By Martin Graham | thirtieth Sep 2024
Erik ten Hag, the supervisor of Manchester United, faces growing stress following a devastating 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Previous Trafford. The defeat, marked by a disorganized and ineffective United efficiency, has as soon as once more raised critical questions on Ten Hag’s future on the membership. Regardless of being backed by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the restructured board over the summer time, the 54-year-old now finds himself on the sting, with every poor consequence solely intensifying the scrutiny on his tenure.
Successful the EFL Cup 18 months in the past and the FA Cup final season — in a dramatic last towards Manchester Metropolis — had been the highlights of his time in cost. Nonetheless, these moments of success at the moment are overshadowed by repeated setbacks. Sunday’s loss to Spurs, specifically, stands out as some of the humiliating shows underneath his administration.
United collapse underneath Spurs stress
From the beginning of the match, Tottenham dominated. Spurs had been relentless, and United’s defensive weaknesses had been uncovered inside minutes. The tone was set early when Spurs’ defender Micky van de Ven made a surging run from deep in his personal half, leaving United gamers trailing behind him earlier than establishing Brennan Johnson for a simple end. Regardless of Tottenham’s overwhelming dominance, United managed to succeed in halftime down by only one purpose, although it appeared a miracle they weren’t additional behind given what number of possibilities the guests created.
After the break, United’s state of affairs deteriorated even additional. They supplied little resistance to Spurs’ relentless assault and had been punished for his or her lack of group and self-discipline. Tottenham’s resurgence underneath their supervisor, Ange Postecoglou, who has additionally confronted scrutiny this season, now seems to be gaining momentum, with this victory marking their fourth consecutive win after a shaky begin.
How a lot time does Ten Hag have left?
As followers started to go away Previous Trafford within the pouring rain, it was not possible to keep away from the query: can Erik ten Hag flip this round? The Dutch supervisor has managed to tug the membership again from the sting up to now, notably in the course of the summer time when his future was unsure. However after a efficiency as chaotic as this, his means to information Manchester United out of the present disaster appears more and more uncertain.
What had beforehand appeared like small enhancements in United’s protection this season appeared distant on Sunday. With stress mounting from followers and the media, Ten Hag’s place seems fragile. Whether or not or not this defeat marks the ultimate chapter of his time at Previous Trafford stays to be seen, but it surely’s clear that his maintain on the job is hanging by a thread.
Martin Graham is an MFF sports activities author
