Premier League
Ten Hag makes his case as Man United’s worst modern manager
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Premier League
Salah uncertain about his future at Liverpool
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Egyptian publication, Ahram has published that Liverpool’s Egyptian winger, Mohamed Salah, expressed uncertainty about his future with the club on Sunday, citing the impending expiration of his contract at the end of this season.
The 32-year-old shone on Sunday as Liverpool delivered a stunning 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in a Premier League fixture.
Salah played a pivotal role in the win, assisting in the first two goals before finding the net for the third, bringing his goal tally to three in three games so far this season.
“I had a good summer and had a long time to myself to try to stay positive because as you know it’s my last year at the club, “Salah told Sky Sports after the game on Sunday.
“Nobody at the club has spoken to me yet about a new contract so. I just play this last season and then see at the end of the season.”
When asked about the possibility of playing for Manchester United, Salah responded that it is premature to discuss such matters.
“So far, we don’t know with which club, but so far yeah my last game here with Liverpool. It’s not up to me but nobody talk to me about a contract with the club. We’ll see.”
The Egyptian winger joined Liverpool in the summer of 2017 from Italian side AS Roma.
He has made 352 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool, scoring 214 goals and providing 92 assists.
Premier League
Man Utd humbled as Diaz double helps Liverpool humiliate rivals
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Two goals from Luis Diaz and one from Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool stroll to a 3-0 victory at Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag’s side humbled by their fierce rivals.
Liverpool dominated a United team who could not keep pace with them in the first half, the visitors taking the lead in the 35th minute through a back-post header from Diaz after United midfielder Casemiro had given the ball away.
Casemiro was again at fault for Diaz and Liverpool’s second, again supplied by Mohamed Salah, with the Colombia international sweeping home three minutes before the break, sending United supporters off for their halftime refreshments early.
With United on the ropes, Liverpool smelled blood after the break, Salah adding a third 11 minutes into the second half, but the visitors settled for three as they maintained their 100% record this season under new coach Arne Slot.
“The goals are always self-inflicted,” United captain Bruno Fernandes told Sky Sports. “You need to commit a mistake to give them the goal. We don’t need to be pointing fingers at everyone. that won’t help us now.
“When you concede a goal you can’t just point at one mistake. We don’t have to look at the past. We just have to make it different. We lost the game, congratulations to Liverpool, they were more clinical. I don’t look at the stats but the game was tight.”
After a positive summer in the transfer market and fresh faces in the boardroom, last week’s last-gasp defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion gave United supporters a stark reminder of the improvements still needed on the pitch.
Sunday’s visit of a Liverpool side who had lost just one of their previous 12 Premier League meetings with United will have caused a great deal of concern pre-match.
Those more pessimistic fans were fearing the worst as Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to have fired Liverpool into an early lead at Old Trafford, only for VAR to step in and save the hosts, adjudging Salah to be offside earlier in the move.
United settled into the contest without troubling Liverpool down the other end of the pitch, allowing the visitors to pick their moments when they came.
Casemiro’s wayward pass ensured the Slot’s side did not have to try too hard to unlock their rivals, Diaz applying the finishing touch to get Liverpool up and running.
Diaz’s third of the season was another fine finish, but another Casemiro will want to forget. The flying Liverpool forward has now scored more Premier League goals against United than any other opponent.
Yet another mistake in midfield, this time from Kobbie Mainoo, was ruthlessly punished by Salah in the second half, the Egyptian cementing his pace as the highest-scoring opposition player at Old Trafford in Premier League history — seven strikes.
The visitors thereafter cruised to a victory that means Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win his first meeting with United since Bob Paisley in November 1975, and just the second to do so away from home after George Kay in November 1936.
“Everything what you want to see as a manager you saw in this game,” Slot said. “There were difficult moments for us, United started really well but then we have disallowed goal and there was no negative reaction, kept on playing, scoring three, could have scored more.
“There were two important saves from our goalkeeper and the work rate was incredibly well without the ball and that makes it a very positive day.”
-Reuters
Premier League
Brighton end 10-man Arsenal’s winning start
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Brighton and Hove Albion ended Arsenal’s winning start to the new Premier League season with a 1-1 draw at The Emirates on Saturday, with the home side holding on with 10 men after Declan Rice’s second-half sending off.
Arsenal dominated the first half and deservedly lead at half time after Kai Havertz finished brilliantly in the 38th minute, having been played in expertly by Bukayo Saka.
Four minutes into the second half, however, Arsenal’s task was made all the harder when Rice was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. Brazilian striker Joao Pedro fired Brighton level 12 minutes later.
Both sides missed golden chances to win the contest late on, but they each had to settle for a point that keeps Arsenal and Brighton unbeaten from their three games so far.
“We started the game really well,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports. “We scored the goal, 1-0. We started the second half really good but then there is the decision that changes the game completely.
“If it (second yellow card) happens throughout the game in a consistent way it is fine but it didn’t. It is the inconsistency.”
After narrowly missing out on their first Premier League title since 2004 last season, Arsenal started the new term in perfect fashion.
With champions Manchester City also coming into this weekend’s fixtures with two wins from two at the start of the new season, Arsenal know any slip-up, even this early in the campaign, could be costly.
They appeared set to be course for a ninth successive league victory after a dominant first-half display. Skipper Martin Odegaard should have scored earlier in the opening period before Havertz lofted home his second of the campaign.
Rice’s second yellow for trying to stop Brighton taking a quick free kick, a decision that was met with consternation around the stands, turned the tide in the visitors’ favour.
Since Boxing Day 2019 – Mikel Arteta’s first game in charge of Arsenal – the Gunners have been shown 16 red cards in the Premier League, at least three more than any other side. But it was Rice’s first red in his 245th Premier League appearance.
Following his last-gasp winner against Manchester United last weekend, Pedro reacted first after Yankuba Minteh’s shot had been saved to pull Brighton level, and the game opened up thereafter.
Saka could have snatched the win late on, while Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya had to be at his best on several occasions to keep Brighton from earning all three points, but both seemed content with a draw after an exhilarating tussle.
“We didn’t create enough chances when they went down to 10 men, but we will go away and look at it,” Brighton captain Lewis Dunk said.
“We always believe we can win any game of football. We are in a good place and we know we can beat anybody.”
-Reuters
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