I don’t know why their supporters thought he would be any good in the PL, because he’s never managed in a top league before and certainly not a massive club like Man U.
He has got some of the best players in Europe at his disposal yet has got them playing like a mid table team rather than challenging for the title.
His transfer strategy seems to consist of trawling through the Eredivisie, where he was successful, thinking that a top player from there will make an impact on the PL.
He also seems quite devisive, as well as stubborn, so as long as he’s at Man U, they won’t come close to winning the PL title.
He did help them finish in the Top 4 and win the League Cup. That’s not bad for the first season.
He is a good manager, who is struggling. How he comes out of this phase will define him.
That’s true but it was in a season where Liverpool weren’t very good and Chelsea were worse.
Man U are in turmoil and if they do sack ETH, after another poor season, who will they get next?
I’m happy to be corrected by @Forever or @Bl1nk but Ajax is a huge club in the Netherlands right? They’ve got the domestic dominance of Bayern, the popularity and history of the New York Yankees and talent conveyor belt of well…Ajax. At least from the outside looking in, it seems like a huge machine. Maybe the coach is just one cog and it’s really not about the individual talent of the coach himself but iirc The Athletic wrote about him as a potential Bayern coach one day as well.
Yeah, his talent ID seems very poor and very cautious and his bedside manner definitely looks silly when they’re playing like shit but it seemed like a good appointment. I just think they’re stuck with this horrible roster assembled under three or four coaches, no idea how to get out from under bad contracts, an ownership that can’t decide if it wants to sell or not and executives who can’t resist throwing money at the problem (does a midfield rebuild of a 30 year old Casemiro and a guy who literally died on the pitch sound like a good long term plan?).
@InvincibleDB10 I think they’d go for de Zerbi if for no other reason than to preempt Chelsea doing it.
Despite my mockery of him I think Erik Ten Haag is ok, I think the club institutionally is clinging onto the past hoping to create another Ferguson to lead them to the promised land. He was one of a kind, not happening. They still bring up the vague romantic notions about the ‘United way’ which means absolutely nothing other than ‘When Ferguson was winning stuff’.
Jake Humphreys is a bit of a bell, but massive ratings for the way he wouldn’t let Rio off the hook in that clip, basically calling him out for letting his business interests prejudice his statements about Newcastle/Ashley. It’s an iconic punditry moment for me, would love to see more of that sort of thing lol.
United’s greatest obstacle is psychological. Look at the current hype around Hoijland. He did nothing other than get slightly physical with Gabriel and United fans are ooing and ahhing about him.
Calling Martinez “the butcher” is jokes. Claiming Casemiro is best DM in the league (heard this from United fans). The initial jubilation around getting Sancho.
It’s got allot to do with wear they used to be and where their once inferior local rival are now. They’re in complete shock at what’s happened to them since Fergie left.
Yes, Ajax are traditionally the New York Yankees or the Bayern of The Netherlands.
However, prior to ETH Ajax was in a rut, not doing well. ETH came and after his first season we won the league consecutively and consecutively were performing really well in the CL against big spenders and Goliaths of football clubs.
ETH left Ajax and Ajax are doing really really bad. Really shit show since he left.
So the premise he is just a cog in the wheel, based on that information, I don’t think is true.
However.
I think it’s not all ETH. It was the perfect mix of stuff. I think much of our success was down to the excellent scouting of Marc Overmars. We see now ETH is a very poor scout and to be fair it shouldn’t be his task. It should be the task of a Technical Director.
In any case. Even if a DeZerbi comes in, the next savior, it doesn’t mean jack shit, bigger names have fumbled at United: Mourinho and Van Gaal.
ETH is still there though. Let’s see. If he turns it around good for him, if not, I’ll have him gladly back at Ajax.
It took Arteta, what 3 seasons? To perform how we are performing now. And a few very low finishes. Ferguson was shite first two seasons and then became the best manager in football history? Everything is possible. Once things fall into their place.
United’s major issue has always been recruitment. They have not had a lot of success in player recruitment since Ferguson left.
Bruno Fernandes is perhaps the only player that I can credit them for; the rest are just flops to varying degrees.
A big club like United should have player recruitment on point and shouldn’t have to rely on loan purchases like Amrabat and Reguilón. That’s just embarrassing.
Surely when they started the window, they would know how much they could possibly spend. Plan your purchases, find good bargains and give the manager the right squad to succeed.
Ajax you can even call one of the biggest clubs on the planet. They dropped a bit since oil came into the equation but they’re probably still around top 20 and definitely were prior.
also A set the bar high with that CL semi-finals going out on away goals (?) and the Real Madrid games… since then they’ve lost their entire starting IX in a few years almost. sucks to see
.
“It’s over this season”