THE STATISTICS are there for all to see, and since yesterday evening they’ve been well-publicised.
Gary Neville nailed it in his commentary, it really is like watching an under-9 team.
APThe pressure is well and truly on Ten Hag now[/caption]
Having seen plenty of junior football over recent years though, they often play with more heart than what’s on show at Old Trafford these days.
The reality is; Manchester United are a complete mess in almost every department and under Erik ten Hag on the pitch, are going through a disastrous run of form.
It’s a fact! Other managers have lost their jobs for a lot less.
So what’s the answer? Do the Glazer family care what is happening if Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team are about to come in and take charge of footballing matters?
Will the rot continue until then? It could be several more months before any deal between the existing owners and Britain’s second-richest man is concluded.
This could mean that the pressure is well and truly on Richard Arnold to sort the mess out in the short-term and make a decision on the current manager.
What’s clear is that matters off the field can’t be blamed for some of Ten Hag’s recent decisions and comments. I am a Ten Hag supporter and I believe he should be given more time.
But, it’s becoming increasingly hard to defend him.
GettyThe decision to omit Raphael Varane from the squad has been a strange one[/caption]
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For example, why was multiple Champions League and World Cup winner Raphaël Varane left out of the starting XI against Manchester City for “tactical reasons”?
In his place were Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, Leicester City’s defensive partnership in 2019. Apparently against Newcastle, Varane was “ill”.
I think I would be as well.
While there is support for Ten Hag at the club, there’s also a growing number of people who are becoming disillusioned. Varane may be one, but there are more damaging longer-term problems elsewhere.
At least two members of the first team squad are disappointed with how the manager has dealt with the Jadon Sancho affair, and whatever Sancho may or may not have done, is £80million Antony really that much better? I’ve certainly never seen such a one-footed footballer playing at the highest level.
And it’s signings like Antony, that Ten Hag has pushed so strongly for.
In the summer, the Dutchman insisted on Mason Mount.
Andre Onana was applauded for what he can do with his feet, but isn’t as good with his hands as the man he replaced.
In midfield, 31-year-old Casemiro wouldn’t have been allowed to leave Real Madrid if the Spanish giants thought he was still reliable in terms of performance and fitness.
Lisandro Martinez has impressed in general but is injured, and Rasmus Hojlund has done well – but are United really pinning their hopes on a 20-year-old who will peak in the next two to three years?
So yes, plenty of issues from ownership through to staff and infrastructure.
But, Ten Hag needs to win football matches quickly if he has any chance of surviving.
Many fans have already given up, and if he doesn’t take three points against Fulham at the weekend, then Like David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Solskjaer before him, time might just be up for United’s latest managerial hopeful.
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