Erik ten Hag - Manchester United manager

[DomesticTadpole]

The problem is our recruitment strategy has been to mainly buy players that Ten Hag rates and wants, rather than a higher level recruitment strategy that transcends the manager of the day so we’d have to start from scratch with a new manager

This strategy has been going on for years which why we have wasted so much money for next to no return.

 

[Superunknown]

It is actually. It’s completely on the manager he’s in charge of the players.

If this is an under 11 side or a youth team, sure. But these are professionals. They are literally paid millions to play the game. It's their only job. They are fully grown adults who have dedicated their life towards this sport. They shouldn't need to be told to close somebody down, to pass to a player who is in space and to make a tackle. You're letting them off the hook too easily. Far too easily.

 

[The-Mezzala]

I was a big fan but lets face facts he looks out of his depth reasons:

No playing style and identity

Wide open defensively we have had too many heavy defeats under him Liverpool away and City last year was a travesty

Signed bang average Eredivise players that have flopped Antony waste of space

Handled the Ronaldo , Sancho off field issues and De Gea contract badly. Common theme now too many players falling out with him
Goal difference last season was shocking .

Look at De Zerbi he is getting a midfield of Pascal Gross and Adam Lalanna to play teams off the park thats good coaching. I say get rid and go and get De Zerbi.

 

[Grizzly B]

EtH should not be immune from criticism, he hasn’t got everything right and should face criticism for the things he hasn’t got right. But people calling for him to be sacked are absolutely mental.

Yesterday we were missing 4 players that start for us every week, and more that offer depth to those positions.Our opening 5 fixtures we have won the two games you would absolutely expect us to win, been very unlucky away to form sides in the league and then lost to the last team to win in the league at Old Trafford with a ridiculous injury list.

By all means critique the manager, but calling for him to be sacked 5 games into the season is ridiculous.

 

[astracrazy]

It says more about ETH than Rashford.

In what possible way?

 

[Fts 74]

EtH should not be immune from criticism, he hasn’t got everything right and should face criticism for the things he hasn’t got right. But people calling for him to be sacked are absolutely mental.

Yesterday we were missing 4 players that start for us every week, and more that offer depth to those positions.Our opening 5 fixtures we have won the two games you would absolutely expect us to win, been very unlucky away to form sides in the league and then lost to the last team to win in the league at Old Trafford with a ridiculous injury list.

By all means critique the manager, but calling for him to be sacked 5 games into the season is ridiculous.

I agree, criticise him for his selections, tactics etc for a game, but calling for him to be sacked after 5 games is crazy.

It's not good enough atm, but let's see how we do when everyone is back.Im confident he'll get it right.

 

[Xaviboy]

Ah lads watching that clip of rashford few times now and it's a disgrace. 2 yards away and not a bit of effort to put pressure or battle for the ball.

Infuriating to see. Chaps gone big time Charlie I'm bigger then the team attitude.

All the stuff Ten Hag says we will analyse the game, hope he gets called out for that.
Some chap at home has picked that up on the TV so hope it's picked up by Ten Hag and ccoaches. Disgrace, that carry on will get him sacked. Downing tools there that crap by Rashford.

 

[stefan92]

If this is an under 11 side or a youth team, sure. But these are professionals. They are literally paid millions to play the game. It's their only job. They are fully grown adults who have dedicated their life towards this sport. They shouldn't need to be told to close somebody down, to pass to a player who is in space and to make a tackle. You're letting them off the hook too easily. Far too easily.

You can't run with full force for 90min. It makes sense to decide when and where to charge and when not. That's part of the tactics, do you try to defend very high, do you try to push the other team into certain areas where you want to try the ball etc.

A single scene like this doesn't tell this story, so I don't think you should use such a scene to criticise neither Rashford nor EtH

 

[Luffy]

I don't think ETH is a good coach, man manager, or tactician, nor can he buy astutely in the transfer market. I have no problem in keeping him till the end of this season. The bigger the crisis at United the more surreal things become, and therefore the funnier it is to me.

