Manchester United has become stagnant in recent years, spending hundreds of millions with little to no success. Managers came and went but none of them had the impact needed to lift United back from its ashes; Mourinho managed to do so to a certain extent. It’s clear as day what the impact of Erik ten Hag is on the United squad; the team is once again functioning as it should.
In this blog, we are going to understand more about the man behind this resurgence of Manchester United, his roots, his ideology of football, and how this was implemented at the biggest clubs around the world.
Early Days
Who is Erik ten Hag? Calm and coolheaded, he ignores critics, follows his own methods, and relentlessly pursues perfection on the pitch. His uncanny ability to analyse and solve problems – the ‘process’ as Ten Hag calls it – has unfailingly led to breakthrough. There is no magic; only intelligence at work, personal devotion to players, and near-obsessive attention to detail.
The career of the Dutchman started at Go Ahead Eagles when Marc Overmars appointed Ten Hag to become the head coach of the Eerste Divisie, which is the second league in the Netherlands. This was technically his third job in coaching, as he was the second man at PSV and FC Twente, so he knew how things should be done from the outset.
Players within the club at Go Ahead Eagles noticed how driven and professional he was, Ten Hag was the first one in and the last one out. He demands the best from everyone involved in the club and he leads by example. At ‘Kowet’, he adopted a top sports culture, without barging in like an elephant in a china shop. The methods he wanted to adopt were taken on board as he was highly regarded as the man who gets things done. Some of the players remember that even the quality of the pitch grass was a factor that he took on, once before a game, he complimented the man in charge of the grass before the match.
These little things make a huge effect on how the players view their manager, and the whole team irrespective of the players feel and act. Eventually, Ten Hag managed to get Go Ahead Eagles promoted to the Eredivisie but he did not continue the journey with the team from Deventer as Bayern Munich came calling.
From Reviled to Revered
The spell in Germany lasted two years, working with youths and learning more from the philosophy of Pep Guardiola who, at the time, was one of the biggest names in football. During his time with Bayern Munich, Ten Hag managed to win the Regionalliga Bayern. With that success, he was appointed sporting director and head coach of Utrecht in 2015, where he led the club to fifth place in the first season and in the second, improved to fourth, earning them a place in a European competition.
After an amazing season with Utrecht, the biggest team in Dutch football came calling in mid-season as Marcel Keizer was sacked due to a string of bad results. Being given the job at Ajax mid-season is never easy, people are normally resistant to change, so Ten Hag wanted to build on the work done by his predecessor for the rest of the season and implement his own work in summer and pre-season of the following season. The seat at Ajax is a hot one; many people come and go, and only the best stay—Ten Hag was given a lot of stick for the opening few months of his tenure in Amsterdam. They did not really see any effects of his brand of management, and a lot of abuse was thrown his way. Some attacked the way he spoke with the media, and some even went personal and said that he resembled a garden gnome.
In his first full season, Erik ten Hag transformed his team into a cohesive unit, attacking in 11 and defending in 11. He also managed to transform the thinking at Ajax, for years, they nurtured talented players and sold them for a big profit, he questioned what was being done with that money. So he managed to convince the board to splash the cash on two key signings, Daley Blind €16 M and Tadic for €11 M. For Ajax, these transfers were big-money moves but their financial position remained comfortable.
In his first full season, Ten Hag managed to not only qualify for the Champions League group stage, but advance to the knockout stage, eliminate Real Madrid, soon after Juventus in the quarter-final but fell to a dramatic comeback against Spurs. Players such as Hakim Ziyech, Daley Blind, De Ligt, Van de Beek and Frankie de Jong were some of the players that played a big part in this success. The media hailed his transformation and putting Ajax and Dutch football on the footballing map once again.
At Ajax, Ten Hag brooked no dissent and moulded his team into a smoothly operating unit of attack. His team enjoyed an astonishing run, winning three league cups in a row and reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in a quarter of a century. Along the way, they produced some of the brightest and most entertaining football seen in Europe for years.
