Nine questions that Erik ten Hag should be asked at press conferences | OneFootball

At his pre-match press conference before yesterday’s defeat to Arsenal, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was asked his opinion on people asking for him to be sacked, and replied:

“Either they don’t have any knowledge of football or they don’t have any knowledge about managing a football team.”

Ten Hag also said “maybe we over-performed” last season and has consistently blamed United’s poor showing in the league and Champions League on all the injuries sustained this season.

What seems odd about recent press conferences is the questions that are not being asked, although the club’s decision to ban three major outlets from asking anything could be an indication that stiff challenges are not allowed.

So we will ask the questions that no-one is asking Ten Hag. Perhaps whoever is reading this who knows Erik could pass them on. After all, we want to understand football like he does.

Question 1. Is it just bad luck that United have sustained so many injuries this season? Are you taking no responsibility at all for: – training methods – recovery schedules – team rotation?

We are dealing here with a man who is reportedly so meticulous, you demand the grass on training pitches is cut to within a millimetre of your specifications. You are a man who completely controls the players’ diets, a man who, unlike Sir Alex Ferguson, oversees every detail of training.

Several weeks ago when asked if you knew why there had been so many injuries, you replied “We have an idea and we will work on it.” And yet since then, things have got even worse. So will you accept responsibility, Erik, for the failure of that “work” you were doing?

You either take no responsibility for the injury crisis, in which case you have failed to take control of something vitally important, or you do take responsibility, in which case you have failed to fix it. Either way, what are we who “don’t have any knowledge of football” not understanding when we call for you to be sacked?

Question 2. On squad construction. Ignoring the injuries: – did you not spend £10 million on loaning Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina and do you take responsibility for his being an absolute flop at United? – did you not sanction the sale of Teden Mengi to Luton Town for under £2 million on August 31st, who has turned out to be one of the Premier League’s best young defenders this season, knowing that your centre backs are all injury prone? – did you not sanction the sale of Dean Henderson to Crystal Palace, knowing that Andre Onana might take some time to acclimatise to the Premier League, and putting the team in a position where it had to get used to not one, but two new keepers? – did you not agree for Alvaro Fernandez Carreras to go on loan to Granada in August when Luke Shaw’s understudy, Tyrell Malacia, was clearly going to be out for some time, and then again to Benfica in January, when Shaw himself was also injured? – did you also not return loanee left back Sergio Reguilon to Spurs in January leaving no cover at left back at all with Shaw struggling with persistent injuries? – did you not fail to bring the best out of Jadon Sancho and then mishandle a disciplinary situation, leaving him to excel at Borussia Dortmund and help them to the Champions League final while you plodded on with a far inferior player in Antony? – did you not forfeit the option to make Marcel Sabitzer’s move from Dortmund permanent last summer and live to regret it when seeing him, also, look a far better midfielder than any you retained or bought? – would you not admit that a player you sold for £15 million, Anthony Elanga, has outperformed all your wingers this season despite playing for a relegation-threatened side?

Question 3. Do you accept any responsibility for United crashing out of the Champions League from one of the easiest groups in the tournament?

Question 4. Do you not accept that even an injury-ravaged Manchester United side should not: – Concede four goals to FC Copenhagen and Crystal Palace? – Concede three goals to Bournemouth, Coventry City, Galatasaray (twice), Brighton, Newcastle and Wolves? – Concede two goals to Newport County?

Question 5. Do you take any responsibility for team discipline when in addition to Sancho, there have been off-field issues or public spats with Antony, Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo?

Question 6. Would you not admit to being stubborn in not admitting that the “transitional style” of play you chose to implement this season has been an abject failure? Should it not have been abandoned long ago?

Question 7. Is that gaping space between the midfield line and defensive line that has left us vulnerable to hundreds of counter-attacks this season a good thing? We are asking because you continue to leave it unaddressed so you must have a good reason that we, those who don’t understand football, would like to learn about.

Question 8. Could you explain please the logic of leaving one defender back for a corner when there are two minutes of extra time remaining and United are a goal up? It is obviously something very clever of you that is beyond our comprehension.

Question 9. Most goals conceded since 1971 (when there were four more games in the season) and on target to be the most ever. Joint most home defeats in history (a loss on Wednesday will take us to outright worst) – again, even comparing to years when there were 42 games per season. Many other negative records broken. This is despite £175 million having been spent on transfers. Since you have always been able to field 11 senior players in every game this season, would you not agree that this alone is grounds for dismissal?

Erik, we look forward to understanding these things so we can become better fans, pundits and journalists and provide you with the correct support you so richly deserve.

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