Erik ten Hag and Man Utd floundering once more after Tottenham loss however ought to INEOS have seen it coming? | Soccer Information

A shambolic defensive show culminating in a heavy defeat. A dejected group of gamers and a supervisor insisting he wants extra time. Essentially the most damning factor about Manchester United’s capitulation towards Tottenham is that all of it felt so acquainted.

Erik ten Hag may level to Bruno Fernandes’s Forty second-minute purple card as a mitigating issue. However his declare that it “changed the game” didn’t stack up. United had been terrible even with 11 males. The truth is, they’d much less possession and fewer photographs within the first half than within the second.

“It’s one of the worst performances I’ve seen under Ten Hag,” mentioned Sky Sports activities’ Gary Neville afterwards. “And that’s saying something.” Astonishingly, this was the twenty third fixture during which they’ve conceded three or extra targets below Ten Hag, making up practically 20 per cent of his 123 video games in cost.

It’s a larger proportion than any of United’s earlier 5 managers, relationship again to David Moyes and together with Ralf Rangnick, below whom they completed with a record-low factors whole.

The numbers look even worse compared with these of different Premier League sides.

For the reason that begin of final season, solely relegated Sheffield United have conceded three or extra targets on extra events. Manchester United’s whole of 16 in 44 video games in that timeframe is eight occasions as excessive as Arsenal’s and practically 5 as excessive as Manchester Metropolis’s.

Their newest defeat may simply have been by an excellent greater margin. Over the course of the 90 minutes at Previous Trafford, Tottenham peppered their purpose with 24 photographs, gleefully exploiting the area Ten Hag’s aspect depart out there to their opponents on a routine foundation.

It’s no exaggeration to say they’re essentially the most defensively open aspect within the Premier League below Ten Hag. Contemplate the truth that, for the reason that begin of final time period, they’ve confronted 20 or extra photographs 16 occasions. It’s the most by any aspect, together with even final yr’s relegated groups.

Exclude Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton, and West Ham are the one aspect out of the opposite 16 to have even reached to double figures.

Not fairly in a league of their very own, then, however Manchester United aren’t far off. The numbers are bewilderingly unhealthy for a membership of their standing with aspirations of difficult the elite once more.

All of which raises critical questions on how they obtained right here.

Ten Hag can in fact level to the 2 trophies he has gained throughout his tenure. Their FA Cup remaining win over Manchester Metropolis in Might, following Carabao Cup success within the earlier yr, undoubtedly strengthened his place when it got here to the summer season.

However the progress of any aspect is greatest measured by league efficiency and it’s troublesome to argue with Jamie Redknapp’s assertion on Sunday that United are “going backwards”. Having completed third in his first season and a record-low of eighth in his second, United now sit twelfth, with seven factors from six video games.

The membership’s INEOS decision-makers can not moderately declare to have been caught off guard by these developments given they’re merely a continuation of what got here earlier than.

The truth is, United’s common of 1.17 factors per recreation within the Premier League this season is sort of similar to their common of 1.23 factors per recreation within the remaining three months of final time period.

The hope was that one other spherical of spending within the switch market, an easing of their harm checklist, and a reshuffle of Ten Hag’s teaching workforce may facilitate a change of fortunes, and that the choice to set off the one-year extension within the Dutchman’s contract is likely to be vindicated.

However Sunday’s loss got here with one thing near his strongest aspect, a aspect which included 4 summer season signings price a mixed whole of £147m. In whole, six of the 11 starters had been purchased to the membership throughout his tenure, together with six of the 9 substitutes. This was his squad as he has helped to form it.

What is evident is that the problems go deeper than personnel.

Ten Hag’s system continues to look deeply flawed, with Tottenham simply the most recent opponent to use the large areas left behind their full-backs and both aspect of an overworked holding midfielder. Manuel Ugarte’s torrid full Premier League debut on Sunday confirmed it’s not only a Casemiro drawback.

Tottenham’s second purpose simply after half-time typified their structural points. Amazingly, left-back Diogo Dalot was their furthest man ahead on the level Spurs broke, leaving Lisandro Martinez in a two-vs-one towards Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski, who had been in a position to simply race previous him earlier than combining to attain.

It was one other bewilderingly gentle purpose to concede for Manchester United, beginning because it did in an innocuous place within the Tottenham half. The style during which it performed out is much more damning contemplating it got here solely minutes after Ten Hag’s workforce discuss.

In fact, the gamers aren’t freed from blame for his or her poor performances. As talked about by Neville on Sunday, Christian Eriksen’s feedback that their opponents “wanted it more” after the Europa League draw towards Twente in midweek are a purple flag.

However it’s inconceivable to disregard what number of of their points come again to the person within the dugout. The largest query is how Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS colleagues didn’t see all this coming.