 ERIK TEN HAG - HIS 5 YEARS AT AJAX

by Stefan Attard

Ten Hag’s career Ten Hag was born in Haaksbergen, Overijssel. He played primarily as a centre-back for Twente, De Graafschap, RKC Waalwijk and Utrecht. He had three stints with Twente, with whom he won the KNVB Cup in the 2000–01 season.

Ten Hag also won the Eerste Divisie with De Graafschap in the 1990–91 season, ten years before winning the cup with Twente. He retired from active playing in 2002 at the age of 32 while playing for Twente, after the end of the 2001–02 Eredivisie season.

In 2012, Ten Hag was appointed as manager of Go Ahead Eagles in the Eerste Divisie by Marc Overmars, who was a shareholder of the club. During his only season at Go Ahead Eagles, he led the team to its first promotion in 17 years.

He coached Bayern Munich II from 6 June 2013 until 2015 when he was replaced by Heiko Vogel. During his time as manager Ten Hag led his team to the Regionalliga Bayern.

Ten Hag then became the sporting director and head coach of Utrecht in summer 2015, where he led the club to fifth place during his first season. In the 2016–17 season, he improved FC Utrecht’s final position to fourth, booking a place in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers.

On 21 December 2017, Ten Hag was appointed as the head coach of Ajax after the club dismissed Marcel Keizer. In 2019, he led his Ajax team to the semi‑finals of the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1997, by winning against holding champions Real Madrid 4–1 in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium at the round of 16 stage before beating Juventus away 1–2 having drawn the first leg 1–1 at home in the quarterfinals. In the first leg of the semi‑final, he led his team to take a 1–0 lead against Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, in the second leg, a second half hat-trick by Lucas Moura for the Spurs, with the last goal being scored in the 96th minute to make it 3–2 (3–3 on aggregate) to win on away goals, ended Ajax’s hopes of playing in the final.

Ten Hag won his first managerial trophy with Ajax on 5 May 2019, the 2018–19 KNVB Cup, beating Willem II in the final. Only 10 days after winning the cup, Ajax, led by Ten Hag won the Eredivisie after a 1–4 away victory over De Graafschap and brought the double back to Ajax.

On 18 April 2021, Ten Hag guided Ajax to their record extending 20th KNVB Cup with a 2–1 win over Vitesse in the final. Two weeks later, Ten Hag extended his contract with Ajax through to the end of the 2022–23 season. On 16 January 2022, Ten Hag became the fastest manager in league history to reach 100 wins with Ajax, achieving the feat in 128 matches, when his side beat Utrecht 3–0.

On 21 April 2022, Ten Hag was appointed as manager of Manchester United starting from end of the 2021–22 season until June 2025, with the option of extending for a further year. On the back of a dismal season, Erik ten Hag faces a monumental task of getting Manchester United back to the top of the footballing pyramid once again. The monumental task of managing one of the biggest clubs in the world was underscored by the Dutchman leaving his Ajax role earlier to begin his preparations as Manchester United manager for the 2022–23 season.

The 52-year-old became Manchester United’s fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Ten Hag secured his third straight Eredivisie title as Ajax boss and United fans will now be hoping he can successfully replicate some of his former side’s best traits at Old Trafford next season.

Playing style Season 21-22 was Ten Hag’s third consecutive Eredivisie title and his sixth trophy in three full seasons as Ajax head coach. His success at the Eredivisie champions has been built upon his side excelling in several key performance departments. But what were these key pillars and in what areas could we be about to see United significantly improve in next season?

•Ball dominance Ajax teams throughout modern history have been known for their fluid ‘total football’ tactical systems, and the same has been hugely prevalent under Ten Hag. Dictating the play with short sharp passing and pinning opponents inside their own half has been a key trait of Ajax under the Dutchman, as captured by their possession average of 65 per cent this season. That unsurprisingly ranks as the highest and someway above Feyenoord in second with an average of 57.8.

United have rarely been comfortable when trying to dominate the ball and break teams down, yet it’s hoped that Ten Hag’s arrival plus a few upgrades in key positions on the pitch will be enough to change that.

•Lethal in attack Ajax have been lethal in attack all season. What impresses even further about that dominance is that Ten Hag’s side usually converts it into high-quality goalscoring opportunities. Across the Eredivisie this season, they’ve accumulated the highest combined xG, most touches in the penalty area and have attempted the most shots. It therefore won’t be a surprise to note that they scored an impressive 98 league goals -more than any other Eredivisie side. United have had their problems up front last season and hopefully the Dutchman will improve United’s attaching prowess.

•Intensity Many expected to see a new high-octane brand of football at United when interim manager Ralf Rangnick came in late last year; however, this did not come to fruition. With Ten Hag’s arrival, United fans can expect a difference. Aggressive pressing has been a key staple of his Ajax side, which is a point captured by looking at their Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) average this season. PPDA is a metric that measures how many opposition passes are allowed by a team before a defensive action is made to try and win the ball back. The fewer the passes, the more aggressive they are. Notably, Ajax have an impressive PPDA average of 6.69 this season, unsurprisingly the lowest across the Eredivisie. For comparison, in the Premier League, Liverpool top this metric with an average of 8.49.

