Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, watched his team narrowly defeat Coventry in a thrilling cup match on Sunday at Wembley.
It’s possible that Manchester United will contemplate changing managers at the end of the current campaign.
Ryan Taylor claims that Erik ten Hag won’t be in the Manchester United dugout come next season.
The victory versus Coventry was a fitting representation of United’s season, as they managed to scrape by despite a number of shocking setbacks.
After Coventry City’s thrilling Sunday afternoon equalizer at Wembley, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag appeared to be defeated.
Though he prevailed after momentarily blowing a 3-0 lead beneath the renowned arches, many others, like journalist Ryan Taylor, think Ten Hag’s career is over. Taylor says he does not see Ten Hag “surviving the summer”.
Before the hour had passed, the Red Devils had jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and it appeared as though they would be coasting into an FA Cup final against fierce rivals Manchester City, who had defeated Chelsea at Wembley just the day before. However, Coventry’s incredible comeback prompted extra time, and they went on to score in the final minute of regulation to virtually win the match. Fortunately, VAR saved United’s blushes.
On paper, the victory has sent Ten Hag to his third domestic cup final out of four and given United another opportunity to win a trophy under his leadership. Nevertheless, Ten Hag has drawn a lot of criticism despite their run to the championship, one of which came from Taylor, who expressed his doubt that the Dutchman would be starting the opening game of the following season in the hot seat.
Taylor says, “Manchester United Have Gone Backwards”
For Ten Hag, this season has been very different.
Every Player That Erik ten Hag Signed at Manchester United
Taylor posted on X (previously known as Twitter) to make his point that he feels United have regressed in the two years under the Dutchman’s leadership, claiming that most of their players have done so. Taylor penned:
Not sure Erik ten Hag will make it through the summer. After spending more than £400 million on new players, the majority of whom—including former players—have regressed, the team has regressed. There are still six Premier League games remaining for United to play, and they are behind one goal. That is a crime serious enough to get fired.
The Red Devils manager has been linked to leaving the team for months, and given how this season has gone, he will already be treading carefully if United sticks with him through the summer.
An Analysis on Manchester United’s Season
This season could be the worst that United has ever had in Premier League history.
The neutral goal difference of 0 in 2021–22 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick was United’s worst goal difference since they previously finished with a negative goal difference in 1989–90, Alex Ferguson’s fourth season at the club. With several disastrous signings, such as the money spent on Antony and Casemiro, and with Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana still up for debate, Ten Hag has a lot to answer for. Moreover, the team hasn’t had many players who have truly established their dominance.
Some teams, like Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Newcastle, who are all in the top six and vying for European places, have made excellent financial decisions and have succeeded on their own this season. Arsenal is attempting to win the title again, Villa is hoping to make it to the Champions League for the first time since 1983, and Newcastle is making its first consecutive European finish in 19 years.
Ten Hag’s team, on the other hand, is currently ranked seventh and runs the genuine chance of finishing ninth in the standings should Chelsea and West Ham have successful seasons. Ten Hag would need to win five of his final six games to surpass David Moyes’ disastrous season at United, which yielded 64 points. Even then, the team would probably only finish sixth, far behind Villa and Tottenham, who are fighting for fourth place and a trip to Europe’s premier cup competition.