Amongst the ever-growing list of questionable decisions made by Erik ten Hag throughout his tenure, last night’s certainly left most scratching their heads.
Heading into the game, fans anticipated one major change in the line-up due to the manager having to navigate Bruno Fernandes’ suspension. The skipper is a mainstay in the XI, so the odd time he’s unavailable, a tactical change is needed to adequately fill the void of the influential No.8.
However, Ten Hag’s judgement would go on to raise more questions than it answered when he deployed right-back Noussair Mazraoui in attacking midfield – a position which he’d occupied for merely nine minutes in his professional career prior to kick-off. On the other hand, Amad Diallo, who was overlooked for the tie, had played 1069 minutes as a 10 during his Sunderland loan spell, returning four goals in that time.
The manager’s treatment of Amad is an issue that’s long been flagged by fans. Initially, he was continuously disregarded week in, week out upon his return from injury last season, despite the club opting to keep him in the ranks over sending him on another loan in 2023/2024.
Ten Hag’s controversial Amad treatment leaves player ‘upset’
Now, though, the United faithful take issue with the fact that when the winger is on the pitch, he’s one of the most standout players on it – and his statistics only back up the sentiment further.
While playing only 54 per cent of the minutes available to him (accurate as of October 17), Amad had created more chances (12) than any of his Red Devils teammates in the Premier League this season, per StatmanDave.
He also averaged 2.4 key passes and 2.3 take-ons in each game he was deployed from the off, while Mazraoui failed to create a chance or complete a take-on in the time he spent in midfield last night.
Remarkably, when the side’s lacklustre showing prompted Ten Hag to utilise his options on the bench, Amad was again overlooked as Antony entered the fold in the 73rd minute. Then, when the Brazilian sustained an injury in the closing stages of the game, Amad replaced his counterpart for the remaining minutes but was ‘visibly upset’ while doing so.
It then came as no surprise to learn that, according to The Athletic, Fenerbahce staff were left ‘stunned’ that the 22-year-old did not feature sooner.
The report adds: “They feared the worst when his first touch, from an excellent cross-field pass by Mazraoui, took him beyond Mert Muldur.”
Ten Hag’s selection decisions for the Fenerbahce match were very odd. I don’t mind a little experimentation (as long as there’s a clear plan as to what is supposed to be proved/disproved via experiment) but some experiments are better done on the training pitch and I can’t see what, if anything, could be proved by playing Mazraoui as a 10. It was just weird and obviously annoyed more players than it impressed. And selecting Antony ahead of Amad – even if there was a valid reason not to play Amad as a 10 – is rubbish.
I don’t know what’s going on inside EtH’s head but I gather it’s muddled and confused. This can’t be good.
Given the number of hints and rumours flying around, it’s obvious EtH is ‘on probation’ and that the Man Utd board really are considering replacing him. At this point, I would say I’m now leaning toward being ‘Ten Hag out’, which is the first time in his tenure that’s occurred. It’s not just the results but rather a combination of the tactics, stubborness, selection, substitutions and player management decisions that are going awry that stand out most for me. Of course, performance is also key – there’s enough quality in the squad to be achieving more.
I no longer believe in Ten Hag’s ‘process’.