Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager / awaiting clarity from the club over his position

[CM]

Happy with the way we dominated a good Newcastle side. I know its baby steps but we are starting to control games better. Our lack of a great CF is killing us.

I tend to agree with this. It's a frustrating result but you can see real progress in the way we move the ball and pin teams back in the last few games. We've gradually been doing it better and for longer periods against Everton, Omonia (I know) and now Newcastle. We have still been disappointing in front of goal but I think that's more a personnel problem than a tactical one.

I would hope that once we've got the profile of midfielder ten Hag was looking for with de Jong and a better striker to take the place of Ronaldo we will be looking pretty good. The question mark is whether the owners will let us get both of those players in the same transfer window. If they continue to do what they have historically and slow down the spending after the initial outlay in the first transfer window, any progress will be stunted.

 

[RedOrange]

There's no excuses for why we should be playing deep line counter attacking moment's fc football when ten hag has been hyped up to be this tactical genius

You either didn't watch this match or have no idea what you're looking at. Just another username to add to the ignore list to make this thread readable again.

 

[Red00012]

Would anyone tell me why he started Ronaldo today?

Martial injured
Rashford not 100%

 

[always_hoping]

Going to be a long hard season whereby Erik will get the opportunity to see which players are fit to wear that United shirt long term, some have already worn it for far too long.

 

[steffyr2]

Played for the 0-0 tie. Can see that that made sense, but it didn't use to be the Utd way, right?
What's with all the injuries? World Cup coming up?

 

[bosnian_red]

Only real complaint id have is that he doesn't really rotate ever. Tactically, i feel like if we want our fullbacks to invert all the time then we want more traditional wingers, but if they're going to overlap, then we want inverted wingers. Today especially i think it would've helped to swap the wingers.

 

[RedOrange]

Maybe there are ones amongst them who don't want to see the progress and didn't want him in the first place.

It's this. Some people wanted Conte or Pochettino and they're mad they didn't get their way.

 

[bosnian_red]

Played for the 0-0 tie. Can see that that made sense, but it didn't use to be the Utd way, right?
What's with all the injuries? World Cup coming up?

The feck, How did we play for the draw? We dominated and pushed for the win, just didn't get it over the line?

Rashford and Eriksen were ill. Martial battling usual injuries. Mctominay suspended.

 

[always_hoping]

You either didn't watch this match or have no idea what you're looking at. Just another username to add to the ignore list to make this thread readable again.

One of the two alright as you don't have 63% possession of the ball by "playing deep line counter attacking football"

 

[No Idea For Nickname]

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[DomesticTadpole]

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Join the club Erik.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

I genuinely am baffled how any United fan can’t be encouraged by this start. I genuinely don’t get it.

100%

We have a shape. We have a style. This while the manager is still assessing the squad and seeing what they’re capable of.

I don’t think he’d buy De Gea, or Dalot. They’re square pegs in round holes. We quite clearly need a centre forward.

I just hope all of the work is being done now to get another one or two in, in January, and that our unwanted players are being moved on sensibly.

The manager is doing well.

 

[acnumber9]

Only real complaint id have is that he doesn't really rotate ever. Tactically, i feel like if we want our fullbacks to invert all the time then we want more traditional wingers, but if they're going to overlap, then we want inverted wingers. Today especially i think it would've helped to swap the wingers.

Yeah he’s got that badly wrong. It’s incredibly easy to defend against when every player is swamping the centre of the pitch.

 

[alexthelion]

In 4 months we are in better state than Spurs are for example. You can see huge progress with ETH.
If only Martial is fit though. That is what we miss right now. Bloody striker.
Although, playing Ronaldo is on ETH. Play someone else ffs. He DOES NOT fit in this system.

There is noone else, that's the problem.

 

[GaryLifo]

I started playing FM back in 1998 when it was called Championship manager but I think it’s FIFA ultimate team that has ruined anyone’s ability to be realistic about progress.

I was CM 92/93 on the Amiga. It was rock hard unless you took over Liverpool and Arsenal and sold their best players to United then made them play without a keeper when you played against them. Even then. Keeper-less Liverpool still used to beat me 3-0 sometimes causing me to save scum my way to a win.

 

[ForeverRed1]

This message is to ETH- Please do the following so we can get to the level we used to be.. Please sell/release Fred, Van de beek, Bruno, Ronaldo, Martial, Elanga, Amad, P. Jones, Harry M., Eric B., Wan Bisaka, Teles, Heaton, Dubravka. The money you get from these players around 160-170m add to a 200 m budget for the next two windows and buy the following players: H. Kane (60-70 m), Neymar (60 m), De jong or Maddison ( 60 m), Fellix (120 m), Pavard( 50).With these players in the team we can play a world class football. Just think of a team like: De gea- Shaw (Mallacia), Varane (Victor L.)- Martinez- Pavard ( Dalot), Casemiro(Scott)-De jong or Madisson (Eriksen)-Fellix, Neymar-Kane (Rashford)- Antony (Sancho).

