Tuchel vs Ten Hag: Who’s the Right Man to Fix Manchester United’s Problems?

After seven matches in the 2024-25 season, Manchester United is currently in 14th place in the Premier League. Despite spending almost 200 million euros on transfers in the summer, the team has yet to show the desired improvement on the pitch.

In September, Erik ten Hag had most of his main players back from injuries and in good physical shape. This means that he can no longer blame poor transfer activity and injuries for the team’s performance.

However, the team is currently at the bottom of the standings based on actual points earned and is in 10th place based on expected points.

At the same time, Manchester United have scored just five goals, which is the second worst result in the league and conceded eight goals, ranking ninth in this respect. 

Man United are ninth in expected goals scored and 14th in expected goals conceded. All of this shows a complete lack of consistent organised team play in all phases, making Manchester simply inferior to many clubs with much more modest budgets.

Clock Ticking for Ten Hag? Red Devils’ Regression Raises Questions About Time And Progress

Should Erik ten Hag be given more time to fix the situation? On the one hand, yes. The Dutchman has already demonstrated his outstanding coaching abilities at Ajax in Amsterdam. 

Additionally, Arsenal’s example showed that a coach sometimes needs time to gradually implement his playing principles. Mikel Arteta was only able to significantly improve results in his third season at the London club.

However, the Gunners showed gradual progress across all statistical metrics after Arteta took over. However, this is not the case with Manchester United.

In Erik ten Hag’s first season in 2022-23, Manchester United finished third, in line with expectations of a top-6 finish. However, in the previous season they ended up in eighth place in the Premier League standings and 15th in the expected points table. 

This simple statistic indicates a lack of progress and even a substantial regression compared to the Dutchman’s first season.

A significant portion of the team’s success can be attributed to Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, who scored 25 goals and provided 13 assists in the 2022-23 season. In contrast, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho only managed six goals and five assists combined.

At the same time, Casemiro, Lisandro Martínez, and Christian Eriksen each played for over two thousand minutes in the Premier League, regularly featuring in top matches. 

They provided the team with an excellent balance of defense and attack. Additionally, it’s important to note that David de Gea often came to the team’s rescue in moments when the defense faltered.

Last season, all of United’s key players experienced serious physical decline or missed numerous matches due to injuries. 

Structural problems in pressing and counter-pressing started to show more frequently, and it was only thanks to the excellent work of André Onana that Manchester United conceded 16 goals less than expected, according to understat.com.

This season, Ten Hag has failed to optimize the physical condition of any player, which has led to huge criticism even directed at players like Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo.

United have been extremely inconsistent and unbalanced, especially in the defense and attack. In top matches against Liverpool and Tottenham, United completely failed, and only in the match against Aston Villa did we see a more solid defensive game, although no dangerous moments were created in the attack.

The Tuchel Effect

Thomas Tuchel, who has often been named as a potential replacement for ten Hag, has been incredibly successful at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, PSG, and Chelsea. At each of these clubs, he quickly structured the attacks, greatly improving the results and allowing the teams to win trophies.

At Dortmund, he competed on equal terms with the powerful Bayern Munich, which at that time was coached by Pep Guardiola. After that, Tuchel helped PSG reach the Champions League final, where the French club lost to Bayern Munich, led by Hansi Flick, in a close match.

In his next move to Chelsea, Tuchel remarkably lifted the team from seventh place to fourth in just half a season, closing the initial points gap with their competitors. Additionally, Chelsea won the Champions League and established themselves as one of the best clubs in world football.

If it weren’t for numerous injuries, the German coach would have had a good chance of winning the Premier League in the 2021-22 season.

Tuchel’s Problems: A Warning for Manchester United

Thomas Tuchel did not stay for long at any of the clubs due to his controversial way of communicating with the management. Moreover, he completely failed at Bayern München, failing to find a common ground with the team leaders and the management, which led to the German club not winning the Bundesliga for the first time in nine years.

It’s very difficult to explain why Tuchel failed to improve the balance of play at Bayern München, which either acted in a too attacking style or in an overly defensive one. Tuchel had huge problems with improving transitions from attack to defense, which led to the team conceding too many chances.

There is a big risk that the German coach might suffer another failure if Manchester United were to appoint him.

Can Tuchel Turn Around Manchester United?

Let’s imagine that Tuchel takes over; could Manchester United’s results get even worse?

At the moment, this seems unlikely, as even during his toughest times with previous clubs, Thomas Tuchel never experienced such critical results as Ten Hag. 

Despite a disappointing season, Bayern Munich’s exit in the Champions League semi-finals was largely due to a serious mistake by Manuel Neuer. Without it, the German club could have made it to the final and would have been the favorite against Borussia Dortmund.

So, in my opinion, the main risk in hiring the German coach lies in the possible lack of improvement in results. However, it’s highly unlikely that United, with a strong specialist like Tuchel, would play worse.

It’s more likely that Tuchel will achieve immediate progress, given his well-developed playing system, which has brought excellent results at Dortmund, PSG, and Chelsea.

Is Ten Hag the Right Man for the Job?

When it comes to Erik ten Hag, there is currently very little reason for optimism. Manchester United will continue to have problems, occasionally win matches against mid-table and lower-ranked Premier League teams, and perhaps occasionally secure victories against bigger clubs.

Overall, the chances of significant improvement in the quality of play are extremely low. Unfortunately, even with five former Ajax players in his squad, it still doesn’t help him implement his playing principles.

In my opinion, the likelihood of the team progressing with a possible appointment of Tuchel is clearly higher than if Ten Hag remains.

Either way, the Manchester United leadership will make the decision and be responsible for the final outcome of the current season.