New Delhi: Manchester United’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford marked yet another alarming chapter in Erik ten Hag’s increasingly turbulent tenure as manager. For a coach who entered with such high expectations having once been hailed as the man to restore United to their former glory, his future now seems shrouded in uncertainty.
Just 18 months back Ten Hag helped United lift the EFL Cup and a memorable FA Cup victory over Manchester City and now he finds himself fighting for his survival amid a series of dismal performances that have exposed deep-rooted problems within the squad.
Since United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the newly restructured club hierarchy decided to back Ten Hag during the summer the 54-year-old Dutchman has been walking a tightrope. Any major defeat brings with it the risk of full-blown crisis mode and intense scrutiny, and by those measures, his time at the helm may be running out.
The Spurs setback
The loss against Tottenham wasn’t just a defeat it was an embarrassment. Man United’s display was nothing short of a shambles, with players lacking discipline, direction, and a cohesive game plan. While his counterpart Ange Postecoglou has been under scrutiny after a shaky start to the season Sunday’s 3-0 win was surely a great step on the road to rehabilitation.
Let’s take a look at the stats behind @SpursOfficial‘s commanding performance at Old Trafford 📊
How impressed were you by Ange Postecoglou’s side?#MUNTOT pic.twitter.com/AD2ZKgzB9e
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 29, 2024
This marked Spurs fourth consecutive win since they lost the north London derby to Arsenal at home. They were in complete control, dominating every facet of the game. From the third minute, when Micky van de Ven raced half the length of the pitch to set up a goal for Brennan Johnson, it was evident that this would be a nightmarish outing for Ten Hag and his players.
Even before the red card to United captain Bruno Fernandes just before halftime, Tottenham had been running rampant. The dismissal only compounded United’s misery it wasn’t the turning point surely which Ten Hag might have hoped to claim. Man United were already outplayed and outmaneuvered in every department. Spurs were missing their talisman Son Heung-min but even his replacement Timo Werner created enough chances and in fact spared United from further humiliation.
Man United’s latest signings Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkee were supposed to provide cutting-edge and create more chances but they completely looked out of play. Zirkee, hooked at half-time is yet to show why United shelled out £36.54m for his services while Ugarte failed to get anywhere near Tottenham’s midfield maestros.
Echoes of consistent failures
Manchester United are now placed in the 12th spot in the Premier League points table having lost three of their six matches. The figures completely add to the belief that the end game is looming for Ten Hag. United loss against Spurs was the second consecutive home league game in which they failed to score, a damning indicator of their lack of attacking potency. Fans were left the stadium before match ended and were totally devastated.
Manchester United fans at Old Trafford after full time… pic.twitter.com/zi1bMIXSaA
— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) September 29, 2024
The last time something like this happened with a manager was in 2021 with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s final days as United manager when United lost back-to-back home games to Liverpool and Manchester City. Solskjaer was sacked soon after the loss.
Now, Ten Hag faces the same mounting pressure. In fact, the club’s current seven-point total is their joint worst start to a Premier League season and the last time they scored fewer goals by this stage was in the 2007-08 season.
More worrying still is the fact that United have now suffered 23 defeats by three or more goals in their last 424 Premier League games which is more than they did in 1,035 games under Sir Alex Ferguson. These are not just numbers rather they are symptomatic of a team with no identity, no clear direction, and no leadership on or off the field.
A daunting road ahead
If Ten Hag somehow survives this humiliation his immediate future will offer little respite. A Europa League trip to Porto looms on Thursday, followed by a tough away fixture against Aston Villa this weekend. United fans, who have watched this once-great club drift into mediocrity are right to question whether Ten Hag is the man to lead them forward.
🚨BREAKING:
2 more games, Porto & Villa will decide the fate of Erik Ten Hag’s future at Manchester United.
In the meeting of the morning between club officials and Ten Hag, they given him two more games to improve of they will look for new solutions. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/9oTretuVFT
— Manchester United Forever (@Utd_Forever7) September 30, 2024
The stench of failure is beginning to settle over Old Trafford. The fact that Ten Hag remains in charge seems less a vote of confidence and more a consequence of indecision from the club’s leadership. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford could not find a suitable successor over the summer but it is becoming harder to justify continued faith in the Dutchman as performances deteriorate.
With no discernible improvements on the horizon and no clear identity to fall back on Ten Hag’s future at Manchester United looks increasingly bleak. As Spurs fans gleefully taunted with chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” it’s hard not to wonder if those words might soon become reality. For Erik ten Hag the clock is ticking and unless results improve drastically the end may be nearer than even he can anticipate.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces increasing pressure after consecutive losses, raising questions about his future at the club. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