The only point of contention to me is that people still think he is going to steer us out of trouble. When things get this bad, and part of it is the manager's fault, then that manager will need to have really superb skills to change the fortune at the club he is in. Ten Hag hasn't learned from his mistakes, so I don't see how we can improve and finish in the top 3 the way things are going this season.

 

[BristolRuss]

These forums sometimes, I swear. Sack a manager who won us our first trophy in years only 6 months ago and has been dealt a rough hand at the start of this season. Bonkers.

We're skint as is. How are we going to waste money paying compensation to sack him?

 

[Ayoba]

One the players start downing tools, like rashford has, it's game over for ten hag.

 

[Siorac]

What would drastically change if he's sacked?

The manager's name.

 

[DavidDeSchmikes]

This strategy has been going on for years which why we have wasted so much money for next to no return.

Look at our player recruitment since 2013, and you'll see the problem

 

[OrcaFat]

I don't think ETH has it in him to drop the likes of Rashford, Bruno etc because under his tactics we'd then have zero chance of winning games. Let's see vs Bayern. But he's not going to do that.

Also it's clear to even the layman that his tactics are garbage. We're not winning anything playing how he intends - it's as though he thinks he's still coaching Ajax in Eredivise.

I think you are right that Erik doesn’t want to drop certain players even though he probably should. I would like him to be bolder in that respect.

Tactics wise, he tries something a bit different yesterday which probably didn’t help because the players are confused enough as it is. The main 4141 / 3241 he’s been trying to implement is not working either but that’s because the players aren’t doing it right.

Some are saying EtH underestimates the Prem but, imo, it is more that he overestimates his players’ ability to follow instructions.

 

[Cathy Ferguson]

Do you have any evidence with which to back that opinion? So far you've offered none, and you're getting in to flat-earther levels of faith in the face of evidence.

De Zerbi wouldn't have lasted last season, and he isn't a miracle worker capable of turning a defensive low block team terrified of possession into a progressive attacking one that retains possession.

Yesterday Brighton scored 3 very similar goals. Attack space down the flanks and cutback to an unmarked player in our penalty area. Very simple and de Zerbi won the tactical battle on KO. He humiliated ETH.

You cannot prove that de Zerbi would fail at OT other than to say that Brighton is very different to United. So is Ajax and the Dutch league. The only way to prove it is if de Zerbi would actually manage us for 17 months. If this shitshow continues for another 10-15 games ETH is gone.

 

[Matt Varnish]

You can't run with full force for 90min. It makes sense to decide when and where to charge and when not. That's part of the tactics, do you try to defend very high, do you try to push the other team into certain areas where you want to try the ball etc.

A single scene like this doesn't tell this story, so I don't think you should use such a scene to criticise neither Rashford nor EtH

No one is expecting him to, however when an opposition player is 5yds away from you and has the ball, I kinda expect a certain amount of effort from our players to make them make that pass, or put a tackle in.
Call me old fashioned but isn't our players jobs to stop the opposition from scoring ?
Three times yesterday Brighton strolled through us as if it was a non-contact sport.

 

[Olly hunt]

Unbelievably fickle our fan base. Stop panicking we will come good. He’s been there 15 month and got us top 4 and a trophy in his first season. It’s a new team , new players . He’s got rid of most of the deadwood too. It’s took klopp 3 years and 8 month to win his first trophy at Liverpool and some of there results and performance up to that time were shockingly poor . Chill out

 

[PoTMS]

The moment we got battered to Liverpool 7-0 was the moment I realised this guy was a fraud. Any more batterings this season, and they're coming, don't you worry, he needs to be sacked on the spot.

 

[Lentwood]

I definitely think he deserves the full season. Even if we finish 10th, so what? Sacking him now makes very little sense to me.

However...I don't feel the same urge to defend ETH as I did other managers, because unlike our other post-SAF managers, I do kind of feel like ETH has been allowed to do pretty much everything he has wanted, within reason.

