Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has questioned the knowledge and
understanding of impatient onlookers calling for him to be sacked, as Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta believes the Dutchman deserves more time at Old Trafford.
United’s season hit a new low in Monday’s 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football, which leaves them in eighth spot ahead of their Super Sunday clash against Arsenal, live on Sky Sports.
Ten Hag’s side could record their lowest-ever Premier League finish this season, though they are in this month’s FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley, and Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher disagreed over whether the Dutchman should stay on as head coach.
“I think the fans have the patience – you’ve seen it on Monday,” Ten Hag said, referencing the wave of support from the United travelling fans immediately after their 4-0 loss at Palace.
“But when I see some comments, they don’t. And either they don’t have any knowledge about football, or they don’t have any knowledge about managing a football team. It’s possible, or they just are up to it.
“But I think there are many people that see the problems and they are patient.”
Ten Hag is confident “common sense” will prevail as the club’s decision-makers consider his future, brushing aside talk that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS group could sack him even if United won the FA Cup, as happened to compatriot Louis van Gaal in 2016.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Crystal Palace’s win against Manchester United in the Premier League
“If I see the problems we have faced, all the injuries, and in almost every game they fought,” Ten Hag said. “There was great team spirit.
“Not on Monday, that is why I was so disappointed. Monday I was really disappointed (with) and also the players were disappointed with themselves. There was collectively failure.
“But all the other games we fought with each other, had good team spirit, so, no, I can’t have any doubt about this.”
Arteta: I admire Ten Hag’s United
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Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta says he’s following his brain and gut, and is hoping to lift the Premier League trophy
Arsenal manager Arteta believes Ten Hag is an excellent coach who deserves more time to get things right at Old Trafford.
“I can only talk about what I think about him as a coach. He’s an excellent coach. I admire his teams, both Ajax and United,” Arteta replied when asked about Ten Hag’s position.
“I know what he’s trying to do, I know how he does it, I know how difficult it is to prepare against him, so I have huge respect for him.
“Hopefully, yes, he gets the time because we are colleagues and we know how difficult it is in this league and what the margins are and yeah, hopefully that’s the case because I think he is an excellent coach.
“If you want to win the Premier League and big trophies, you have to go to these grounds and impose yourself and beat them. That’s the journey we are on and that’s for sure what we are going to try to do on Sunday.”
Neville vs Carragher: What should Man Utd do on Ten Hag?
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Gary Neville believes Erik ten Hag must be given one more season to prove himself at Manchester United with the luck of an injury free campaign
Gary Neville to Sky Sports:
“I don’t see a suitable replacement for Ten Hag available. Bayern Munich are struggling to find a replacement, others are struggling.
“I think we need to stick with Ten Hag and give him one more season – an injury-free season – to see if United can get back to the standards of last season where they won a trophy and finished in the top four.
“Players and managers have struggled to come to terms with Old Trafford in the last 10 years. These players and managers were great when United signed them, so there is something fundamentally wrong that is creating this difficulty. Maybe the new ownership and personnel will allow these players and manager to feel more stable.
“Look, I hope in three, four weeks that this FA Cup final against Manchester City, which is such a tough game, we know how good City are, but if they can just defy the odds who knows where that might lead to.
“You know, in 1989-90 Sir Alex Ferguson won an FA Cup that put belief into him, into a group of players. They then went on to win a Cup Winners’ Cup, then went onto win the League Cup, then went on to eventually win a league title.
“It was building block by block, step by step and that could be just around the corner, or it could be a few years away, but they will win again, Manchester United. It’s inevitable.”
Jamie Carragher in his Daily Telegraph column:
“Ten Hag took over at United with a big reputation because of his work at Ajax, especially when he led them to the Champions League semi-final. He was not presented as an emerging coach but at 52 was supposed to be a ready-made one who would impose a clear vision.
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Jamie Carragher and Ashley Young discuss the problems at Manchester United and Erik ten Hag’s chances of turning around the club’s fortunes
United had qualified for the Champions League in two of the three seasons preceding Ten Hag’s appointment and there was a belief talented players needed superior coaching and a change of culture at the training ground.
“Like Arteta, Ten Hag had no choice but to use the personnel available to be more pragmatic in his first season. Over his first three transfer windows, United spent just over £380 million and nothing has changed as they have bought more deadwood than they have sold.
“Of Ten Hag’s first Premier League line-up (defeat by Brighton in August, 2022), seven would probably still make the first choice XI. Only two have left the club, and another, Jadon Sancho, is about to play the Champions League final on loan at Borussia Dortmund.
“United have been regularly outclassed by rivals, losing 6-3 against Manchester City and 7-0 to Liverpool, while struggling against mid-table Premier League teams too.
“Even when United have enjoyed good results under Ten Hag, I am genuinely struggling to recall any exceptionally good performances with a perceptively proactive system of play. Two years on, they are not set up like a top team.
“None of Arteta’s most disappointing losses were remotely comparable to the 4-0 defeat by Crystal Palace on Monday night. Worryingly for Ten Hag, the biggest difference is he is not the owner’s appointment. The Arsenal board staked their reputation on Arteta coming good. Logic suggests Ratcliffe will be more inclined to stand or fall based on his managerial pick.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
