Contenders for Permanent Manager
Ten Hag or Pochettino
by Alex Dudley
I
t seems like a lifetime ago now that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was relieved of his duties at Manchester United. The Norwegian parted company with the club following United’s 4-1 defeat against Watford in November. Ralf Rangnick was a popular choice to replace the outgoing boss on a short-term basis, with the club reiterating that a permanent manager would be appointed in the summer. The race to be named the permanent successor is heating up now, with four main contenders left in the race. Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique are among the names that have been mentioned in the newspaper columns, but the front-runners since Solskjaer’s departure have remained Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino. But, which top-class manager looks to be the perfect fit for the club moving forward?
28 VOL 49 - ISSUE 3 - APRIL 2022
What Will Ten Hag Bring To The Table? The favoured choice among many United fans since Solskjaer’s departure has been the current Ajax boss Ten Hag. The 52-year-old has been the manager of Ajax since joining the club from FC Utrecht in 2017. His spell with the club has been littered with silverware, and he almost did the impossible in 2019, as the Dutch giants were seconds away from reaching the Champions League final before Lucas Moura’s heroics. Since taking over at the Amsterdambased club, success has followed. Tag Hag has won the Eredivisie title on two occasions, as well as picking up two winners’ medals in the KNVB Cup. His success at Ajax has quickly seen him become one of the most sought-after managers in world football, and for good reason. His
side’s play in the traditional way that you would expect for Ajax, with the team being set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with every player given the freedom to bring the ball out and pass it around. One of the key parts of the Ajax style of play has been the back-up that every player has off-the-ball, which means that a pass is always available, leading to oppositions often being overwhelmed by the offence. However, his greatest achievements can easily be seen based on the players that he has helped flourish. He was able to get the very best out of players such as Donny van de Beek and Matthijs de Lift, who have both struggled since leaving Ajax. Meanwhile, this season, he has managed to get the very best out of Sebastian Haller, who struggled during his time with West Ham United.