It's hard to say this isn't now "his" team, in the sense that he's clearly been heavily involved in bringing players in and moving players on. He's been allowed to shift our biggest name, freeze out the club captain and allow our longest serving player to leave on a free. Most of the signings are players he knows personally and/or has worked with before. People highlighted at the time, this probably wasnt the best idea...but we did it anyway.

Ultimately I'll give him time but I'm not blaming the Glazers, Murtough or Arnold if he can't at least get this team into 4th - it will be on him for me

 

[spiriticon]

Should have just kept Moyes. We would be in more or less the same place now after 10 years of Moyes, and saved a whole ton of money on manager compensations.

 

[AndySmith1990]

Isn’t getting players to buy in and give effort part of the managers job?

Honestly nothing looked good in preseason and it’s no surprise the real games are worse.

Putting effort into your job is the responsibility of the individual and should be the bare minimum of requirements when playing for United. If they can't do that then they should feck off and look for a job that motivates them. I'm sick of excuses being made for these horrible players

 

[Licha-Vidic]

I don't think ETH is a good coach, man manager, or tactician, nor can he buy astutely in the transfer market. I have no problem in keeping him till the end of this season. The bigger the crisis at United the more surreal things become, and therefore the funnier it is to me.

The only point of contention to me is that people still think he is going to steer us out of trouble. When things get this bad, and part of it is the manager's fault, then that manager will need to have really superb skills to change the fortune at the club he is in. Ten Hag hasn't learned from his mistakes, so I don't see how we can improve and finish in the top 3 the way things are going this season.

Upto now, it doesn't seem like he understands the league, the demands, the competitors all through the league, that you need pin point plan to win anything against Pep.

It seems he is also surprised by the sheer amount of effort, plan, execution that comes into play for you to win anything in England.

Also, maybe...

As the club as been poor in signing players, maybe even the managers being signed are not upto task.

Will ETH reach Pep level?
Or rather can Bruno reach KDB level?
Can Rashford reach Salah Level?

When you look at it critically it does seem we are short in players and coaching areas against our main competitors.

 

[talking robot]

Even if we finish 10th this season, I'd still keep him and let him finish his rebuild. There is no question about the quality of the manager. Anyone would struggle with the culture at the club he inherited and he needs time to build. His track record and first year should give him credit in the bank.

 

[sixdwarf]

Blaming the Glazers for everything is a cop out. Yes they’re shit owners, we know that. But ETH has to take his share of responsibility for the team. Ultimately it’s his team. He’s been given near on £400 million to spend on virtually whoever he likes, handpicking a collection of players he has either managed before or has a connection with, and 16 months down the line we still look like a team of complete individuals, with absolutely no obvious plan, tactics or style of play. That’s purely on the manager. If he can’t implement a style of play in 16 months then big questions need to be asked.

rep
I get what you are saying and do not disagree on the most part. Ten Hag does have to take his share of the blame. But we have been here before. Repeatedly. With some of the world's proven managers. I had my doubts from the start about the former Ajax manager, simply because he has not managed in a top European league. But he was undoubtedly the choice of the vast majority of the fans. And the board has given the fans what they wanted. I want him to do well. And last season was hugely promising. To me, picking the fans favourite is not leadership. But we have been operating like this for years. Disquiet in the crowd, get Ole in. Greenwood was going to be reintegrated, but then is dumped after the obvious outcry.

We have long since failed to employ best in class. We are paying over the odds for players unproven at Prem level (Martinez, Antony, Hojlund, Martial... and the list goes on). Or we are paying over the odds for players who are way past their best (Schweinsteiger and now Casemiro). Or we are paying over the odds for potential only (Martial and now Hojilund). We used to blame Woodward for our transfer sign offs. He is not there to blame now, because I feel this is not about one man, it is about the whole culture of the football club.

Revolution is needed.

As for the spend. Well Ten Hag has been allowed to have his way. What manager in the Prem wields the power that the previously unproven Ten Hag has to bring in whoever he likes. None. That has been agreed by those above him.

