Erik ten Hag ‘looks like a dead man walking’ at Man Utd unless he changes that system
Man Utd looked terrible again as they beat Copenhagen. Have three wins in a row ever looked so bad? We also have mails on Arsenal and Spurs.
Send your thoughts on any subject to theeditor@football365.com
Is this Ten Hag’s plan?
A couple of weekends ago, you published a letter in which I noted that before the late victory over Brentford Erik Ten Hag had publicly identified consistency as the Manchester United’s greatest problem. Since then, the club has ridden a knife-edge of good fortune to three narrow results. If this is consistency, then fair play: ETH’s ethos is taking hold.
But after a 1-0 home win to Copenhagen, I don’t think anybody believes that.
The pressure he feels can only be increasing as he watches Hojlund, Antony, Martial, Rashford, et al decline to stick the ball in the net. The form of Brighton, Newcastle and Aston Villa, not to mention Chelsea’s seeming resurgence, are an enormous bar to his progress. It’s becoming difficult to see an end he’d be proud of. But it’s fantastic and hilarious to see Harry McGuire bailing him out again. Maybe Ten Hag should recall Jaden Sancho?
When we were all speculating about who the new Saudi owners might hire to manage Newcastle, Erik Ten Hag was probably my first choice to take over. Certainly, I rated him above Eddie Howe, which shows how the f*&k much I know. Now NUFC are leading the ECL’s Group of Death, and both Borussia and AC Milan are likely very worried about what they’ll face there. Howe also had the leisure to give Sandro Tonali a final run-out against a beaten Palace before his imminent ban, then push him forward to be the focus of post-match adulation.
By contrast, Ten Hag looks like a dead man walking, thankful at last to the keeper who has let him down more than once. Yet again, I’m compelled to admit: however much I dislike the Saudi regime, PIF and the Stavely/Rueben group have run the club immaculately.
Chris C, Toon Army DC
Time to ditch the single pivot
Well it’s been half an hour and my heart is still beating a mile a minute. What an ending to a match, CL qualification kept up by Maguire’s slab head and Onana’s concrete arm.
The most interesting thing about the match was just how much better we played after half time. Ten Hag has clearly been trying to instigate a 4-3-3 with a single pivot all season, even buying Mount, seemingly specifically for one of the 8 roles along with Fernandes. It all made sense, it’s how he thinks winning football matches is best achieved, but all season it’s been awful, especially in the first half against Copenhagen.
But give credit to Ten Hag for changing it, ditching the single pivot and reverting to the 4-2-3-1 double pivot that suited us so well last season. Literally every player looked better, more comfortable, more energetic, and able to produce better, more effective football.
I’ve always been of the view that the change of formation for this season would take time, and that the injuries and disruption meant that it would be even more time, but now I think it’s clear that we are not capable of playing it at the current time to the level Ten Hag needs. Now, I’m sure most top managers don’t get where they are by ditching their main philosophy, but I really hope tonight that Ten Hag realises how much better we looked last year, and did tonight, with the old formation.
It does mean that the question of where Mount fits in becomes an issue, as well as a lack of goals which we had last season too (but mainly due to chances missed), but I really think it’s the best way forward, and hope Ten Hag agrees, starting with City at the weekend.
On another note, moments like Onana’s save, Mctominay’s double against Brentford, Munich 99 etc are what make it such an incredible sport. It’s been a tough year, mentally and physically for me, and the emotional devotion to a football club for 30 years makes things so much harder when things go wrong, especially when there’s inklings of bad luck, bad timing, and unfortunate situations behind a lot of it. But moments like that make things so much more bearable, even great at times.
It’s hard not to be emotionally devastated when a club you’ve supported is going through a bad time in a very public way (although I know 99% of clubs would give anything to be where we are and what we’ve done), so it’s nice to bathe in the moments where things go well.
Win in Copenhagen and Istanbul in next two games and we’re probably through. Not impossible.
Calum, MUFC, Wokingham
Arsenal showed nous to get past Sevilla
Arsenal had to suffer in the last 15-20 minutes away to Sevilla, but this is a team with real European know-how, it wasn’t going to be easy.
When the draw was made many probably felt Arsenal had an easy group based on the fact they dodged a real Euro heavyweight. But the group doesn’t have a weak team, no whipping boys. Don’t get me wrong I’ll still take it over Newcastle’s group but then we were 2nd not 4th seeds so Newcastle’s group of death was somewhat inevitable.
Last night felt like a classic away European performance, tight game short of genuinely good chances. Arsenal scored two from two moments of high, high quality. The home side cheered on by a noisy crowd fought back and then you have to withstand a lot of pressure to get the result. Rice was again fantastic, Tomiyasu as well was superb and took his well earned chance well.