Move to Manchester
Last year, United were a disaster—no personality on the pitch whatsoever. The decisions taken beforehand culminated in a dire situation, finishing sixth and a massive 13 points away from fourth place. In summer, the board contacted Ten Hag for his services and, aftersome negotiations, he accepted to become the manager of Manchester United.
Similar to the previous season, key signings were made in the summer transfer window; Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Malacia all signed for United in the summer. Faith was, once again, all in on Ten Hag’s process and his brand of football to get United firing again. In the first two games of the league, United was brought back to Earth by a heavy defeat against Brentford and later against Brighton. After the defeat to Brentford, the Dutchman noticed that his team was running considerably less than the opposition and thus made them run the discrepancy between the two figure in training, he also joined in on the exercise.
Such ‘punishment’ is rarely seen in top football, but Ten Hag wanted to drive home the message that, commitment and hunger get results and they are all in this together. It wasn’t that simple exercise that galvanized the team to improve. He handled the Cristiano Ronaldo situation in an excellent manner so as to not disturb the rest of the squad. The signing of Lisandro Martinez was one of the most important deals done, maybe only second to Casemiro; he brought passion, calmness on the ball, and determination to win at all costs.
Belief is a key element in the way footballers operate on the pitch—if you don’t believe that you are good enough then you won’t be good enough. A reason why a lot of United fans give plaudits to Ten Hag is the way he managed to revive the talent of Marcus Rashford, making him confident in his own ability in front of goal whilst also cultivating a key partnership with Christian Eriksen. In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of goals, Rashford stepped in and produced the goods when needed. Martial started the season well but has since been sidelined due to injury.
Key victories against Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Tottenham got fans believing again. During Ten Hag’s first interview as United manager he was asked if he needs to wait for both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola to move on to be in the chance to win the Premier League title, he responded by stating that he appreciates how great both are, but eras come to an end. No team is destined to win the league each year and those words echoed throughout Manchester.
The attention to detail that he demands and expects from his team is astonishing; even after a win, he isn’t happy with anything, certain ‘rules’ still need to be followed at any given time. The trajectory of his tenure with United is an upward one but this year could be the building block for what is to come in the coming years.
Player Management
“Good is not good enough. You have to be even better.” – Erik ten Hag
After securing a lucrative deal with Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund, Jadon Sancho struggled to replicate his form in the Premier League. After the Euro 2020 penalty miss, fans turned toxic, racially abusing Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho for letting their country down. Such emotions are dealt with differently by each player and for Jadon Sancho, it was difficult to handle it. Erik ten Hag suggested that he takes some time off and travel to the Netherlands, where he will be training with specialised trainers. He recently returned and on his first Premier League return, he scored and the joy and jubilation expressed by Ten Hag were evident for all. He really cares about the person, not just the footballer.
A similar scenario happened to English right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka who, after completing his move from Crystal Palace, cemented his position at the first choice right back at the time. Until the end of the season, he fell out of favour, and in summer, he was tipped to be offloaded to make room for the new signings. Erik ten Hag had a plan for Aaron, together with Diogo Dalot, who is naturally more gifted going forward, they give great options to the manager in different situations across the whole season. In United’s comeback win against Manchester City at Old Trafford, Wan-Bissaka can be seen occupying an inverted role in the midfield. His dribbling and tackling abilities are brilliant and help United repel dangerous attacks, whereas Diogo Dalot might struggle against tricky wingers. In the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, Ten Hag showed how the two right backs can influence the game, in the first half, Dalot’s push forward was limited and, with a yellow card to his name against Saint-Maximin, Ten Hag swapped the Portugese for Wan-Bissakka and the tricky winger no longer enjoyed his time on the wing.
Managing a team of Manchester United’s stature is never easy; the expectation is to compete for titles and be competitive each year, something that hasn’t been present in recent years. Ten Hag managed to win his first piece of silverware, the Carabao Cup—not the most sought-after title, but it’s a step in the right direction for the team.
The future looks bright for United with a potential change in ownership imminent. The hype definitely has to materliase this time around.