As for the spend, well I wouldn't quibble that we have overspent and overspent with little or not improvement. However under Ten Hag this season the net spend (incoming minus outgoings) is £134m a big cut from the £219 his first season. Which is a total of £350m. But the recruitment issues at the club come from a culture of bringing in people who are not best in class in the football side. Woodward was a commercial whizz whose knowledge on the football side was negligible. Ten Hag has been allowed control and you can be sure that if the likes of Casemiro, Antony, Martinez and Mount continue to under perform that will change.

 

[Jerom]

Even if we finish 10th this season, I'd still keep him and let him finish his rebuild. There is no question about the quality of the manager. Anyone would struggle with the culture at the club he inherited and he needs time to build. His track record and first year should give him credit in the bank.

Agreed, season 2 is the hardest one I guess.

 

[RedorDead21]

I get the feeling from EtH that he now sees sacking as a potential risk. He sounds somewhat defeated.

He has a right winger he brought in not with us due to sex allegations. So if he defends himself or charges are dropped etc what is the difference with him and greenwood then. The latter would have friends in that dressing room unhappy he’s no longer there. You can tell already some players are not exactly pulling up trees for some other reason presumably. Perhaps it’s Sancho related. The problem he has unlike Fergie is he can’t just lose these players super quick ( hell beckham and Stam barely sneezed in comparison but were shown the door) due to the fear on their impact on the squad…Keane the same. We have to sit it out instead until powerful cliques emerge. They smelt the power wasn’t with the manager and this is the outcome.

 

[Melville Red]

Did they all happen in the same season? Was his only trophy that he won at United the mighty Carling Cup?

It is like, having a few humiliations in 25 years is not the same as in a single season. And being a legendary manager is not the same as being a nobody.

Did Fergie win a trophy in his first season? No.
How long did it take for Fergie to sought the mess out he inherited?
Jesus some people on here won’t be happy until we have the Magic Roundabout installed outside. Round and round we go, you’ve had your turn, come on whose next?
FFS, this man deserves at least another three years before we even think of getting rid, maybe by then we will have new owners, we may be really challenging for the big trophies, who knows but sacking a manager early on in his second season, ffs you couldn’t make this shit up.
Oh and ETH isn’t a nobody he has won league titles in home country, some said Ferguson wasn’t up to the job, after all he came from Scotland.

 

[Jerom]

Ten Hag needs to busy managing the team, thinking about tactics, training and stuff.

He has a bad track record in doing transfer business (back in his Ajax-days already). Overmars as DoF did it for him. Now at a bigger club EtH does it himself. It should not be his core business. Managing his squad is more than a full time job at the moment. So Utd need to appoint a DoF, so EtH can focus on tactics, etc.

 

[Who's Kissing Cameras?]

Name them

Onana, Martinez, Van De Beek, Antony. All played for Ajax sides who were comfortable in possession in Europe.

Malacia. Feyenoord were comfortable in possession, domainting Roma in the UECL final in 2022.

Casemiro. Lynchpin for Real Madrid dominating Europe on and off the ball.

Eriksen. Played in Spurs teams who were comfortable in possession.

Mount. Played in Chelsea teams who were comfortable in possession.

Sancho. Played in a Dortmund team who regularly dominated the ball.

Compare that to Jason Steele, Lamptey, Gross, Van De Hecke, Gilmour and Welbeck. Squad players who dominate the ball against EVERY Premier League opponent for Brighton bar City. You think our players can’t do the same with the right possession based coaching?

Pascal Gross can be coached to keep the ball but Bruno Fernandes can’t? It’s a joke.

I don’t think Ten Hag has shown he can do it in the PL.

 

[spiriticon]

He deserves three years? With this habit of getting pasted in every half difficult away match? You're having a laugh.

No manager post-Fergie has lasted 3 years so far.

He gets more time for now but not another 3 for sure.

 

[Remember the geese]

I'd keep him. I seriously doubt the structure that we have in place and I dont think it is conducive to success. I do get the feeling that were we to sack ten Hag, any manager we replace him with would struggle and wouldn't have this transformative effect that we all crave.

