‘Something Needs to Change’: Newcastle Loss Puts Erik ten Hag Under Pressure Ahead of Man Utd vs Fulham

Manchester United were dealt consecutive 3-0 defeats at Old Trafford after a second-string Newcastle United devastated the home side, following on from a dire Manchester derby. Erik ten Hag is under serious pressure to improve his side’s form and set out a clear plan for the future.

Watch: The Hidden Problem at Manchester United that Erik ten Hag Can’t Fix

‘Something Needs to Change’ Man Utd Suffer Consecutive Home Embarrassments

Erik Ten Hag: ‘I Feel Sorry for the Fans’ After Newcastle 3-0 Win at Old Trafford

The Dutch manager felt forced to express his sympathy for the fans in his post-match interview, after another dismal performance. Speaking to Sky Sports he said ‘ I feel sorry for the fans’ and emphasised that he and his players ‘must take responsibility for it’.

Some match-attending fans felt forced to leave Old Trafford with over 10 minutes to spare in both of their last two matches, with no hope of a comeback in either tie.

Against Newcastle, who had seven players without a Premier League start this season and lacked a recognisable centre-back or centre-forward, United suffered their eighth defeat in 15 games this season.

Miguel Almiron, youngster Lewis Hall and Joe Willock all scored away from home, while 20-year-old Tino Livramento produced a man-of-the-match performance. Despite a flurry of great displays from Eddie Howe’s rotated side, it was hard to pick a single strong performer for United.

Pundits React to Shocking Eight Defeat in 15 Games

Andy Mitten of The Athletic described the Reds’ performance against Eddie Howe’s travelling Magpies as “Absolutely shocking. Appalling”, noting that “Almost every single player was poor, alarmingly so right from the start.”

Some pundits, including Gary Neville, have felt that Ten Hag could point to strong mitigating circumstances for his poor start, such as the takeover uncertainty or their injury crisis and players’ off-field personal issues.

Others, who acknowledge these issues, argue that the head coach has still performed poorly this season, even with such factors considered. “Yes Ten Hag has been dealt a very bad hand with the injury crisis, the takeover stuff, but he’s also playing this hand quite badly” journalist Carl Anka told The Athletic’s Talk of the Devils podcast.

Fellow expert Ian Irving expressed his confusion over the direction of United under Erik ten Hag, stating that while he is yet to feel they need to remove the current manager, “something needs to change because this can’t continue”.

Is Erik ten Hag a Victim of the Glazers?

Despite the record-poor start under the former Ajax boss, he may be yet another victim of the Glazer’s mismanagement of the club.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, his hand-picked successor David Moyes, as well as highly-rated Louis Van Gaal, legendary boss Jose Mourinho and United icon Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, have failed to restore the club to a shadow of its former glory. Now Erik ten Hag’s future is in doubt.

However, one concern for the Red Devils boss will be that his fingerprints are all over this squad. Struggling Casemiro seemed like a revelation last season after his £60 million move but has struggled this season, as has new keeper Andre Onana, who starred in last season’s Champions League final against United’s noisy neighbours.

The Dutchman pushed heavily for Mason Mount, who he called a “complete midfielder” after a huge transfer from Chelsea in the summer. Yet, it is unclear what his place in the squad is. Bruno Fernandes was named captain – a conversation for another day – and appears undroppable in big games, despite his poor form.

It’s unclear whether the Englishman and his Portuguese peer can play together and provide enough defensive cover for Casemiro or Sofyan Amrabat. The Morrocan midfielder himself has struggled to adapt, despite working with Ten Hag in the past.

Perhaps he can be forgiven, after all, he has been forced to cover for the absent Casemiro while trying to adapt to the pace of the Premier League and United’s style of play.

Manchester United Need an Identity to Take on the Premier League’s Elite

That brings us to our next issue, what is Manchester United’s style of play under Erik ten Hag? After 15 games this season, there are very few repeated patterns or noticeable concepts, other than the contradictory approach of wanting to control possession whilst also aiming to be “the best transition team in the world”.

While Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp have built their sides to fit their style, it’s unclear what the recruitment of Ten Hag’s targets – such as Antony – is designed to improve.

Perhaps more troubling is the comparison to Ange Postecoglou, who joined Spurs with the uncertainty of Harry Kane’s future, his absence and the lack of a clear replacement.

Another issue for the Australian was that he had inherited a demoralised squad (and fanbase), tired of the disciplinarian approaches of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, which had played a dull defensive block of five.

With some signings, but largely an inherited squad, he has injected the fun of free-flowing but disciplined football back into the side and it’s no coincidence that they’re sat at the top of the table.

In contrast, Erik ten Hag appears to have avoided the risky process of introducing a clear style of play and patterns of movement to his side, perhaps out of a lack of belief in the players.

Now he risks alienating both the fans and his squad, or worse, losing his job. With each poor result, it gets harder to explain why they’re collapsing and what reasons they may have to be positive for the future.

Manchester United’s Key Games Could Be Make or Break for Ten Hag

United’s next two fixtures see them travel to Fulham FC in the Premier League, before a midweek journey to Copenhagen in search of another crucial three points in their Champions League group.

Dropped points in either game could add to the pressure surrounding the club and could be fatal to the head coach’s position.

Brendan Pridmore

Brendan Pridmore is a Writer for Last Word on Football and a Manchester City fan. Brendan is particularly passionate about tactical set ups and the use of data analysis in football, which he assures his peers is not boring.