Neymar and Harry Kane ? Really? They’re not happeningS FDJ doesn’t want to come here, that much is clear. Not realistic signings at all.

January I’d go all out for pavard (he has spoken about wanting to leave and his contract ends 2024). neves at wolves (due a new challange) and Ivan Toney (8 goals in 10 games so far this season). The three of them would probably cost 120mil. I also like madison and would like to see him take the step up see what he can do. Another 50mil.

pavard. Varane. Martinez. Shaw
Casemiro. Neves/Eriksen
Madison/Bruno
Antony. Sancho/rashford
Toney/martial

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

Only real complaint id have is that he doesn't really rotate ever. Tactically, i feel like if we want our fullbacks to invert all the time then we want more traditional wingers, but if they're going to overlap, then we want inverted wingers. Today especially i think it would've helped to swap the wingers.

missing out on potentially so many of those easy cutback type goals City always score

 

[BrilliantOrange]

Yeah but Ronaldo would not be making Rashford's run and Rashford would not be in that last defenders shoulder position to make that run.

Defintely true.. Ronaldo would not have made the run for sure which lead to the change of Fred... Or at least he wouldnt have made it so far...

The only thing you can hold against him is starting Ronaldo at all. I saw Denis Law in the stands and I think he would have done a better job leading the line.

True, I wouldnt have started him as well.. But in my opinion taking him off during that stage of the game isnt something I would do.. Assuming we want to go all in and would sacrifice one of the back 4 or double pivot for an extra attacker, I would have taken Sancho of before Ronaldo.. I still havent been able to shake off the feeling Ronaldo is a lot more likely to give us the winning than Sancho, regardless of his performance in the game before..

 

[AshRK]

His lack of trust in our academy players is worrying. Even Jose trusted them more. He could have easily subbed in Iqbal or Garnacho rather than seeing the crap show of Fred.

 

[Remember the geese]

His lack of trust in our academy players is worrying. Even Jose trusted them more. He could have easily subbed in Iqbal or Garnacho rather than seeing the crap show of Fred.

Mainoo for me.

 

[RedRonaldo]

Thoughtt we are doing well so far, we are starting to look like a proper possession football team

 

[bosnian_red]

Yeah he’s got that badly wrong. It’s incredibly easy to defend against when every player is swamping the centre of the pitch.

Yeah. Like it can work if your CMs are overlapping which I see us do sometimes, but Fred is just very bad in the wide left position.

 

[Jed I. Knight]

I started playing FM back in 1998 when it was called Championship manager but I think it’s FIFA ultimate team that has ruined anyone’s ability to be realistic about progress.

Championship Manager 2, now that was a game! Including all the “sequels” based on the same engine, it’s hands down my favourite game of all time. Took my football fandom to new heights!

Good response in the second half today. Contained Newcastle very well, and what we created should’ve been enough to grab the win.

That said, the amount of times we concede possession because of DDG’s wayward passing is nuts. That, and the lack of a proper striker is really holding us down at the moment.

 

[Jericholyte2]

And another midfielder

Perhaps, but we’re already starting to dominate games more and make chances more consistently. We need someone who can finish the chances that are being made.

The No.1 priority for Jan/summer must be a ST. We can then look at RB, CM, CB and possibly GK.

 

[JPRouve]

I like almost everything we do at the exception of when De Gea has to take a decision involving a pass, too often he puts a teammate in deep trouble. And the other situation is when we get the ball in the last third and Martial isn't organizing it. At this moment in time our "poor" performances are almost entirely based on one or both of these points.

 

[AshRK]

Always knee ronaldo thing will be a huge problem. More than that him trusting Martial to do a cf job was always going to bite him. He will learn it the hard way that we have some duds who are inconsistent as feck

 

[AshRK]

I like almost everything we do at the exception of when De Gea has to take a decision involving a pass, too often he puts a teammate in deep trouble. And the other situation is when we get the ball in the last third and Martial isn't organizing it. At this moment in time our "poor" performances are almost entirely based on one or both of these points.

Getting a GK and a CF is a must.

 

[JPRouve]

Getting a GK and a CF is a must.

A GK, a center forward and if that center forward isn't a playmaker then we will have to also fix the #10 position.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Perhaps, but we’re already starting to dominate games more and make chances more consistently. We need someone who can finish the chances that are being made.