 

[Duncan the Great]

Performances since the cup final (February) have been poor. We lose against anyone half decent away from home. This season we've been very underwhelming at home too. It's hard to pinpoint anything tactically that we are good at. Transfers have been questionable plus there is a lot of off-field nonsense going on.

Would you sack or keep?

Is there any truth in the rumour ETH is on the waiting list for a guide dog and has in fact lost his white stick, if so it would explain why he does not see what the rest of us do when Utd. are playing. What a shambles, and what the answer is, God only knows! This must be the very worst since Sexton times, completely lacking talent, organisation and dedicated effort. Talented players brought in soon loose all confidence and the ability to pass the ball to a team mate, do they actually train together? or do they do it on an hourly shift basis. Have the players in the first team squad actually been introduced to each other? It looks as though they are more familiar with the opposition players with the way they keep passing the ball to them.
If it wasn't so sad it would be laughable. ETH has had the job long enough to say this is his team so he is ultimately responsible for the sh*te performances week in week out. The only good thing to come out of it all is the OT pitch, we have the finest grass in the country with all the manure we put on it every home game.
The sale of the club is on the back burner again, but that shouldn't mean we can't sack a failing manager.

 

[Cassidy]

Onana, Martinez, Van De Beek, Antony. All played for Ajax sides who were comfortable in possession in Europe.

Malacia. Feyenoord were comfortable in possession, domainting Roma in the UECL final in 2022.

Casemiro. Lynchpin for Real Madrid dominating Europe on and off the ball.

Eriksen. Played in Spurs teams who were comfortable in possession.

Mount. Played in Chelsea teams who were comfortable in possession.

Sancho. Played in a Dortmund team who regularly dominated the ball.

Compare that to Jason Steele, Lamptey, Gross, Van De Hecke, Gilmour and Welbeck. Squad players who dominate the ball against EVERY Premier League opponent for Brighton bar City. You think our players can’t do the same with the right possession based coaching?

I don’t think Ten Hag has shown he can do it in the PL.

Onana and Martinez have been two of our better players in posession. Malacia is a back up, Van De Beek does not play and has been mostly injured.

Antony has also been good in retaining possession.

Casemiro was never responsible for the possession play in midfield at Madrid. Saying that he did fine last season with us in possession mainly.

So 3 of ETHs signings in Onana, Martinez and Antony have been our better players in possession play. What about the rest? Eriksen has also been good in possession by the way, he main issue has been off the ball and his legs.

 

[Adam McNeill]

Did Fergie win a trophy in his first season? No.
How long did it take for Fergie to sought the mess out he inherited?
Jesus some people on here won’t be happy until we have the Magic Roundabout installed outside. Round and round we go, you’ve had your turn, come on whose next?
FFS, this man deserves at least another three years before we even think of getting rid, maybe by then we will have new owners, we may be really challenging for the big trophies, who knows but sacking a manager early on in his second season, ffs you couldn’t make this shit up.
Oh and ETH isn’t a nobody he has won league titles in home country, some said Ferguson wasn’t up to the job, after all he came from Scotland.

Nothing more needs to be added to this.

Businesses rot or thrive from the top down, it's clear where the issues at the club are (and it isn't ETH!).

 

[Zlatattack]

We've been shite for 10 years - we've been regularly rotating managers and spending money.

Let's do something different. Let's stick with this one for 3-4 years and support him. See if the slightly longer term approach works.

 

[OrcaFat]

People say it’s a different world now to when SAF first came here. That is true in many ways but there are some similarities in what EtH found as well.

Elements of the squad and culture need / needed overhaul. We were a team expected to challenge for the title but realistically we couldn’t. Fundamental changes were required.

Nobody gets six years of patience these days but it is worth remembering the up and down nature of our results and performances in SAF’s early years.

EtH isn’t SAF, we all know that but the circumstances they both came into aren’t wildly different imo.

 

[Who's Kissing Cameras?]

Onana and Martinez have been two of our better players in posession. Malacia is a back up, Van De Beek does not play and has been mostly injured.

