Manchester United are apparently in negotiations with Thomas Frank and Mauricio Pochettino about their next step in the managerial post at Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag’s future remains unknown, despite United’s stunning FA Cup victory at Wembley.
Last week, reports surfaced that Ten Hag would lose his job regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s derby, but the reality was less apparent. United will hold an end-of-season evaluation this week, with Ten Hag’s future set to be the main focus. United will want to decide on the Dutchman’s future soon so that they can start planning for the 2024-25 season.
There is no denying that United underperformed in three out of four competitions this season. United finished ninth in the Premier League, failed to advance to the Champions League knockout round, and were humiliated by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup’s last 16 round.
Pochettino and Frank both had mixed seasons. Pochettino had a difficult first few months in command of Chelsea, but appeared to have stabilised the ship by the end of the season, only for the bombshell announcement of his resignation to come 48 hours after the Premier League’s final weekend.
Frank, meantime, kept Brentford up for a second season but was unable to inspire a repeat of their first season in the top division, as they finished 16th, 20 points worse than in 2022-23. So, with United considering all three managers, which coach had their team doing the best?
United vs Chelsea vs Brentford 2023/24 Stats
Chelsea’s attack better but United edge it in defence
Chelsea again led the way in chance conversion, with 18.97%, followed by Brentford (15.86%) and United (15.16%). Chelsea also boasted higher passing accuracy throughout the season, with an 87.47 percent success rate vs 82.72 percent for United and 76.63 percent for Brentford.
United excelled at creating opportunities. The Red Devils produced 401 opportunities throughout the season, compared to 371 for Chelsea and 295 for Brentford. Defensively, while not very good, United outscored Chelsea and Brentford in a few critical metrics.
United conceded 58 goals, while Chelsea and Brentford gave up 63 and 65, respectively. United also kept more clean sheets than the other two teams, nine to seven for Brentford and eight for Chelsea.
After winning his second FA Cup in two years, Ten Hag delivered a fantastic soundbite in reaction to heavy rumours over his future. It was impossible for him not to have seen The Guardian’s piece on the eve of the final, which stated that his fate had already been decided by Ineos, United’s new minority owners and sporting decision-makers.
“Two trophies in two years is not bad. Three finals in two years is not bad. I’m not satisfied with it. We have to do better.
“If they don’t want me, then I go somewhere else to win trophies because that is what I do.”
Ten Hag’s circumstance is identical to the one that compatriot Louis van Gaal found himself in eight years ago. Van Gaal was fired just two days after United defeated Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, and Jose Mourinho was announced as his successor.
There is little doubt that Ten Hag has the support of a greater proportion of United fans than Van Gaal did. At the time of Van Gaal’s dismissal, the troubles behind the scenes at United were not as well known as they are today, and the Dutchman was simply perceived as underperforming, with United playing drab football and failing to qualify for Champions League.
Supporters who are of sound mind now understand that there are several contributing elements to United’s troubles, and that the manager may not be solely to blame. It is now up to Ineos to decide if Ten Hag has demonstrated enough to suggest he can lead United to victory under the appropriate conditions.
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