‘Not right at United’

NOS Football•today, 1:48 PM

Erik ten Hag is in dire straits with his Manchester United. After the heavy 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, the club is eighth and is even in danger of missing out on European football. If it were up to the English analysts, the Dutchman would be fired quickly.

René Meulensteen follows it closely and watches it with dismay. The Dutchman, who worked at Manchester United between 2001 and 2013 as a technical and assistant coach under Alex Ferguson, saw the club slide. “It is really incomprehensible what is happening now. There is simply no more progress,” he told NOS.

Meulensteen not only worked on United’s technical staff, he was also head coach in the Premier League for Fulham for a short time. So he knows how things work in the football world.

“You know, as a new trainer you always have to deal with a selection that you have not put together yourself. So it takes a few transfer periods before you get the players you want. I always say: a trainer needs eighteen months to get it right. to get on track.”

Ten Hag has now been there for 24 months. Initially he was successful. He reached the finals of the League Cup (won) and the FA Cup (lost) in his first season and achieved Champions League qualification. “But now there is none of that optimism left. There is no playing style, club culture or philosophy.”

According to Meulensteen, the humiliating defeat against Crystal Palace spoke volumes. “I saw two teams: one with their own clear playing style and tactics, and one where all that was missing.”

He understands where the criticism from the English media comes from. “If you look at the statistics… it doesn’t make any sense. Manchester United has a goal difference of minus three!”

Ten Hag himself seems to be fed up with the persistent criticism from the media and has recently hit back a few times, including by ‘boycotting’ a number of media outlets. Not useful, says Meulensteen, who knows how the English media work.

“That is really not smart. The media of course have the right to ask questions. They also see what kind of results are on the board, such as the 4-0 against Crystal Palace. Then it is logical that they ask critical questions .”

Moreover, the attitude of Ten Hag, who, for example, took a critical stance towards the media after the cup match with Coventry City, is rather counterproductive, Meulensteen thinks. “If he reacts as defensively as he did then, he is actually admitting that there is some truth in the criticism.”

Watch Ten Hag’s reaction below after the cup match against Coventry and his press conference last night after the loss at Crystal Palace.

It is logical that Ten Hag will face criticism now that its performance is lagging behind. “As United’s manager you are constantly under scrutiny,” says Meulensteen. “At this club the degree of scrutiny really many times higher than at any club.”

Under Ferguson, a manager who was a strong personality himself, United’s selection was full of winners, says Meulensteen. “They were professionals through and through. Boys like Neville, Carrick, Rooney, Ronaldo… Moreover, there were a lot of boys with special qualities.”

That is different now. “There are now simply too many players who are either too old or not good enough. Or boys who have the wrong attitude,” he refers, among other things, to right winger Antony. “The whole attitude of such a boy arouses aversion.”

The big question is: what now? Can Ten Hag continue as manager of Manchester United, or should coach and club say goodbye?

“In terms of personality, Ten Hag is a fighter,” says Meulensteen. “He will want to get things back on track and will not resign himself. He also seems to have had discussions with the new club management, so it mainly depends on that.”

Is a move to Bayern Munich possible, as English and German media write? “I don’t know. The most important thing is that clarity must be provided quickly. Now you indeed have all those stories about Bayern and Ajax. The club must take a position to remove all speculation. And then it is up to Ten Hag to to meet the stated requirements.”