After lifting the FA Cup last season, Erik ten Hag has dismissed suggestions he will be sacked before the final against Man City. After the 2-1 victory, the 54-year-old said he had reached three finals and won two trophies in two years. If anyone wanted to sack him, he would be happy and would go elsewhere to continue winning trophies.
That statement came in the context of Ten Hag having just won the FA Cup with a victory over the reigning Premier League champions, Man City. The Dutch captain then reiterated during his tour of the US that, apart from Man City, in the 2 years he took charge of Man United , no English team had won more trophies than the "Red Devils".
After losing 0-3 to Liverpool last weekend, when reporters in the press conference "pushed him into a corner", Ten Hag brought up the topic of counting trophies to answer. When a reporter asked if his approach to the game was wrong, the 54-year-old coach said he had a different vision from the media. He reiterated that Man United is the English team that has won the most trophies after Man City in the past 2 years.
Ten Hag was right to say that because it was true. However, after 3 matches from the beginning of the season and only 3 points, the pressure was again on the strategist's shoulders. The British media started betting that he would soon be kicked out of Old Trafford if he lost 2-3 more matches. Amidst all that pressure, Ten Hag calmly replied that the most important thing in football is whether or not to win the title at the end of the season.
Ten Hag's view is different from Ole Solskjaer's. In March 2021, Solsa said that cup competitions will bring titles but sometimes, how they perform on the field is also a matter of pride for each player and coach.
"Not every title means the team has returned to its glory days. It's just a small development, in line with the club's upward trend. Sometimes, a cup tournament can hide the fact that your team is struggling," Solskajaer shared.
Ten Hag's views are now being heavily criticized because he and his players have lost two consecutive matches against Brighton and Liverpool. If the same is the case, many "Red Devils" fans still choose to live with the acceleration and emotional matches under Ole Solskjaer.
As for Ten Hag, the inherent errors of the defense, the harmlessness of the attacking front that lasts from game to game are not related to the "Red Devils" winning the FA Cup and League Cup in the last 2 years. The main goal of Man United in the 3rd season with Ten Hag is a title and a ticket to the Champions League. Of which, playing in the highest level of European football is more important than anything.
Therefore, if they continue to play like this, even if they win the FA Cup or League Cup again, Man United will still not be able to participate in the most prestigious playground in the old continent. The Europa League has too many "bogeymen" and the Premier League has dozens of teams ready to block the way of Ten Hag and his team in the goal of winning tickets.
