{"id":45583,"date":"2022-08-15T02:12:44","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T02:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/erik-ten-hag-has-been-dealt-a-difficult-hand-now-he-must-show-he-can-adapt\/"},"modified":"2022-08-15T02:12:44","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T02:12:44","slug":"erik-ten-hag-has-been-dealt-a-difficult-hand-now-he-must-show-he-can-adapt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/erik-ten-hag-has-been-dealt-a-difficult-hand-now-he-must-show-he-can-adapt\/","title":{"rendered":"Erik ten Hag has been dealt a difficult hand, now he must show he can adapt"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>In the 19th minute on Saturday, Brentford fans let Manchester United have it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#8217;re going down with the Fulham\u201d, went the chant from the west Londoners, the sort of giddy two-for-one celebration that can only occur when your already-good team are being made to look better by the opposition&#8217;s incompetence.<\/p>\n<p>A minute later, they turned their attention to United&#8217;s new manager Erik ten Hag.  \u201cYou&#8217;re getting sacked in the morning!  Sacked in the mooooorning!  You&#8217;re getting sacked in the morning!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>United are two games into the 2022-23 season and the goodwill Ten Hag enjoyed over the course of pre-season is fading.  The 52-year-old cut a forlorn figure during Saturday&#8217;s match, prompting comparisons to fellow Dutchman Frank de Boer&#8217;s calamitous five-game spell in charge of Crystal Palace at the start of the 2017-18 season.<\/p>\n<p>United were woeful against Brentford, Ten Hag&#8217;s tactical scheme to play out from the back looking naive against Thomas Frank&#8217;s streetwise side.<\/p>\n<p>Following the 4-0 defeat, Ten Hag said: \u201cIt had nothing to do with tactics.  The first two goals is about dealing with the ball and decisions.\u201d  But the sight of Ivan Toney standing next to Lisandro Martinez, the 5ft 9in (175cm) centre-half signed this summer for \u00a347million ($57m), pointing to the sky during a goal kick should have caused concern.<\/p>\n<p>Brentford are known to be a physical team, known for long, direct passes and an impressive collection of set-play routines.<\/p>\n<p>When they defeated his Chelsea side 4-1 last season, Thomas Tuchel said he included 6ft 3in midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek in his lineup in an attempt to combat the anticipated aerial bombardment.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"ast-oembed-container\" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Brentford 4-0 Man Utd: A Disaster for United\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lJhUfF98Wvc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Knowing how to beat Brentford in the air is one thing.  Doing it is another.  Over the course of 94 minutes here, United were stumped on both counts.<\/p>\n<p>Back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Brentford \u2014 their next fixture is the visit of Liverpool on Monday, August 22 \u2014 have left United bottom of the table (Manchester City are top) and Ten Hag in a difficult position.  Is the former Ajax head coach another De Boer, unprepared for the difficulty spike in going from the Eredivisie to the Premier League?  Or is there something more at play?<\/p>\n<p>The Dutchman was appointed United manager on April 21.<\/p>\n<p>Fifteen weeks ago, it became known that Frenkie de Jong was his No 1 target in the transfer market.<\/p>\n<p>In early July, his lead striker Cristiano Ronaldo informed the club he would not be traveling on pre-season tour and, days before the start of this season, it was announced his other senior striker, Anthony Martial, had a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n<p>United have had weeks to equip their new manager with the proper tools, but he is now placing square pegs into round holes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3504463\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"table-cell-span\"\/><br \/>\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">The goodwill earned through an encouraging pre-season is vanishing (Photo: Ian Kington\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the past seven days alone, Ten Hag has made a scramble for Marko Arnautovic, only to perform a volte-face, and had been asked about the future of one of his wingers, Marcus Rashford, who appears to be open to a move to Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n<p>United have appointed a very good tactical coach, but Ten Hag is besieged by issues that scupper what he can do on the training field.  What he is able to train the squad to do is encountering problems during competitive matches, as United&#8217;s players appear afflicted by a sporting form of learned helplessness.<\/p>\n<p>Bizarre individual mistakes keep occurring.  These events then lead to a negative spiral where players lose confidence and believe the situation to be hopeless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can have a good plan but we had to put the plan into the bin,\u201d Ten Hag also said post-match, but he must be aware that his plan placed a number of confidence-stricken players into situations unfamiliar to, and uncomfortable for them.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"podcast-frame-5459\" class=\"iframe-podcast-height\" style=\"width: 100%; border: 0; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/report\/podcast-clip?clip_id=5459\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Any Manchester United starting goalkeeper should perform in a better manner than David de Gea did on Saturday, as should their club captain, Harry Maguire, but to quote Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, a successful strategy is \u201cthe alignment of potentially unlimited aspirations with necessary limited capabilities\u201d.  Ten Hag has been dealt a difficult hand, but he is also playing it in a suboptimal manner.<\/p>\n<p>The United manager has said he believes this squad is capable of playing the style of football he wants, but he will need United to make smarter moves in the transfer market in order to make good on his more immediate plans.<\/p>\n<p>Since Sir Alex Ferguson&#8217;s retirement after the club&#8217;s most recent title win in 2012-13, every permanent United manager has felt like a response to the failings of their predecessor, without proper consideration as to what made each of them successful at previous clubs.<\/p>\n<p>Substandard short-term fixes and muddled medium-term decisions have resulted in a long-term malaise.  Corners have been cut to a point where United fans are left with a small, unsatisfactory circle;  a feedback loop of mediocrity and chaos.<\/p>\n<p>Ten Hag has a keen tactical mind but risks veering into the esoteric if he continues to pursue this style of play with this starting XI.