This is the crux of it for me, and in that regard, the injuries are not even an excuse - they make it all the more damning that he persisted with that set up all season long despite the injuries.
If injuries prevent you from playing your preferred defensive line up consistently then any manager worth his salt has to be able to recognise that and adjust his set up to provide them with greater protection. I have no doubt that the same number of injuries but a more pragmatic approach would have resulted in a far more successful league campaign, therefore providing a more stable and confident platform for the club to progress once players return.
Thinking you can only judge a manager properly when they have a fully available squad is a fantasy - injuries are a fundamental reality of the game and how you respond to such adversity provides valuable insight about a manager’s skillset.
As far as I can tell from this season, Ten Hag’s plan A is not particularly good, and he’ll only reluctantly go to a plan B after a historically poor season when he’s on the verge of being sacked. And that’s just not good enough.