You’d have to be a harsh and bitter person not to feel some reflected happiness for Onana and Maguire being the ones to rescue Man U last night. Both have received huge criticism so just on a human level it’s nice to see those two be the match winners. Although I think Maguire needs to move away from the ‘I’ve been great” mode in his recent interviews and toe more of the professional “I do what I can to help the team” line.
Back to the prem there are a lot of parallels between what Spurs are doing so far with what Arsenal did last season. A new system that teams are struggling to work out, exciting attacking football, very few injuries, but a squad that would be exposed once a few big players are missing. Teams are still probably not showing enough respect to Spurs which helps them play around teams and break the disjointed press. I think more teams will start to play deep blocks against Spurs, congest the centre and the space Maddison works in – or even man mark him, and force Spurs wide to fire in crosses to not the biggest front line where pairs of CB feel more comfortable heading and clearing everything. If it happens take it as a compliment as the week by week deep block is only reserved for very good teams.
Rich, AFC
Arsenal have back-bone
A lot of has been written in praise of Chelsea’s performance drawing with Arsenal at the weekend. It is true they stopped Arsenal from playing and for 75 minutes it looked like we had no answers. The first goal was not a fully wrapped gift but certainly a welcome opportunity skilfully taken by Rice. The second a more typical Arsenal goal created by a very quiet Saka (but still has one moment to change a game). Last year a draw would have been unlikely and in the previous 10 impossible.
Declan Rice has given that extra 2 or 3% that is needed to find a way even when the overall team performance is below par. Saliba though is the most important player at Arsenal, it’s his composure that calms the other defenders (especially Gabriel). Keeping him fit will be key to any potential success. In tandem these 2 players have finally instilled in Arsenal that all is not lost whatever the score.
Matt Coplestone
Fanmail for Barry Fox
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, it’s essential as a football fan.
That your club can rise above its deficiencies and lift silverware and become glorious again.
The problem is dreams can do a ‘Father Dougal McGuire’ and replace reality.
We suddenly think Jennifer Lawrence will find us irresistible, that our boss wants to give us an all paid holiday to Hawaii and that Spurs can win the Title…..and yes I’m looking at you Barry Fox.
Now I’m not going to pull apart every point, I’m sure others will do that, but comparing James Maddison to Gazza is insanity itself….. let alone ‘best player in the premier league’?
Now I’m happy Spurs are doing well and playing decent football. But can we just slightly tone down the crazy?
What am I talking about? This is Football.
Rob G (Old enough to remember the brackets)
…As sure as night follows day we will get pumped by Crystal Palace following Barry Bloody Fox the secret gooner claiming we will go invincible by some mythical historical margin.
I love what Ange is doing as much as the next (not arsenal/chelsea/utd/liverpool/palace/west ham/leeds/burnley…why do so many fans of so many clubs hate us??) man but christ’s sake Barry, wind your neck in for once. You picked us for the title under Conte after i reckon the same amount of games played and we immediately went to shite. You’ll never learn will ye?
Can you not just be sensible for once in your life rather than tarring the rest of us with this unhinged must-have-hottest-take-possible-unmoored-from-reality spurs persona you seem to have developed.
It does noone any favours apart from The Ed who must love the engagement.
TGWolf (magical thinking is a hell of a drug) THFC
…Oh, sweet Jesus. It’s October, and it’s time to start thinking about going the season unbeaten?
A lifetime of supporting Tottenham has not provided you with enough emotional scar tissue to give you pause for thought before committing that statement to the worldwide web?
Sit in the corner and think about what you have done, Barry.
Niallo, (admittedly) Gooner, Uibh Fháilí
…I hear if you say Barry Fox backwards five times in front of the mirror, Stewie Griffin appears and bores you to death with a tirade about Arsene Wenger and why Arsenal will never win anything ever again.
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London
Stop with the Angeball nonsense
I get why some Spurs fans are getting giddy at their start to the season, and why shouldn’t they. Spurs are top of the league, and playing exciting football, so why shouldn’t they enjoy it. However, this nauseating term ‘Angeball’ is getting a bit tiresome. These tactics are nothing new or revolutionary. It’s exciting to watch and Spurs will score plenty of goals, but ultimately, it won’t win you the big trophies.
The style takes a toll on the squad, and if the players aren’t 100% every single game, the style can be exposed. Especially if you have a thin squad like Spurs and a couple of injuries hit. Add to this, the style of play will get found out eventually, maybe sooner than later for Spurs, once managers dust off their tactics to counter it from 2016/2017 and even before then.
