he saw him later, be slightly rougher give him the "Look kid, I'm not out to get you, but I need to see XYZ from you, you little punk." Obviously, I don't know the whole dynamic between them and don't know what he's already tried with Jadon.

 

[Salford_Red83]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

So you’re unable to separate yourself from a guy you think is so much worse than you and then expect sympathy from anyone? C'mon

Someone of his supposed caliber would've been expected to outplay and outgraft those in the way of a starting spot instead of throwing in the towel and crying to the press...

I dunno Jadon, how many chances do YOU expect?

You can't keep underperforming the way you have and expect not to get dropped. Work hard, up your game and give the manager a decision to make.
But you won't, so be quiet.

 

[Irwin99]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

So you’re unable to separate yourself from a guy you think is so much worse than you and then expect sympathy from anyone? C'mon

Someone of his supposed caliber would've been expected to outplay and outgraft those in the way of a starting spot instead of throwing in the towel and crying to the press...

It can be reduced to the simplest explanation when you consider that both have a VERY similar and very poor return of goals and assists. One of these two players actually runs and works hard for the team. The other does not so he doesn't get picked. I don't get why this is so hard for Sancho or other people to understand. It's very basic stuff.

 

[Maticmaker]

Playing in his natural position and with his natural pace, within the right team style, with the right players around him; Sancho has shown in Germany that he can be devastating.
The problem is for the time being he has to play where he doesn't want to, also the current support play and team style don't suit his talents; he doesn't have like minded players around him and the pace of the game is different and the contact more physical.So what can he do about it?

For a start he can stop pi**ing the manager off, take a look at how his skills can be best utilized and feedback to the manager in a positive vein on how his role might be adapted. It's possible in twelve months time Sancho's 'skill set' will be just what we need when ETH has finished his 're-vamp'.
Jadon must mature and fast; he cannot continue to sulk like a schoolboy, scoot off to his room and spend hours staring at and playing computer games till all hours. If he continues to be part of 'the problem' rather than looking to be part of 'the solution' his career will be set on a trajectory it will be very difficult to change.

 

[stefan92]

Assuming it was really not disciplinary and Ten Hag thought that a 19 year old with one first team appearance could be of greater help than Sancho, he could have said that said player's training performances were really good and he wanted to reward him for his efforts. Direct the attention away from him, not criticize him directly. But I guess the modus operandi in such situations is rather to talk to the player in private, tell him you're disappointed with his performances and then invent a cold or a pulled muscle or something like this to avoid the media circus.

I get the idea behind this, but inventing an injury means saying that the replacement isn't in the squad because he earned it, but just to fill in. That's why I don't accept your response as not hurting his feelings.

I mean, put yourself in Ten Hag's shoes. You're the coach of one of the most followed teams on the planet, one of your young players

Sancho has played six full seasons of senior level football, while he isn't old, he is not an unexperienced youngster who has to get accustomed to professional football.

Garnacho or Pellistri are young players, Sancho isn't.

 

[AshRK]

I think Sancho's response is immature and helps nobody. That doesn't mean that Ten Hag said nothing wrong, though. Whether or not he's guilty of favoritism, I can't say, nor do I know if Sancho's training performances were bad. But even assuming Ten Hag rightfully picks other players over Sancho and that Sancho lacks self reflection and is making a fuss out of nothing (basically assuming the best from Ten Hag and the worst from Sancho), I think Ten Hag showed bad leadership in this situation and should do better.

Anyway, you could also sum it up the other way round and say that even if Sancho is fully right and Ten Hag treats him poorly, his reaction is childish. But Ten Hag is not only the older one, he is also the one trusted with managing a team and the characters in there and thus should be held to higher standards.

Curious to know what should he have done differently. Just tell sancho "fine come back to the team".

I still don't understand Why should sancho get a special preference for his petulant behavior ? Also, ETH didn't even abuse or berate or bash or troll or whatever other adjectives him.

 

[GreatDane]

...Do you think that is how somebody like Ancelotti or Klopp would have answered? Or Guardiola who never says a bad word about one of his players publicly?

This is simply not true.

 

[redcucumber]

I honestly don't get how anybody can think that Ten Hag couldn't have handled this better. Do you think that is how somebody like Ancelotti or Klopp would have answered? Or Guardiola who never says a bad word about one of his players publicly?

Er, what?! Pep has called out his players loads of times. He directly called out KdB and Walker publicly last year. Walker even gave an interview about how it hurt but that it also motivated him to kick on and better his game. Loads of managers publicly challenge their players when necessary, especially the very best.

