Jaap Stam has admitted he fears for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United and believes his Dutch compatriot lacks the ‘peace and quiet’ to get on with his job properly.
Former United defender Stam says he struggles to understand why Ten Hag can’t put his mark on the side despite spending over £400million on new players since taking over last year.
He also worries that clashes between Ten Hag and players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho – not to mention the media – are a bad sign.
The pressure increased on Ten Hag on Tuesday night as United crashed out of the Champions League – and European football entirely – following a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich.
That was their fourth defeat of a disastrous group stage and left them bottom of the table.
Former Man United star Jaap Stam admits he fears for Erik ten Hag after another embarassing defeat against Bayern Munich
Manchester United’s miserable season continues as they exited Europe on Tuesday night
Former United defender Jaap Stam (middle) joined Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Gary Neville on the latest episode of Sky Bet’s Stick to Football show
Combined with woefully inconsistent Premier League form and an early Carabao Cup exit, United have regressed badly following a positive first season under Ten Hag.
Stam, who won the Treble with United in 1999, pointed out Ten Hag’s disagreements with players is a prime indication of things going wrong.
‘He has got to be worried and thinking about what’s going to happen now,’ Stam told the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
‘You can ban players, but it’s also about man management of course and how to work with and handle players.
‘There was the [Cristiano] Ronaldo thing, the [Jadon] Sancho thing, Raphael Varane probably – I don’t know if something’s happened over there.
‘There’s the thing with the press now and banning journalists from press conferences. It doesn’t work in your favour as a manager.
‘You need to have peace and quiet… you don’t want to pay too much attention to other things like players and the press.
United have struggled for consistency both domestically and in Europe this season
Stam knows Ten Hag well having coached against his fellow Dutchman in the Eredivisie
‘You need to fully focus, and I don’t think you want to talk about players or what players think about you as a manager.
‘I worry a little bit for him and that’s why it would be good if he gets the results.’
Stam lifts the European Cup after United won their historic Treble back in 1999
As United lurch from one poor result to the next, it is hard to identify a distinct Ten Hag way of playing, in contrast to his Ajax side, who dominated Dutch football and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
‘I have respect for what he did in Holland and what he did last year at Manchester United,’ Stam said.
‘I think he’s a good coach and I’m wondering this myself and we even asked him for ViaPlay – when are we going to see this style of play we saw at Ajax?
‘He made a certain comment and he mentioned that he could never play the way he played at Ajax over here.
‘I’m surprised because I’ve seen [Roberto] De Zerbi and Tottenham [with Ange Postecoglou] and how they’re playing.
‘It has to do with your player as well, but he invested a lot of money in players that he brought. But are they the right players? My opinion is that they’re not.’
On Ten Hag’s playing philosophy, Stam added: ‘The first season, Ten Hag did very well in terms of getting a trophy, into another final, and a Champions League spot.
‘[It’s] not about his way of playing, even in the first season, because it’s more from transition.
‘It’s not what we know Ten Hag wants to play. Possession-based, a lot of movement, going forwards, dominating in the opposition’s half. They haven’t done that.
Stam doesn’t see Ten Hag’s falling out with players such as Jadon Sancho as a good omen
Defender Raphael Varane was also left out of United’s team for a number of matches
‘The first season [was good]. Second season, is he going to make progress with that team?
‘You’re hoping that by getting players in, [he’ll] make progress in his way of playing, still hopefully getting the results, but at least see more of his style of play in what he’s been doing in Holland and in the Champions League with Ajax.’
Things could get worse for United before they get better. Although they sit sixth in the Premier League table, Sunday sees a daunting visit to league leaders and bitter rivals Liverpool, who thrashed them 7-0 in the same fixture last season.
You can watch the full episode HERE.
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