<\/p>\n<p>It is not enough that United \u201cback the manager\u201d through raw finance and attempting, with varying degrees of success, to bring in every player he desires.  He must also be supported by surrounding him with footballing minds who can cover for any weakness, enhance his strengths and act as a proper sounding board during difficult moments.<\/p>\n<p>Two games should not ruin a season, but to again quote Gaddis, \u201cAssuming stability is one of the ways ruins get made.  Resilience accommodates the unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>United are a side devoid of resilience on the field, and an institution bedevilled by dysfunction off it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>(Top photo: Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n        {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n        n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n        if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n        n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n        t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n        s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n        'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n        fbq('dataProcessingOptions', []);\n        fbq('init', '207679059578897');\n        fbq('track', 'PageView');<\/script>    .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the 19th minute on Saturday, Brentford fans let Manchester United have it. \u201cYou&#8217;re going down with the Fulham\u201d, went the chant from the west Londoners, the sort of giddy two-for-one celebration that can only occur when your already-good team are being made to look better by the opposition&#8217;s incompetence. A minute later, they turned &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/erik-ten-hag-has-been-dealt-a-difficult-hand-now-he-must-show-he-can-adapt\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Erik ten Hag has been dealt a difficult hand, now he must show he can adapt<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[2643,1938],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53694,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/cristiano-ronaldo-can-fit-in-manchester-united-system\/","url_meta":{"origin":45583,"position":0},"title":"Cristiano Ronaldo can fit in Manchester United system","date":"August 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"7:19 PM ETRob Dawsoncorrespondent Erik ten Hag said Cristiano Ronaldo still has a future under him at Manchester United despite dropping the striker for the victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday.Ronaldo was left on the bench as United stunned Jurgen Klopp's side with a 2-1 win thanks to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35840,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/manchester-uniteds-anthony-martial-set-to-miss-brighton-game-with-injury\/","url_meta":{"origin":45583,"position":1},"title":"Manchester United&#8217;s Anthony Martial set to miss Brighton game with injury","date":"August 5, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is set to miss their opening game of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion due to injury, The Athletic understands. Martial, 26, has a minor hamstring problem and the timing of his return is unclear, although it is hoped he may return for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45673,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/erik-ten-hag-has-risked-injuring-his-man-united-players-by-making-them-run-13-8km-on-a-day-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":45583,"position":2},"title":"Erik ten Hag has risked INJURING his Man United players by making them run 13.8km on a day off","date":"August 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A Los Angeles-based doctor that specializes in sports science says Erik ten Hag has risked injuring his Manchester United players by making them run 13.8km in the heat on their day off.Sportsmail reported how a furious Ten Hag made his team cover the exact distance which Brentford outran his side\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Erik ten Hag axed Manchester United's planned day off after the 4-0 defeat by Brentford","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2022\/08\/15\/03\/61384743-11111749-image-m-17_1660530121038.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":40311,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/manchester-united-pull-out-of-marko-arnautovic-move\/","url_meta":{"origin":45583,"position":3},"title":"Manchester United pull out of Marko Arnautovic move","date":"August 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Manchester United have pulled out of a move for Marko Arnautovic, The Athletic understands. Bologna rejected a bid of \u20ac8million (\u00a36.8m, $8.1m) for the forward at the weekend and an improved offer was expected. But United have now decided against continuing the pursuit. It is understood United received a number\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15426,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/man-utd-beat-melbourne-victory-to-maintain-100-pre-season-record\/","url_meta":{"origin":45583,"position":4},"title":"Man Utd beat Melbourne Victory to maintain 100% pre-season record","date":"July 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Rashford scored Manchester United's third after coming on for the second halfManchester United came from behind to beat A League outfit Melbourne Victory 4-1 as they maintained their 100% start to pre-season.Two goals in as many minutes from Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial at the end of the opening period\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36886,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/cristiano-ronaldo-gary-neville-takes-a-swipe-at-man-united-star-for-creating-a-messy-situation\/","url_meta":{"origin":45583,"position":5},"title":"Cristiano Ronaldo: Gary Neville takes a swipe at Man United star for creating a &#8216;messy&#8217; situation","date":"August 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"'I'm a little bit disappointed in him': Gary Neville takes a swipe at Cristiano Ronaldo for creating a 'messy' start to life at Manchester United for new boss Erik ten Hag... and he calls on Portuguese superstar to front up and end 'unpalatable' exit sagaGary Neville has admitted he is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Manager Erik ten Hag has had to face most of the questions on Ronaldo amid the uncertainty","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2022\/08\/05\/14\/61103635-11084641-image-m-9_1659705731298.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.theathletic.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/08\/14025343\/ERIK-TEN-HAG-1-e1660460085205-1024x682.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45583"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45583\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}