How do I know this? From first hand experience as a Liverpool supporter. ‘Angeball’ is no different to Jurgen Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ football. Even when Jurgen implemented it at Liverpool when he first arrived, it wasn’t a new style either. Just a more advanced version of what Brendan Rogers tried to implement.
In Jurgen’s early seasons, we came up short. Was it refreshing, and exciting to watch? Absolutely. Unfortunately it’s not sustainable, and once teams worked it out the tactics and style had to evolve. As teams have dealt with this style fairly recently, I would expect it won’t be too long before Spurs start to see it happen to them. Ange will then have to prove he can adapt and implement a new style, like Jurgen did.
Watching Spurs play does make me smile and remind me how fun those early Klopp days were.
Kevin
On James Maddison’s face
Just to follow up on the James Maddison genealogy from Jae, Tunbridge Wells. My view is that Maddison looks like celebrity chef Marcus Wareing dressing up as David Platt from Coronation Street for Hallowe’en.
And while we’re at it, Miguel Almiron looks like a young Andrew Lloyd Webber.
And yes, both are very good at football. If £40 million can be classed as a steal, Maddison was a steal. Not sure why there wasn’t more competition to sign him.
Ta & ta-ra,
Dan, Worthing
Where are the Big Six at?
Given it’s almost November in the season, after 3 months, you tend to get an idea of how good each team is and can predict where they will finish as the season comes to an end in May time. Here is my prediction of where each so called ‘Top 6’ team will finish in the league this season.
Manchester City
Given they are the European champions (Damn how times have changed as a Mancunian) and they won the treble last year, you would expect them to finish in 1st or 2nd place by the end of the season, they are THE team to beat. Given how they have started the season, and probably only playing at 65-70% of their maximum capacity, with players like De Bruyne and John Stones not even making an impact yet, I think come February, you will see them outperform all teams.
The only hope other teams have is if some key players get injured around Xmas time and as a result they draw and lose a few games during this period. I think they may actually falter in winning the league this season and perhaps focus on retaining the Champions League instead.
Prediction: 2nd Place.
Arsenal
When I watch Arsenal, I genuinely enjoy watching how they play. Even against Chelsea the other day when they drew 2-2, they played badly but got a result in the end with Trossard showing super sub vibes. I think Rice makes such a massive difference to them, and if Saliba & Gabriel stay fit, they have a crack at winning the league.
However, I think their fullbacks & number 9 let them down big time, every other area of the pitch is pretty solid. I think Zinchenko may be one of the most overrated players we have seen in the Premier League, I would argue that Tomiyasu is better at LB for Arsenal, I think Timber if he didn’t get injured would have started at LB. Also never know when Gabriel Jesus will get injured again, great team player, but he isn’t scoring 20 goals in a season which Arsenal need. I think they will have a very good run in the Champions League and potentially win the FA Cup, but won’t win the league.
Prediction: 3rd Place.
Manchester United
Given I am a United fan, I will most likely be overly harsh with my assessment here, but still need to remember it is October and hope it just gets better rather than worse this season. The start of the season has been pretty awful though, I don’t think United have actually won a game by more than one goal in the league this season, the GD is -2 and currently sitting in eighth place.
I think United will easily get beaten next week by City, which would make it 5 losses this season in the league. After 10 league games it will be 5 wins and 5 losses by the end of October. If that isn’t the definition of inconsistent, I don’t know what is. Rashford needs to it together, as its the only player in the team capable of scoring 20 goals a season.
Varane is made of glass, need Shaw back as soon as possible and Evans is now starting most games at CB with Maguire. I looks at teams like Brighton, Aston Villa & Newcastle and they are better than United as a team and actually have good wingers and strikers too. United are pretty average nowadays, and I would say the overall teamwork and expectations is pitifully low, the players seem to want Ten Haag out due to the way they are playing.
Prediction: 7th Place.
Liverpool
I have been very impressed with how Liverpool have started the season, and truth be told, they should be top of the table given they got absolutely screwed over by the refs and VAR in the Spurs game earlier this season. If Salah, Van Dijk, Allison, TAA, MacAllister and Szoboszlai all stay fit this season, I think they have a massive chance of winning the league and think they will reach the 90 point mark. Its early days, but I think this will be Klopp’s one last push for the title this season, with Salah likely to move to Saudi next year.
Given the times they have been so close to winning the league when going neck and neck with City in both 2019 and 2022, they have the experience and know how in winning games, even when not necessarily playing well. I would predict they will finish top of the league this season, and will treat Europa League like a secondary competition, Klopp deserves a 2nd Premier League title, where they can actually celebrate it in front of their fans properly this time.