The No.1 priority for Jan/summer must be a ST. We can then look at RB, CM, CB and possibly GK.

Each to their own, but we need a goalkeeper. We need to play higher. De Gea makes that impossible. We would have enough goals in the team if we could play higher.

Of course a great CF facilitates that too, but I’d take a goalkeeper first.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

You can see he has clearly improved us. Our squad still isn't up to par though and he should hopefully backed in the transfer window.

 

[tariqo]

I believe in him & I’m sure next year we gonna compete for the league title…. Needs time & real striker

 

[kaku06]

It's an egregious myth that you need to spend £500m to play possession football. Last season Burnley had the second lowest amount of possession of all the teams in the top 5 leagues in Europe. Under Vincent Kompany (a manager with an unremarkable record so far in management) they are now averaging 64% possession per game as they lead the Championship. To draw the contrast, compared to the highest team possession average in Europe's top 5 leagues that would put Burnley as equal to the 5th highest possession retaining team. From the very bottom to the very top. This occurred within a single pre-season.

I whole heartedly agree. It’s safe to say that ten hag is not a possession based manager and I don’t know what’s his plan to control the games. I’m not criticising but we don’t look comfortable on the ball and that’s the most surprising thing to me in his tenure.

 

[AshRK]

I whole heartedly agree. It’s safe to say that ten hag is not a possession based manager and I don’t know what’s his plan to control the games. I’m not criticising but we don’t look comfortable on the ball and that’s the most surprising thing to me in his tenure.

How did you come to that conclusion?

 

[Someone]

I'm happy with the progress, you can see it all over the pitch. I'm 100% sure though that in 2 years the squad won't be recognizable from what we have today. Even with all our spending you can tell this is a good but rather flawed squad.

 

[kaku06]

How did you come to that conclusion?

Because we can’t keep possession and play counter against decent teams? Liverpool, Sociedad, Arsenal, City even Leicester? Do you not watch our games?

 

[ScholesyTheWise]

I'm happy enough with what I see so far regarding our football. Results were always going to be rocky, as are the players he has at his disposal.

Unlucky for ETH and us that he won't have much room to not achieve good-to-great results in the short term, for him to be able to transform us long term.

He simply has to win the majority of his games while also training us out of stone-age football into something that's not it, while getting his new players absolutely spot on as again, he doesn't have much room for error with our board and fanbase IMHO. He and the team will have to "learn" how to nick games where we are shit (and so is the oppo and the game looks like it's going towards a draw) if that's even possible.
Because an accumulation of games like today could very well be his undoing in the long haul.

I'm not gonna feel sorry for him with his supposed abilities and the money he likely earns to do this very difficult task, but nonetheless...

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Because we can’t keep possession and play counter against decent teams? Liverpool, Sociedad, Arsenal, City even Leicester? Do you not watch our games?

We can keep possession fine against most teams. But to do it against teams that press high, you need a goalkeeper willing to play on his penalty spot or 18 yard line. He’s gotta be able to pass the ball. That allows the back line to hold a shape.

We don’t have that. A pass to De Gea almost always results in a clearance if we’re under pressure. He’s a phenomenal goalkeeper, but not one that suits modern football. We’ve known this for ages.

 

[kaku06]

We can keep possession fine against most teams. But to do it against teams that press high, you need a goalkeeper willing to play on his penalty spot or 18 yard line. He’s gotta be able to pass the ball. That allows the back line to hold a shape.

We don’t have that. A pass to De Gea almost always results in a clearance if we’re under pressure. He’s a phenomenal goalkeeper, but not one that suits modern football. We’ve known this for ages.

Agree with that point.

 

[AshRK]

Because we can’t keep possession and play counter against decent teams? Liverpool, Sociedad, Arsenal, City even Leicester? Do you not watch our games?

In fact his ajax sides were known to keep the ball and play possession based football. So to say ETH team can't play possession based football based on 13 games even in which we have been improving in keeping the ball is a wrong statement. It will take time and won't be a quick fix with no cf and a gk and a number 8 who hate to do anything with the ball.

 

[kaku06]

In fact his ajax sides were known to keep the ball and play possession based football. So to say ETH team can't play possession based football based on 13 games even in which we have been improving in keeping the ball is a wrong statement. It will take time and won't be a quick fix with no cf and a gk and a number 8 who hate to do anything with the ball.

I hope so mate, I was just surprised that it wasn’t the first thing that got prioritised at all costs in these 4 months by signings players to suit such style of play but as you said that needs a whole lot more players to achieve that.