Good debate.
I'm torn on the one hand the club hierarchy has singularly failed to build a squad of players able to compete at the top level and has boxed the club in with some ludicrous contract extensions/renewals. It's an indictment on the Director of football that we have players in the squad that for one reason or another are not at the level required.
- van der Beek, Martial,
- Varane, Casemiro, Erikson , all too old / physically under weighted for the league.
- McTominay, Maguire, wan Bissaka , Lindelof , just not good enough
- Sancho
- Evans - arguably our best signing in the last two years!
- Sabitzer, Weghorst, Amrabat, Reguillon - none of who have come close to warranting a contract despite weakness in the positions they played.
Thats a big clearout required from a club whose best bit of business in recent years was selling Dan James for double the money we paid for him. I think most people would agree that most of the players listed should not be there so in that respect the club has failed the manager.
On the other hand ten Hag has not shown he can get players to do what he want's them to do. The football is awful, better than van Gaal but that's not saying much. He's repeatedly referred to the potential in the team and lamented the injuries citing the performance vs Arsenal as the only time this season we saw what he wants and that fine margins robbed us of a win that would have announced us as contenders. Thats delusional. The game vs Arsenal we passed it about the back four, wasted time and nicked a goal through a bit of play that Rashford has hither since not repeated. Yes Martinez is a big miss, like VVD, Rhodri but as GNev points out he'splayed 9/11 of his first choice often enough and it's still crap.
Some other stuff just doesn't stack up
He buys Antony.
He buy's Hojlund who is a more traditional no.9 then persists to play inverted wingers and full back who don't look to create for the striker
He refuses to drop Rashford when everyone can see his presence in the team is not adding anything.
He dismisses the fact that we concede more shots per game than almost any other team and can be played through in an instant as not important.
We have a goal difference of -1, look like finishing 7th and have lost 12 times in the league with six games to go. Our CL campaign couldn't even salvage a Europa Cup berth. It's an awful season a regardless of the FA Cup. The team has not shown any signs of progress outside of the arrival of Mainoo and Garnacho. We are a bad team, awful to watch, terrible to support and a long way from making any sort of realistic challenge.
I can't see how ten Hag has enough to retain his spot. Not enough of the players buy into his game plan and I can't see the 11/12 player listed above all leaving and replacements being found. As to who or what's next? We should have got Ancelotti. He's not the most progressive coach but he knows how to handle big clubs and players on big wages and he's a serial winner, has charisma and experience. Sadly that's not an option so we may well be stuck in purgatory for a a bit longer.
