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Ten Hag makes his case as Man United’s worst modern manager

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It’s never a good thing for a Manchester United manager to be compared to David Moyes, but Erik ten Hag is now posting more alarming statistics than the man generally regarded as the worst manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at Old Trafford.

United’s 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday — United’s 14th loss in all competitions already this season — followed the same rinse-and-repeat pattern of many of their collapses. Concede first, equalise and then throw the game away with amateurish defending. Add in some dismal individual performances and confused tactics and you have the story of Ten Hag’s season so far.

It was chaotic as usual, but chaos doesn’t lend itself to success too often. Rather, it generally leads to failure, and Ten Hag’s second season is beginning to resemble Moyes’ only campaign as United manager, when he was fired just 10 months after replacing Ferguson in May 2013.

The problem for Ten Hag is that his team is now performing worse than Moyes’ was after 20 games of the 2013-14 season.

Moyes’ United were seventh after 20 games, with 34 points from 20 games, having scored 33 goals and conceded 24. Fast forward and now Ten Hag’s United are also in seventh, with just 31 points from 20 games. With 22 goals scored and 27 conceded, Ten Hag’s team is scoring fewer and conceding more than the side that cost Moyes his job.

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Moyes was never convincing when he attempted to explain poor results and performances, and Ten Hag is falling into a similar trap.

“Every time you have to swap [players], the routines are not there and top football is going quick, so you need the communication in the split moment,” Ten Hag said when asked why his team makes recurring mistakes. “We went for the win and there was one counterattack where we probably did not defend too good as a team, but what I saw in the second half was a team going for a win and that was what we missed in the first half. I saw some decent football in the second half.”

Ten Hag has new bosses since INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 25% stake in the club, and INEOS director of sport Dave Brailsford was watching on Saturday from the directors’ box alongside Ferguson, the legendary former manager of Man United. Although Ten Hag insists INEOS is keen to work with him, the sound of the clock ticking on Ten Hag’s reign became louder every time the camera shot switched from Brailsford to a forlorn-looking Ten Hag on the touchline.

It was a similar story with Moyes before his sacking. Back then, the camera shot would be of a frustrated Ferguson before cutting directly to the struggling manager, looking more and more haunted with every defeat.

One can only imagine what Ferguson was whispering into Brailsford’s ear during this defeat at Forest, although it is a safe bet to assume that he wouldn’t be over-complimentary about the performance of Antony, United’s £85m winger who has not registered a goal or assist all season.

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The Brazil international was substituted on 54 minutes to chants of “What a waste of money!” from the Forest supporters, but the former Ajax winger’s lack of impact in a United shirt is becoming a major problem for Ten Hag simply because the former Ajax manager pushed the club to sign him 18 months ago.

“He is so frustrating,” former United captain Gary Neville told Sky Sports. “I blame the football club. It’s not [his] fault he was bought for that money. There has to be a ‘no’ when it gets to that level. If I was looking at him at £25m, we would be looking differently.”

Pursuing Antony was a misjudgment on Ten Hag’s part, but he repeats it every time he selects Antony in his starting lineup. The player is simply not good enough for a club aiming to contend at the top of the Premier League, so Ten Hag’s inability to accept that will not help his cause with his new bosses — Brailsford will be on a three-person football board with co-owners Joel Glazer and Ratcliffe once INEOS’ investment is ratified by the Premier League in the weeks ahead.

There are mitigating circumstances that Ten Hag is dealing with, of course. United’s injury list has been lengthy all season and forward Rasmus Hojlund, who finally scored his first Premier League goal for the club in Tuesday’s 3-2 win against Aston Villa, missed the Forest game due to illness.

But all managers must overcome injuries and illness problems — they are a fact of life in elite sport — and those Ten Hag is expected to compete with are doing a better job of it right now.

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When asked to pinpoint United’s biggest problem, Ten Hag was direct: “The injuries,” he said. “Also some issues but mainly the injuries hold us back in the process. In January, we have a lot of players returning so then our levels can be higher.

“We have had nine different partnerships in the back. It doesn’t matter as well, the fans don’t want to hear this, they want to see us winning and that is what we have to serve them.”

The upside from this game was that Marcus Rashford scored from open play for the first time since September. Alejandro Garnacho also showed himself to be a star of the future again. But with Nicolás Domínguez and Morgan Gibbs-White scoring either side of Rashford’s goal for Forest, the points went to Nottingham Forest, leaving Ten Hag with more negative statistics.

Under Ten Hag, Man United now have lost 14 games this season with another 18 games left to play — Moyes lost only 16 in one full season at United.

Meanwhile, United’s 21 defeats suffered in 2023 in all competitions is the club’s worst mark since 1972 and the fourth-worst tally in its history.

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This team has also lost the same number of games — nine — as it suffered in the Premier League throughout the whole of last season. Nottingham Forest, for their part, beat Man United for the first time since 1994.

So, the crisis returns. Next up is an FA Cup third-round tie at Wigan Athletic, who sit 18th in EFL League One. Ten Hag simply cannot contemplate losing that one.

-ESPN

 

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Former Arsenal soccer player Partey charged with five counts of rape

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 Premier League - Arsenal v Manchester City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - February 2, 2025 Arsenal's Thomas Partey during the warm-up before the match REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo

Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.

Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.

Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.

Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.

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He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.

-Reuters

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Rashford, Garnacho among five players seeking Man Utd exit

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Premier League - Manchester United v Newcastle United - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 30, 2024 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford warms up as a substitute during the match REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.

Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.

Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.

Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.

Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.

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United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.

“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”

Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.

Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.

-Reuters

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Fernandes rejects Al-Hilal offer to stay at Manchester United

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.

The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.

“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.

“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”

Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.

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“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.

“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.

“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”

The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.

However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.

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-Reuters

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