Antony has also been good in retaining possession.

Casemiro was never responsible for the possession play in midfield at Madrid. Saying that he did fine last season with us in possession mainly.

So 3 of ETHs signings in Onana, Martinez and Antony have been our better players in possession play.

Part of ETHs job is to implement a system that means all 11 players on the pitch, regardless of personnel, can keep the ball well.

Brighton played their second XI against us yesterday. And dominated us. Like they do against everyone, regardless of result. Yes, under Potter they played progressively but they never dominated like they have under De Zerbi.

Why hasn’t ETH done that? The evidence is pointing towards ETH not being the amazing coach we all thought we were getting.

If the style of play was clear, I think fans would be a lot more calm than they are, even if we were losing.

It happened with Klopp and to a lesser degree, Arteta. The difference was that the coaching was clearly on display, even when they were losing loads of games.

 

[Fortitude]

Something that’s becoming a greater concern over time - which is ironic in itself - is that it feels like ten Hag doesn’t seem to understand the league he is in. Every one of the top managers took on board what the league is and modified their philosophy and personnel accordingly, ten Hag keeps setting up in ways that make the league look like it baffles him, which is leading to us being battered by poor teams as well as making a mockery of us in high profile away games.

There’s tons of plaudits heaped on him for Ajax and the football they played, but he has to get to grips with the PL even as a non-dominant force. We never punch above our weight or win games we’re not expected to nor do we look like we’re at the races unless everything is perfect. He’s also not making successful tactical adjustments in-game, in fact he is getting out-coached, which is absolutely not supposed to be happening and that’s a surprise and a let down.

The trials and tribulations he’s facing off the pitch are unfair and way outside his remit, but he’s not doing well in his actual job and that’s the concern. I’m also starting to wonder if he’s one of those coaches with blind spots. I.e. a Rodgers who infamously can’t organise a defence, or a coach who is awful in attack - my creeping concern is he is not able to establish actual midfield control, and I hope I’m wrong about that because it’s the key area of the pitch, imo. The very first thing Pep goes and floods to control at any new club and the same area Klopp gets his foothold in to facilitate his attacking ideologies. We’re consistently awful in midfield and him buying Mount to be a midfielder just gives no reassurance he’s got the ideals and ideas to address this.

Of course you keep. Our predicament as club is dire. But you might have to start thinking of contingency if improvements aren’t shown in key areas of the pitch let alone the team as a unit. He’s certainly starting to lose mystique and aura to opposing managers, though, and they’re getting bolder and bolder in their setups quite assured they can outcoach him, which is actually happening. He needs to get on top of that. Stat.

 

[Licha-Vidic]

Onana and Martinez have been two of our better players in posession. Malacia is a back up, Van De Beek does not play and has been mostly injured.

Antony has also been good in retaining possession.

Casemiro was never responsible for the possession play in midfield at Madrid. Saying that he did fine last season with us in possession mainly.

So 3 of ETHs signings in Onana, Martinez and Antony have been our better players in possession play.

So what??

He needs everyone to be Xavi and Iniesta for us to have control and plan in a game?
Why cant he coach the team to have possession and control?

In his mind how does he thinks he can win the league or be in a title race in EPL? How? By being a transition team?

By losing 3 games in 5 games you CAN NEVER WIN anything big , and even last season it's the Liverpool game which was the turning point. Going into that game we had lost the first two, if we lost that Liverpool game, it would have been 3 loss in 3 games.

Essentially, there is no big difference which has happened between last season and now, just now we say we don't have luck in games.

 

[NZT-One]

Our football has been rubbish since we lost our key midfielder and was playing without a CF. Wonder why that happened

No it was more or less rubbish before. People try to tell themselves that the football was great when Eriksen was in form and I would agree, it was definitely better than what came after but it wasn't anything to write home about. It was patchy, it was long ball stuff and it resembled Ole ball for most parts except the builtup and the use of space and general organisation level. Still wasn't robust. What has been good during this time, have been the results, but we shouldn't mix those things.

