Aniket Rai
Erik ten Hag- Style of Play and Managerial Record
Manchester United have never been closer to appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s permanent successor as they are right now. According to The Athletic (Subscription Required), Man Utd have reached an agreement in principle with ten Hag to take over the managerial reins at Old Trafford this summer.
ten Hag is an icon in the Netherlands- more so for his exploits with Ajax Amsterdam as a manager than for his playing days. It is peculiar to note that apart from a two-year spell as the manager of FC Bayern Munchen’s B team between 2013 and 2015, he has spent his entire professional career in Holland.
New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag’s style of play and tactics
Erik ten Hag has managed Ajax for over 200 games, so it becomes important to understand the tactics and system he uses in the Netherlands. The Dutchman has cemented the use of a 4-2-1-3 formation, that can also be referred to as a 4-3-3 with two defensive midfielders.
The likes of Davy Klaasen play as a number 10, with Edson Alvarez and Ryan Gravenberch giving their midfield some steel. The latter plays as a box-to-box midfielder while the Argentine is a defensive midfielder.
Antony and Dusan Tadic are the widemen while ten Hag uses one number 9 up front. The full-backs are versatile and while Noussair Mazraoui can attack and defend, having ex-Manchester United Daley Blind on the other side offers more defensive solidity rather than attacking flexibility.
How will this impact United and can ten Hag play a similar system here? Cristiano Ronaldo is here for another season as per his contract so he can play up front in a role where much defensive covering isn’t expected.
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford can be the wingers while Fred and Scott McTominay can play as a double pivot behind Bruno Fernandes. This isn’t too different from what Ralf Rangnick employs on paper but ten Hag has some minor differences when it comes to the profile of players he wants.
Jurrien Timber is a ball-playing centre-back that he uses while he also likes two of his three central midfielders to charge up front and form a front 5 at times. Alvarez is the backbone if the team is caught out on counters who then offers defensive solidity in front of the backline. It is important to note that Ajax’s full-backs haven’t been used as much as Liverpool use Trent Alexander-Arnold and Chelsea use Reece James in attack.
Erik ten Hag managerial records
| Team Name | Days in Charge | Games in charge | Wins | Draws | Losses | PPM |
| Ajax | 1567 Days | 209 | 156 | 25 | 28 | 2.36 |
| FC Utrecht | 910 Days | 111 | 56 | 25 | 30 | 1.74 |
| FC Bayern II | 729 Days | 72 | 48 | 10 | 14 | 2.14 |
| Go Ahead Eagles | 364 Days | 39 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 1.72 |
| PSV Eindhoven (Assistant Manager) | 985 Days | – | – | – | – | 0 |
ten Hag started off his managerial career at FC Twente, managing their U17 and U19 teams from the 2002/03 season onwards. From there, he has largely stayed in the Netherlands and developed a winning reputation at Ajax.
His record at Ajax speaks for itself.
HONOURS
Eredivisie Champion: 2x (2018-19, 20-21)
Dutch Cup: 2x (2018-19, 20-21)
Dutch Super Cup: 2019/20
German Regionalliga Bavaria: 2013/14
UCL Semi-final: 2018/19
