Manchester United are currently 13th in the Premier League after six games, six points off the Champions League places. Notably, they have failed to score in three of their last four league games. And only Southampton, who are 19th, have a worse attack than the Red Devils this season.
The humiliating defeat to Tottenham was the latest in a series of horrendous performances for United. They also suffered a 0-7 defeat to Liverpool, 0-4 to Crystal Palace and Brentford. It was a huge humiliation for a club as prestigious as United. So how long will coach Erik ten Hag last at Old Trafford?
The problem of M.U is the lack of cohesion and consistency in playing style. This has been recurring from previous seasons, not just happening once. The Man United board once aimed for Gareth Southgate to replace Ten Hag this summer, but in the end still did not do it. Because Man United understood that Southgate would not necessarily be welcomed by the fans.
Before the defeat to Tottenham, United’s view was that despite inconsistent results this season, they had shown signs of improvement both offensively and defensively. Their lack of finishing was seen as a major concern. However, a number of their other weaknesses were repeated against Spurs, which has increased the scrutiny on Ten Hag.
Before Ten Hag, many other famous coaches failed at Old Trafford. Therefore, the problem cannot be blamed entirely on the Dutch "captain". They also know that Ten Hag has had to deal with many upheavals off the pitch, including player discipline issues or a prolonged takeover. Simply put, Ten Hag has not had the best support, from Man United's point of view.
The board has given Ten Hag the go-ahead to change his coaching staff this summer, alongside quality new signings. INEOS want to judge Ten Hag on his performance within an improved structure.
"We need time for the new signings to get into the team. But basically we are all on the same page now, from the board, the executive team, the coaching staff and all the players," Ten Hag said after the defeat to Tottenham.
Overall, the Red Devils' board still wants to give Ten Hag another full season under the supervision of the new football management structure. However, there is no guarantee that the Dutch strategist will not be fired if matches like the one against Spurs continue to appear.
The pressure on Ten Hag will be very heavy in the next matches. If Man United still lose in both away matches against Porto and Aston Villa, then Ten Hag's future will be very uncertain.
