After weeks of leaks and reports that monitor the development of negotiations, Manchester United announced the contract with Dutch coach Eric Ten Hag to lead the team until 2025, which raises questions about the coaching career of the Dutch coach, and his ability to restore the glories of the ancient English club.
United appointed Ten Hag as their new coach on Thursday, leaving Ajax Amsterdam, after becoming one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Dutch club.
During 4 and a half seasons with Ajax, Ten Hag won 5 titles to carve his name among the top 5 coaches in the club's history, but the numbers he achieved are the most impressive.
Ten Hag, 52, led Ajax in 138 matches in the Eredivisie, winning 109 matches and suffering only 16 defeats.
During this period, the team scored 409 times, while conceding 109 goals.
🇳🇱 Made in the Netherlands.
Ready for Manchester.
đź”´ Erik ten Hag's next step is United.#MUFC ||
#WelcomeErik pic.twitter.com/SwsCwFja10
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 21, 2022
But the amazing numbers were overshadowed by the drama of the club’s march to the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2018-2019 season, when the team climbed from the preliminary rounds to defeat Real Madrid and Juventus, before losing in the semi-finals with a last gasp against Tottenham.
This remarkable period played a role in shaping the reputation of Ten Hag, who is known for his adventurous attacking approach with tactical discipline and his great ability to develop young players, some of whom later joined major European clubs.
Performance is close to perfect
Ten Hag described his team's 4-1 victory over its host Real Madrid in the final price at the time as "a show that is close to perfect."
Manchester United explained the fundamental reason behind the appointment of Ten Hag, and United's director of football John Murtaugh said today, Thursday, "During the last four years he spent with Ajax Amsterdam, Eric has proven to be one of the best and most successful coaches at European level through the attractive attacking performance of his team and his commitment to developing young players. ".
This season, Ajax won all six matches in the group stage of the Champions League, but was suddenly knocked out by Benfica from the final price.
New beginnings.
🔴⚪⚫ x 🔴⚪🔵#MUFC ||
#WelcomeErik pic.twitter.com/hXSP3XQnAy
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 21, 2022
And last Sunday they also lost the Dutch Cup final to PSV Eindhoven, undermining Ten Hag's impressive stats.
But with the team leading by 4 points over their closest pursuers at the top of the Eredivisie, Ajax are close to winning the league title again this season, giving Ten Hag the best farewell gift.
Ten Hag's training experiences
Ten Hag began his coaching career after retiring from playing at the age of 32 after 10 years with Dutch club Twente, and other years with clubs such as Wolffick and Ultrecht.
After an experience with youth teams, Ten Hag joined the technical staff of the first team at Twente, and impressed coach Steve McClaren.
McClaren spoke about his experience with the young coach, and said, "A day after I was appointed to coach the team, he arrived at the training headquarters carrying a file containing a detailed plan for training during the first six weeks of the start of the season, and I had never seen anything similar before."
He pointed out that Ten Hag has impressive abilities to analyze matches, and added, "I thought I knew football, but after that period I lived with him, I realized that I do not know anything about football; he has the ability to see things during matches that others do not notice."
đź’¬ Message from Eric Ten Hag.
#United |
#HiEric
— Manchester United (@ManUtd_AR) April 21, 2022
After returning the Eagles to the first division in his first season as head coach in 2013, Ten Hag surprised everyone by agreeing to coach Bayern Munich's second team in the German fourth division.
His presence coincided with Pep Guardiola's leadership of the first team of Bayern Munich, which gave him a two-year opportunity in which the Spanish coach participated in the obsession about tactical plans and the details of the daily work in training.
"100 things can go well, and if one thing fails that's what people will remember," Ten Hag said in a previous interview.
In reference to the strict care to excel in all details.
Complicated task with Manchester United
The Dutch coach, famous for his calmness on and off the field, is believed by some to achieve the perfect combination of the rigor and requirements of Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, and the "soft" management of Ole Gunner Solskjaer;
His predecessors coached Manchester United.
The new coach of the "Red Devils" will face a complex task in light of the departure of a large number of players due to the expiration of their contracts or the decline in their technical level, and he will find himself required to develop a contracting plan that covers the team's shortcomings.
In addition, Ten Hag finds himself in front of players with a volatile and fragile temperament, such as Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, and players who do not fit his philosophy of playing with intense pressure, such as Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who is too old and cannot participate in a great physical effort throughout the match periods.
What gives Manchester United fans optimism, however, is Ten Hag's ability to develop young talent and revive the careers of experienced players such as Dusan Tadic, Dale Blind or Sebastian Haller.
In a 2017 interview, Ten Hag said, "Success comes on foot, but it can escape on horseback," a phrase that fits his upcoming career with Manchester United. The Dutch coach is convinced that the results of the work may take time to appear, but he also realizes that he is working in A volatile field in which things may develop positively or negatively in short periods of time.