Erik ten Hag has claimed he will never be able to make Manchester United play like his Ajax side as the manager came in for severe criticism over his tactics and the team’s lack of identity.
Manchester City’s emphatic 3-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday saw United slump to a fifth defeat in their opening 10 Premier League matches and fall eight points behind fourth place, with the club already facing an uphill battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
United have spent more than £400 million since Ten Hag was appointed manager in May last year after a successful spell at Ajax when he won three Eredivisie titles, two Dutch cups and guided the club to the Champions League semi-final playing a widely admired brand of attacking football.
Ten Hag has been allowed to dictate United’s transfer policy and has signed three players who played under him at Ajax - Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Andre Onana – as well as Sofyan Amrabat, whom he had as a player at Utrecht.
Three other signings – Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia and Mason Mount – also have past Eredivisie and/or Ajax links.
‘This is not the DNA of the club at all’
But asked when he would be able to replicate Ajax’s playing style at Old Trafford, Ten Hag told Viaplay: “Never. We will never play that football here because those were different players. This is also not why I came here.
“The players you have determine how you will play. We are playing different football than I showed at Ajax. That will have to be the case because I can’t play the same way here.
“That is not the DNA of Manchester United at all. Ajax has a very typical and characteristic style of play.
“With Manchester United I will always show different football, I did so last year as well. We play much more direct football here because I have the players for that here, especially at the front [of the pitch].”
United’s recruitment policy under Ten Hag drew criticism from Gary Neville. “They have allowed another manager to come in and dictate policy and let the tail wag the dog on recruitment,” the former United captain said. “They have brought eight Eredivisie players in from basically a league that Erik ten Hag thinks he trusts.”
After an encouraging start, United fell away once City took the lead through a contentious penalty from Erling Haaland before the champions turned the screw in the second half and completely dominated their opponents.
Ten Hag’s substitution of striker Rasmus Hojlund in the 73rd minute was booed by fans and his decision to start with Victor Lindelof over Sergio Reguilon at left back and Jonny Evans over Raphael Varane at centre-half, as well as the removal of Sofyan Amrabat at half-time, all backfired.
Wenger: ‘No hope in United team’
Arsene Wenger, the former Arsenal manager who won three Premier League titles, claimed there was “no hope” in United’s team and claimed Ten Hag got his tactics wrong by involving goalkeeper Andre Onana too much when they should have been playing forward.
“In the end, for such a big club you felt sorry for Man United because there’s no hope there in the team,” Wenger told BeIN Sports.
“I don’t see where they can improve, basically. This team has lost confidence, quality and even spirit. I would say it was not a great fighting spirit from Man United, on top of that.
“I believe where Man United suffers a lot, first of all is about the quality, the individual quality of the players. And I felt they were very poor to build the game up from the back. They gave the ball so many times to the goalkeeper when they had possibilities to play forward. I would stay it started there.
“Then you make the whole team uncertain and lack confidence because when you feel the fear is behind, they do not want the ball.”
Wenger also claimed there was a clear disconnect between the defence and attack. “I would say the second part of their big problem was the distances between the striker and the defenders was huge.
“There were situations where the strikers were closing down, trying to pressure, and the defenders were 20 metres behind the halfway line. You cannot win the ball back against a team like Man City when the distances are too big. The team was not compact enough, after that the difference of individual quality.”
Wenger believes not a single United player would get into City’s team. “If you tell me tonight how many players who get in the first XI of Man City? For me that sums it up,” he said. “Usually, in a big game or a big derby, you’d say I would take three or four from here and there. That sums up the problem of Man United, basically.”
Carragher: ‘What are United trying to do?’
Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool and England defender and Telegraph Sport columnist, believes United have no discernable style of play under Ten Hag.
“None of us here can explain what Manchester United try to do in terms of how they play,” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “He [Ten Hag] has been here now nearly 18 months. We’ve seen Unai Emery come in as Aston Villa, we’ve seen Ange Postecoglou come in at Tottenham.
“In a short space of time, it doesn’t mean you win every week, but when you go to the games you know what you’re going to see. We still don’t know what we’re going to see with Manchester United. You tell me how they play with the ball?”
Carragher also claimed the uncertainty around the ownership situation did not explain the continued lack of identity on the pitch. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is due to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the club from the Glazer family but Carragher insisted that had nothing to do with Ten Hag’s failure to impose a clear playing style.
“Every time they get beat badly in a game, everything goes back to the ownership,” he said. “Of course it’s not right, the supporters are not happy, but what you’re talking about is a style of football.
“What he’s doing on the training pitch Monday to Friday has got nothing to do with Jim Ratcliffe coming in. What does he want those players to do? When they are building from the back - and we see every top team in the league do it - what are Manchester United trying to do with the ball?”
Carragher suggested United’s approach pointed to a team hoping to avoid being outclassed by superior opponents. “They are playing underdog football and they have done since he came in,’ he said. “They play counter-attack and they play a lot of long balls. No other top team plays like that.
“It’s nothing to do with what’s going on above him. What’s he doing on the training pitch, with the players he brings in, and what’s he asking them to do? You can’t see it.’
