Erik ten Hag has been steadily making progress in his current managerial stint with Manchester United. The 53-year-old has been able to put forward his ideas and philosophies across the players at the club. The Red Devils’ current playing style pretty much resembles the identity for which their manager has been known.
Manchester United propelled to a solid third-place finish under Erik ten Hag in the 2022-2023 season. The Club’s hierarchy and fans would hope that the team repeats their previous season’s performances or possibly go on to achieve even better results this time around.
Reports say, United’s manager recently was not in full agreement with the former Liverpool player and Sky Sports Pundit Jamie Carragher’s claim about his team. Hag was reportedly asked about Jamie Carragher calling out that Manchester United is regressing.
🚨🚨🎙️| Erik ten Hag: “The team is regressing according to Jamie Carragher? When it comes to possession, we need to do better, but there are reasons that I don’t get into, but that everyone sees. We are in the top three in the Premier League for high ball recoveries. We are among… pic.twitter.com/BiyAX7UrBz
— centredevils. (@centredevils) October 28, 2023
The Red Devil’s boss responded brutally by stating that – “When it comes to possession, we need to do better”. He further opined that there are reasons behind him not fully getting into it. The manager put forward his case by saying – “We (Manchester United) are in the top three in the Premier League for high ball recoveries”.
He pressingly opined that his team is one of the best in the Premier League this season in terms of recovering the ball in the middle area of the pitch. The 53-year-old also inflicted that his team is very good at pressing the opponents. United’s boss conclusively said – “So, it is not true what he (Jamie Carragher) says”.
However, the Red Devils manager would know that his team needs to be at the top of their game when they face Manchester City in their upcoming match. United hasn’t got the best of starts to their current Premier League season, with 15 points in their first nine matches.
Manchester United’s performance stats under Erik ten Hag in the 2023-2024 Premier League season so far
Manchester United have reportedly completed 4209 passes out of their total attempted passes of 5129 in the Premier League season 2023-2024 so far. This accounts for a successful passing percentage of close to 82 percent from the team.
While these are good numbers, the manager would know that there is room for improvement. The successful short passes completed by the Red Devils in the league this season lie around 89 percent. On the other hand, the team has just around a 58 percent success rate in completion of all the long passes attempted.
When it comes to the progressive passes made during a game, United ranks in the top five this Premier League season so far with 454 progressive passes. However, the team’s final cross count into the penalty area has been on the lower side with 13 crosses till now.
The team is progressing and making improvements. But, fans would hope that Manchester United soon turns into the best version of themselves. They would want their team to compete for the top spots in the league this season.