 

[redcucumber]

This is simply not true.

Glad I wasn't the only one that was confused by that comment.

 

[gaffs]

I knew Anthony would be part of the issue.

I mean, you have a player there in Anthony who is far from playing great. Yes, he may get some preferential treatment from ETH, but if you rate yourself, go force him out of the team.

And if Anthony was part of the reason, Sancho had his chance to apologies and go take Anthony's place while he was in Brazil.

 

[Zehner]

I get the idea behind this, but inventing an injury means saying that the replacement isn't in the squad because he earned it, but just to fill in. That's why I don't accept your response as not hurting his feelings.

Sancho has played six full seasons of senior level football, while he isn't old, he is not an unexperienced youngster who has to get accustomed to professional football.

Garnacho or Pellistri are young players, Sancho isn't.

Going by your logic the replacement's feelings were hurt anyway because Ten Hag said he was nominated because of Sancho's training performance, right? How it is not better to praise the replacement's performances instead of criticizing Sancho's then? This way, he directed the attention on Sancho's shortcoming instead of Gore's (?) achievement.

Imagine you're in senior position without employee responsibility at your company and partake in a leadership seminar to qualify for a managing position. The instructor confronts you with the fictional scenario of having an unmotivated employee who recently got lots of stick, is under severe pressure, feels treated unfairly and now underperforms in a way that your department goals are at risk. You have to tell him how you would handle this scenario. Do you think "I would take away responsibility from him and if his clients ask why I just tell them thatI was disappointed with his performance" would be the correct answer?

Curious to know what should he have done differently. Just tell sancho "fine come back to the team".

I still don't understand Why should sancho get a special preference for his petulant behavior ? Also, ETH didn't even abuse or berate or bash or troll or whatever other adjectives him.

I mean, I already explained it? If you disagree, fine, but repeating myself if a bit pointless then

 

[Rolaholic]

Er, what?! Pep has called out his players loads of times. He directly called out KdB and Walker publicly last year. Walker even gave an interview about how it hurt but that it also motivated him to kick on and better his game. Loads of managers publicly challenge their players when necessary, especially the very best.

He was much harsher in regards to Kalvin Phillips than anything Ten Hag ever said about Sancho

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[Redstain]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

So you’re unable to separate yourself from a guy you think is so much worse than you and then expect sympathy from anyone? C'mon

Someone of his supposed caliber would've been expected to outplay and outgraft those in the way of a starting spot instead of throwing in the towel and crying to the press...

Genuinely Sancho might have a valid point with this, however, when he is selected he's level of performing is not significantly greater than Antony's (it's not greater at all). So while it's valid to say he feels a sense of favoritism from the manager he's not assessing his own contribution in why the manager is in that position of restricting him to begin with.

 

[gaffs]

Er, what?! Pep has called out his players loads of times. He directly called out KdB and Walker publicly last year. Walker even gave an interview about how it hurt but that it also motivated him to kick on and better his game. Loads of managers publicly challenge their players when necessary, especially the very best.

Pep has the gravitas to do it. His team respect him and follow his every word, if they don't, the know the consequence.

Ten Hag isn't at that level. He currently cant get a tune out of his team.

 

[Eplel]

I think Sancho's response is immature and helps nobody. That doesn't mean that Ten Hag said nothing wrong, though. Whether or not he's guilty of favoritism, I can't say, nor do I know if Sancho's training performances were bad. But even assuming Ten Hag rightfully picks other players over Sancho and that Sancho lacks self reflection and is making a fuss out of nothing (basically assuming the best from Ten Hag and the worst from Sancho), I think Ten Hag showed bad leadership in this situation and should do better.

Anyway, you could also sum it up the other way round and say that even if Sancho is fully right and Ten Hag treats him poorly, his reaction is childish. But Ten Hag is not only the older one, he is also the one trusted with managing a team and the characters in there and thus should be held to higher standards.

Ten Hag didn't say anything wrong. You can argue he could have said something else, but what he said does not give Sancho any legitimacy to respond like that.

 

[b82REZ]

Pep has the gravitas to do it. His team respect him and follow his every word, if they don't, the know the consequence.

Ten Hag isn't at that level. He currently cant get a tune out of his team.

How does one get to that level if they allow player influence to run riot?

 

[gaffs]

Feels like Sancho is setting up his excuse to justify his reason for his behavior. Probably thinks this will make him more palatable for a new club come January.