Why United Went For Ten Hag Over Pochettino

Since the sacking of David Moyes, each new manager United have appointed has left fans with a sense of hope. Surely this person will succeed, surely? It’s this feeling of hope which gives fans the opportunity to forget about the dire situation their club finds itself in and look forward. In doing so, the candidates who didn’t quite make it are immediately forgotten about; even for those who may have favoured a different manager. This is exactly what has happened to Mauricio Pochettino, months of talk gone in a flash. What is interesting to consider, is that Manchester United did not only chose ten Hag; but they also chose against Pochettino. Let’s look at why they might have done this.

Style of Play

Like a lot of modern-day managers, ten Hag and Pochettino have more similarities than differences. Both managers have proven that they can assemble sides littered with young players who play a distinct style of football. This style of play has also been similar between the two men. They tend to make use of a high press and keep possession to break down their opponents. When in possession, players like Walker and Rose pressed high up the pitch to get into attacking positions. And would also use the same tactic to try and win the ball back. Ajax notably win the ball high up the pitch too; even against tough opposition such as Real Madrid in their 2019 Champions League run.

Winning

What separates the two though, is why United have selected one over the other. Firstly, ten Hag has proven that he can win trophies. He’s bagged 3 league titles since joining Ajax as well 2 Dutch cups.

Out of a possible 6 trophies at PSG (Ligue 1, Coup de France and The Champions League), Pochettino has only won 2. If you consider the players in the squad, especially the likes of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi, it is nigh-on impossible to call this a success. Despite creating a solid Spurs side, he failed to pick up any silverware. There were two finals lost by the Argentine (2015 League Cup & 2019 Champions League) as well as a great opportunity to win the title in 2015/16 where the traditional top 5 all had poor seasons.

Ten Hag and Pochettino can both build a top team, but United need more than that. They need a manager who can build his own team, playing attacking football and then going on to win things. History tells us that that Ten Hag would be the more likely to bring trophies back to Old Trafford.

Longevity

Another thorn in the side of Pochettino is his record of being sacked. Apart from Southampton, all of Pochettino’s departures from previous clubs have been as a result of being sacked. There’s no doubt that he can create a team that fights for each other and plays good football but inevitably, the wheels come off. After 2 disastrous starts to the season, Spurs and Espanyol both had no choice but to pull the plug. He could manage only 14 points from 12 games for Spurs at the beginning for the 2019/20 campaign and 9 points from 13 games at the start of the 2012/13 campaign with Espanyol.

On the contrary, all four of Erik ten Hag’s jobs as a first team manager have led to him to something bigger and better. His only season at Go Ahead Eagles ended with him achieving promotion to the Eredivisie, the first time the club had done so in 17 years. Next was Bayern Munich II where he was able to “learn a lot from Guardiola”, Erik said. He then implemented a ‘Guardiola like’ style of play at Utrecht in the Eredivisie – leading the club to a 5th place finish in his first season and 4th in his second, clinching a spot in the Europa League. Then Ajax came calling. Ten Hag has recently closed out his 3rd league title this season to add to his 2 KNVB cups. The man can win.

Career Path

During his career so far, Ten Hag has proven that he is a serious manager, one who could be considered one of the best in the world in the not-too-distant future. When a manager gets to a stage in their career where a step up is inevitable, there is usually a club ready for that new manager – Manchester United is that club. Erik ten Hag finds himself in yet another situation where he deserves a step up, unlike Pochettino.

Too add to his flaws, reports indicate that Mauricio Pochettino might well be fighting for his future in Paris. Did the board really want to give the job of rebuilding Manchester United to a man with questions marks above his head? There was another candidate in town. A candidate who has proven he can rebuild teams, play attractive-modern football, win titles and who is constantly improving. There was only ever one man getting the keys to the kingdom. And that man is Erik ten Hag.