One of Erik Ten Haag’s main concerns at Manchester United is winning big away games.
The Dutchman had a terrific first year in charge, ending United’s five-year drought and securing Champions League qualification, but has been under extreme pressure this season. However, even during their honeymoon, Ten Hag failed to win an away game against the Premier League giants.Since the start of last season, they have picked up two points at home against the Premier League’s top eight clubs.
They are two points less in 11 games.And if one image isn’t enough, it’s even worse when you consider that the last Manchester United team to win a big game at home was actually under a completely different manager. It’s been more than two years since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led United to an unforgettable victory at Tottenham. Solskjaer may be long gone but the Ten Hag failed to pick up wins against the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool during his reign.
Even in games against teams that have just established themselves at the top of the Premier League, such as Brighton and Aston Villa, they have shown that they can match Manchester United. Manchester United’s away woes dampen Ten Hag’s hopes. It seems like an obstacle to success. A promising debut campaign. Ten Hag himself is under no illusions about United’s poor away form. He knows he needs to improve. He admitted as much after being given the chance to repent in Saturday night’s win away to Newcastle.
Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the game, but the Lions were better than the visitors in almost every category. This score delighted United. They were lucky and probably lost by one goal.Back-to-back home games against Chelsea and Bournemouth will give Ten Hag and Manchester United a chance to make amends, but a tough trip to Liverpool lies ahead.
The Red Devils have endured many painful nights against their fiercest rivals at home in recent years. Liverpool’s 7-0 defeat to the Ten Hag striker was probably one of the most disappointing results in the club’s history. Ten Haag’s first premier. Unfortunately, Jurgen Klopp’s new look failed this season, but he succeeded at Manchester United.
Liverpool 2.0 look set to sign even more misery for the Ten Hag. No win in 11 away games against the Premier League’s elite sides is a truly humbling statistic. Ten Haag will be asking bigger questions about whether Liverpool can afford to have him in their destructive top 10.
