Social Media Lies Continue As Erik Ten Hag Pressure Grows
It was another first half in which the whistle blowing triggered the masses to bay for the blood of the manager. United were the better side for most of the first half against a very tough Brentford side, albeit nowhere near perfect, but they did control large parts of the game. The Bee’s striking late on unfortunately changed the narrative and prompted social media to erupt with negativity once again.
This isn’t an article fighting the corner of Erik ten Hag and why he should remain Manchester United manager, not at all. These articles have been done from my side. I have said my piece, and I’ll stand by the words, no matter how the situation turns out.
It is an article, however, from a man that is dumbfounded by the level of ridiculous propaganda being peddled on social media about the manager and the players, and again, the ever-growing toxicity of the modern football fan.
Alvaro Fernandez Lies By Media:
Earlier this week, Erik spoke about Alvaro Fernandez. Alvaro was a hugely talented left-back in the academy who was eventually sold by the club after loan spells at Preston and Granada, with United holding a buy-back clause in the contract of the player at Benfica. Quotes were put out on social media suggesting Erik said he did not play much at Preston North End, but he did not say that. This is again the issue with social media. Nobody wants to do due diligence on what they are reading. To quote Erik ten Hag perfectly, as a decent journalist should, he said the following:
“I think the process is perfect. We loaned him to Preston, got back, then we loaned him to Granada, but he didn’t play so much there.”
United, along with Ten Hag, clearly felt the best route for his development was to sell him and stick a buy-back clause in his contract in the event he developed into a top player in the future. Which is turning out to be the situation. The club did not foresee Tyrell Malacia’s injury having such serious setbacks, nor did they foresee how long Luke Shaw would be out for. But again, this was merely to educate the masses on the importance of fact-checking, as people have been slating Ten Hag all week over a sentence he did not say.
It is disingenuous to be a fan of a football team but want and pray for them to lose, and also not be satisfied when they win. Supporting a team comes through thick and thin, and considering only three Manchester United managers have ever won a league title in the club’s history, it’s not a situation where we are guaranteed success.
Will Ten Hag Leave?
People have their names to take over from Erik, and if the situation comes to that, fair enough. But breaking a six-year stint without trophies is no easy feat, and becoming the first to win two major trophies within his first two seasons is also not something to be sniffed at either.
Performances have got to improve from United if he is to remain in position. Defeats in any of the next three games could be dangerous, but contrary to the beliefs outside of Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag seems to have the trust of INEOS. Much was made of United’s meeting last week, with many suggesting the manager was being sacked. Citizen journalists attempting to capitalize off a meeting they had no idea about and had no connections into the meeting to make any sort of educated guess on what was going to happen.
Erik spent the break with his family in Amsterdam and was unaware of any decision to sack him from his position throughout. The second half performance at Brentford does not feel like a team who have thrown a manager under the bus, and the suggestions that the manager has lost the dressing room do not feel correct, no matter how much people want to try and use it as ammunition to sack the manager.
Again, football is a diversely opinionated business, and the beautiful thing about opinions is that everyone has one. The issue is that some people’s opinions begin to become heavily offensive, and the tweets we see now every matchday regarding Manchester United are hard to stomach. United are developing. It might not be the title-winning development everyone expects from a United side, but you have got to walk before you can run.
3 Year Plan:
3 years is the projection for INEOS. Manchester United should not be 11th in the league at any point in time, but being 11th in the league after eight games is hardly the worst situation on the planet to be in. There’s time to turn this season around, and if that does not happen, fair enough. If Erik is to go, that is fine. People are entitled to their opinions on the manager; the arguments they present are fair and just when they are argued in an objective manner.
The issue is, that is very rare. People seem hellbent on the change of guard and think those who want to stick are crazy, all because they are deadset on the decision to twist. There should be no comparisons made to Alex Ferguson, because nobody is Alex Ferguson, but to openly not want your team to win all because you want Erik ten Hag sacked is arguably one of the most hideous and pathetic ways to watch football.
Style Of Play:
United’s style of play and patterns are noticeable. The quick interplay in central areas is obvious. The pressing patterns, while certainly not perfect at the moment, are beginning to form. The clear 3-2 in buildup is noticeable, boosted by the decision not to invert the left-back into midfield, instead building with Casemiro and Eriksen. Lisandro Martinez overlapped, which gave Alejandro Garnacho more options. Injuries are not an excuse anymore for the manager or the team.
The second goal is Erik ten Hag ball. Suffocation high in the opposition half, leading to a high turnover, and then scoring within four passes. Every Erik team has had that principle. Utrecht led the league during his first season with goals scored within four passes of winning the ball back, and when United are brave in the press, like they were against Brentford, the fruits of his plan begin to show.
The balls back to Onana are a clear tactic. The quick-through balls from Casemiro are a clear tactic. Directness is what Erik wants. It’s always been a facet of his play, and it’s always been an ingredient in the recipe that made Manchester United great. There are clear signs of coaching. The question is, will that coaching improve the team to a level that sees them competing for the top four this season, or will a familiar stagnation and failure that we’ve seen over the last 10 months rear its ugly head again?
One thing United lack is balance. If they get the balance right, this is a team that can compete for those European spots. It’s a side that can win the Europa League, and it’s a squad that can push for another domestic trophy. If the balance doesn’t come, the manager will very likely change, and if that is to be the case, that again is absolutely fine.
Individual brilliance when United win. Erik ten Hag when United lose. In theory, the overall consensus is a lot closer. It’s a collectively shared issue. Both parties are at fault, but the real question everyone wants to know is: can both parties fix it?
The Fenerbache game was an indifferent performance, but a good result. United haven’t beaten Fenerbache away from home since 1996 and had chances to win the game in an extremely hostile atmosphere. With five games left on the current Europa platform, it wasn’t a must win game in the sense of fearing elimination. United have extremely winnable games left, and the expectation is they will still breeze through to the next stage.
The next five games will be crucial for United in showcasing to the fans whether they can. Shouldn’t we all get behind the manager and the players within that period?
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