Normally I'm all in for sacking a manager for the sake of a new manager bounce, but the signings we've made for the last 2 years are so fecking baffling that I'm not even hoping for much there.

I genuinely think this is the worst squad we've managed to assemble in the last decade - and the last 2 summer transfer windows have set us back about 3 years.

I don't even have any hope under a new permanent regime as well, because it feels like we've completely emptied the coffers now.

Thats very harsh. Are you sure? I mean, it might be dysfunctional to a degree and having three A-Listers out for disciplinary reasons obviously effects the team but even apart from it, the team is in a better state than it was under Ole. It still is in problematic state in terms of squad composition (age etc) but it certainly isn't as dead end as the group ETH inherited.

Other clubs do well, they change coach when it is clear they're going nowhere. Eventually they find a coach that is clearly working and they stick with them until such a time that they don't work. Sometimes you just need a different approach, sometimes a different manager clicks with a team and they buy intimate what he's saying. I don't feel like that's been the case with ETH.

If we're questioning his tactics then the players must too, and they're the ones being hung out to dry. Tactics make up so much of the game, you can't simply get by with having the best players all of the time.

I'm intrigued though, if you don't think changing the manager is the answer then what is? Even more players? More money? Stop Ten Hag having a say in recruitment? Let's not forget he the one that insisted on getting rid of RR because he didn't need somebody making transfers for him. I reckon he'd walk if we moved those goalposts now. So shall we just keep going like this until we're all and truly buried?

Other clubs might be able to do it, because they have another element in their organisation that makes sure, a certain level of continuity is taken care of. We don't have that. Which is a problem regardless of ETH, I'll give you that, but it won't get better with a new manager at all. Ask yourself the simple question: do you think, Murtough is capable of bringing in a manager, who will improve things?

We're probably seeing his system right now. It's just shite and I think he's underestimated the PL.

Thats crazy. You do know, that a) we have many injuries and b) a new system (especially a deeply different one) will take time to set in. It is absolutely crazy, you expect such a system to work, when we had Hojlund make his first start for us yesterday. Mount is gone since how many games? You can't really evaluate a system, that wasn't really in place! Thats absolutely crazy.

I think you are right that Erik doesn’t want to drop certain players even though he probably should. I would like him to be bolder in that respect.

Tactics wise, he tries something a bit different yesterday which probably didn’t help because the players are confused enough as it is. The main 4141 / 3241 he’s been trying to implement is not working either but that’s because the players aren’t doing it right.

Some are saying EtH underestimates the Prem but, imo, it is more that he overestimates his players’ ability to follow instructions.

I agree with you, but regarding the system, I don't think, we have to dig so deep: do you guys think, that Tiki Taka Barcelona would have been the same when Pep changed David Villa to Inzaghi and Xavi with Frank Lampard? No, because certain system require certain player types. Pre-season showed that the new system wasn't really set in yet even when most of the personal was there but it was missing the striker (which in many system is an essential part). This striker made his 2nd start yesterday. Mount isn't there. Evaluating this system now would be like planning a house for 2 years and then throwing it all in the bin because you don't like the color of the brickstones when they are delivered.

I can see that people are skeptical about the new system - I wouldn't have went for Mount as well and I am skeptical if Bruno is capable to play such a role but if that is what ETH wants to try, we should give him time.

Yesterday Brighton scored 3 very similar goals. Attack space down the flanks and cutback to an unmarked player in our penalty area. Very simple and de Zerbi won the tactical battle on KO. He humiliated ETH.

You cannot prove that de Zerbi would fail at OT other than to say that Brighton is very different to United. So is Ajax and the Dutch league. The only way to prove it is if de Zerbi would actually manage us for 17 months. If this shitshow continues for another 10-15 games ETH is gone.

De Zerbi came into a team that was playing really well and was prepared to play a certain way. He didn't fundamentally change that. The manager is the weakest cog in the whole system, I like him and I think it is fantastic what he can achieve but it is a different ball game than coming here and repeating it. We DO NOT have a system to built on. We have a few good players. A few good players for certain setups.