Prediction: 1st Place.
Spurs
Blimey this Australian/Greek fella is doing a bloody good job as the new manager eh? He has recorded the most points ever as a new manager in the league after 9 games, not a bad start to life in North London at all. I think Maddison and Van De Ven have possibly been the signings of the season, signing for both £40 million and using the Kane money incredibly wisely. Its early days and Spurs will most likely go through a bad run, but I think they will grab a Top 4 spot quite comfortably. Son looks back to his best, the fullbacks in Udogie & Porro potentially look like the best in the league currently, and the midfield looks pretty tidy too. I would argue that 3rd and 4th place with be between Arsenal & Spurs, I think the players now feel a bit more recognised and valued following Kane’s departure.
Prediction: 4th Place.
Chelsea
I left Chelsea last in analysing because Poch has just walked into the door with a completely new team from previous years. They actually looked half decent against Arsenal, and in previous games too, they may go on a decent run climbing up the table, but I think they will dip again towards the end of the season. They don’t have a lot of experience at all really, Sterling and Thiago Silva noticeably the two most experienced players, with James and Chilwell experienced too, but they are unfortunately made of glass. I think they could have a decent run in the cups for sure, Poch should concentrate on this more than the league, but you never know its early days they could challenge for European football in the end.
Prediction: 8th Place
Rami Cheriet
Let’s talk about Burnley
Burnley’s start to the season couldn’t be much worse. Especially when you consider how impressively we won the league last year. And sure, there is a caveat that we’ve generally played “the bigger boys”, but there are issues that need resolving ASAP if we’re to have a good season.
Disciplinary Issues
Presumably a sign of the frustration and annoyance at constantly being turned over – and the manner of these turning overs. But 3 red cards in 9 games is ridiculous. Not only do these red cards affect getting results, they also impact future games because of suspensions. The best example of this would be vs. Notts Forest when we were pushing for a winner until Foster got himself sent off. Then he was missing for the United game when we really needed some stability up top because they were there for the taking and only beat us because of a worldie from Bruno.
Say what you will about us being tough tacklers under Sean Dyche, but we were regularly one of the cleanest sides in the Prem because we rarely picked up bookings or red cards. I blame VK. Clearly the players aren’t worried about the repercussions of being sent off. Dyche would obviously have bitten their noses off and the players knew it so they didn’t get sent off.
The Constant Changing of Players
F365 have detailed this in Winners and Losers so I won’t labour the point, but I would add that the situation can’t be good for team morale: the new guys come in and lose all the games while replacing the guys from last season who won the league at a canter. Can you imagine how that’s going down behind the scenes?
To make matters worse, the board clearly wouldn’t put their hand in their pocket to make the outlay for Tella, and decided to buy others instead. Presumably because they were perceived to be “better value”. But the problem there is that Tella was last season’s best player whereas others are an unknown quantity
I blame the board and VK. The board shouldn’t have bought so many newbies, and they should’ve concentrated on getting Tella and Harwood-Bellis. VK also needs to revert to the strong team from last season and bring in some newbies over time with a better bedding in period.
The Manner of the Performances
I think this is the worst part of this season. The play is slow, sloppy and seems to lack any real intent. If we’re playing a much stronger opponent we don’t seem to adapt our style to acknowledge they’re better than we are. And if we’re playing a weaker/similar opponent then we don’t seem to carry a threat. In fact, the only time I’ve seen us play well this season was against Notts Forest. We got lucky against Luton really by scoring a worldie to win the game. Everyone else just seems to abuse us. Culminating in the game against Brentford at the weekend.
I know Brentford are a good team, but they’re on bad form so I thought we could nick a draw. This was a team in crisis. (Similar to Man Utd and Chelsea when we played them and got abused by them.) But Brentford absolutely dominated us. We were lucky not to be 2 or 3 down by half time.
Again, I blame VK, but I also blame the players too. He’s the manager and he should be managing them to get performances out of them. But the players also need to turn up and try and win the game. They just don’t look like they care (which is probably true considering most of them have only been with us for 3 months).
Overall
We’re in big trouble. And if things continue like this we’re in for a long season of watching turgid football where players don’t care, get sent off and we lose all the games. Which is so f**king disappointing considering how well we played last season. Christ, we even won the title at the ground of our fiercest rivals. Life doesn’t get any better than that, let me assure you. And the reward seems like it’s going to be a season of crap. FFS.
Nick P. Burnley FC. (VK could also do with some experience on the bench – I can’t imagine Craig Bellamy is the most knowledgeable of football coaches)
