How many of Aston Villa’s players are Emerys players? Or are they Slippy Gs players? Or are they Dean Smiths players?
Same with Eddie Howe, how many Newcastle players are his? Or are they Rafas players? Or Steve Bruce?
I hate this argument that a coach needs a 25 man squad of all his own players. That develops over time and transfer windows.
A coach gets to that privileged position AFTER proving that they can improve the squad and players that they have.
Excellent summation and a case in point with a manager like Erik who hasn't had experience at a top club within a competitive division, this is the best accumulation of players he would have managed in his career. A coach no matter personnel always has to bring something to the table first.
The managers quotes from Neville's interview about Frenkie De Jong serve as a warning, if a system or managers philosophy lives and dies off one player single-handedly, it's a guarantee of incompetence. Becoming more and more evident that the success Erik had with Ajax has more grounds to do with the club's history / ethos more so than his own individual imprint or ideology. It doesn't detract from his success in Holland in anyway but it does limit how transferable his experiences are from that environment into another club.
Which is exactly why from a philosophical standpoint Erik has undoubtedly been a
total failure in that what he was anticipated to do in bringing the nuances in success of his period at Ajax to another league, he has failed to do catastrophically and this is why he's likely out of a job come summer.
It's no longer a situation of him being judged on ethos (which gives you time) but his managerial pedigree (which is immediate catering to results). This is why someone like a Tuchel is even up for consideration, if Erik stayed on course Tuchel wouldn't even be in the frame of conversation it would be a heresy from a directive standpoint. However, the contemplation of Erik's tenure changed when he decided to abolish what got him the coaching role to begin with. You can't blame injuries, fixture congestion and player contention for this, it was a conscious decision from the manager which has curated a totally different perspective to judge him from.