Ten Hag is to blame for United's failure to apply a consistent attacking philosophy from one game to the next. Photo: Peter Powell/Shutterstock
The timing of Erik ten Hag's Manager of the Month award was, shall we say, unfortunate. Just 24 hours after he posed with the trinket alongside his players, lending a semblance of unity to the simmering dysfunction at Manchester United, a truer picture of the Dutchman's plight has emerged. And that could be seen when the final whistle blew after a historic horror defeat to Bournemouth. This time he stood alone and motionless on the touchline, the embodiment of despair, and no one spoke a word of comfort. In the end, what excuses can be found for the unforgivable?
“What stands out is the way we work,” Ten Hag said after receiving his dubious prize. “The way we develop and progress.” Well, the 73,000 people at Old Trafford could form their own opinion on that matter, watching a team whose trajectory is anything but upward. Under Ten Hag's auspices, United had just lost at home to Bournemouth for the first time in the club's history, a just punishment for both the manager's stubbornness and the lack of commitment of his players. When he walked back through the tunnel, the darkest reckoning awaited him.
It is a credit to United fans that they tend not to attack their managers until the decline is complete. In the case of Ten Hag, the mood is dangerously close to rebellion. The booing in the stadium after Marcos Senesi's header in Bournemouth's third match was loud, and by the end the rows of red seats were empty. The disgust was understandable. It's not just that United are capable of such appalling tactical ineptitude, it's that some players barely look bothered. Case in point? Anthony Martial, whose replacement by Rasmus Hoylund was greeted with bitter, ironic applause.
That's what it's led to at United, where fans are lavishing affection on the 20-year-old Dane, who is yet to score in 12 Premier League appearances. At least Hoylund had the decency to show some effort, unlike Martial, who had no goals, assists or dribbles against Bournemouth, while conceding 11 times. You could blame Marcus Rashford for being in a similar panic: the England striker's 79th-minute loss reflects how far he has regressed.
At this rate, the manager may not last a week
However, it is Ten Hag who faces the most immediate danger. Martial could be retained until next month's transfer window, but at this rate the manager may not last even a week. Apart from the ominous matches against Bayern Munich and Liverpool, there is the complication of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's imminent arrival after purchasing a 25 per cent stake. While the Glazers have been too distracted by United's share price to pay attention to the team's pathetic inconsistency, there is no guarantee that Ratcliffe — known for being meticulous in his sporting investments and fond of trying to beat the system through relentless hard work — will be anything… kind of forgiving.
In some ways, Ten Hag symbolizes United's decline following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. This latest disastrous result confirmed a remarkable statistic: they have lost more games at home (35) in the last decade than in the Scot's 26 years in charge. Despite all the moments of optimism, Ten Hag's very presence in the club suggests a hierarchy stumbling in the darkness. Many approaches have been tried, from Ferguson's hand-picked successor David Moyes to the cold authoritarianism of Louis van Gaal, from the ruthlessness of Jose Mourinho to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's «United DNA». And yet they flounder hopelessly. «Moyes says United must improve in many areas including passing, chance creation and defending,» the club sadly tweeted in 2013. Ten years later, has anything changed?
But even without this systemic failure, Ten Hag still bears the blame for it. It is his fault that United cannot apply a consistent attacking philosophy from one game to the next. And it is he who is to blame for the club's inability to shake off its newfound reputation as a maelstrom of talent. United may love to ban reporters for even admitting it, but Ten Hag is on the brink.
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