•Defensively robust The benefit of this intense pressure without the ball is that teams have ultimately struggled to create chances against Ten Hag’s side. They have faced the fewest number of shots, accumulated the lowest xG against, and conceded a miserly 19 league goals across the whole campaign. United’s defence has been one of the areas most scrutinised throughout this underwhelming campaign and there are only five Premier League sides who have conceded more than their total of 56 goals this season. It’s one of the more pressing issues that Ten Hag must address on his arrival.

Revered in the Netherlands for his remarkable job at Ajax, Ten Hag comes in with a wealth of experience. He would certainly face several challenges in trying to restore glory to the badge.

Following Ajax’s final game under his tenure, Ten Hag said “It’s time to turn the switch now [….] It is something that is needed because there is a lot to take care of, and I have the energy for it.”

On his conformation as a Manchester United manager Ten Hag said:

“It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United, and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.”

Asked whether he was ready for the “sharks” (the media) in England, Ten Hag responded: “I do not see them like that. I don’t see you like that too, nobody. What it is all about is the dressing room, you need to be able to manage the dressing room. You have to make it function. That is how you win games.”

Ten Hag’s comments on the dressing room gave hope and expectations to the United fans. He is fully aware of what awaits him in Manchester but has reiterated that he is up to the task. Ten Hag’s Style of Play After 34 games played, Erik Ten Hag’s Ajax ended the season as champions of Eredivisie for the third successive campaign. Ajax finished with 83 points and a staggering goal difference of +79. They won 26 out of their 34 games, drawing five and losing only three times. Since taking over in December 2017, Ten Hag has established dominance and an exciting style of play to go with it at Ajax, winning three Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups.

Ten Hag has mostly deployed a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 base structure when lining up his team this season. They use a variety of structures in their build-up play, so it is hard for opponents and analysts to pinpoint a particular structure with a lot of movement.

However, the key to their ability to monopolise possession and create several dangerous situations is their ability to maintain a high tempo with crisp, short passes. They also create diagonal passing lanes for ball progression from one end of the pitch to the other. Daley Blind, Lisandro Martinez and wonderkid Jurrien Timber are all adept at progressing play from the back (the latter two are being heavily linked to United).

Ajax often set up with a 2-1 structure in the build-up phase, with Edson Alvarez dropping deep to provide passing options to the two centre backs, typically Jurrien Timber and Lisandro Martinez. Ryan Gravenberch moves higher up to create one more passing option.

Noussair Mazraoui moves higher up the pitch while Blind utilises his passing skills in the build-up. He’ll tuck in with the two central defenders to give them a 3-1 build-up shape sometimes. Dusan Tadic and Antony can tuck inside into the half-spaces or keep the

There is, however, a second option to ensure a smooth passage of play out from the back. Both fullbacks push high up the pitch to create overloads on the flanks. Ryan Gravenberch, similarly to the role Frenkie de Jong occupied in 2018/19 before his move to Barcelona, drops between the centre-backs to create a numerical advantage and progress the ball efficiently in the first phase of play. This effectively creates another 3-1 shape in the build-up but with a different dynamic. Gravenberch’s success did not go unnoticed as Bayern Munich moved fast in the transfer market to secure his signing.

Ajax tend to overload one side of the pitch to attract opposition players towards one flank. They employ patient play, taking their time to look for, or open up, the spaces between the lines. The strategy also helps to disorganize the opposition defence by drawing them out of their rigid positions with unpredictable movement. This creates diagonal passing lanes. When teams try to re-ensure their rear-guard, they use triangles, diamonds, passing, and movement to meander through opposition lines.

The addition of Sebastien Haller from West Ham in January 2021 provided the Dutch coach with even more tactical options. The Ivory Coast international offered them a chance for a more direct approach in possession. He allowed them to play long balls towards him where he acted as a target man to help break the lines, a vastly different style to the 2018/19 campaign when Tadic occupied a false nine role in the attack. Haller’s presence pushed Tadic to the left wing with Mohamed Daramy yet to kick on. Ajax’s positional play gives them familiarity in transitions. They smoothly interchange positions with each other, creating fluid passing exchanges. When done correctly, Ten Hag’s setup makes Ajax a nightmare to defend against, and because they stack one side of the pitch, their positioning is often narrow. They prefer to overload the left side and use sharp diagonals to Antony on the other side.

This ensures they have multiple bodies around the ball for quick passing and always have a spare man. They can immediately trigger a pressing routine that would enable them to regain possession when they lose it. EtH’s Ajax are quite good at using the by-line as a second defender or forcing aimless long balls.

Ajax’s high-press system can be an asset and a liability at the same time. If the press is beaten, they can leave huge chunks of space for the opposition to exploit, which can result in them being caught out of position and conceding dangerous counter-attacking opportunities. The compact lines begin to open up when players run at the defence.

Erik Ten Hag’s Ajax is a tactically complex side that has established a brand of exciting football, setting a precedent for whoever takes After spells at Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich’s B team, and Utrecht, Ten Hag has established himself as one of the most impressive managers in Europe at 52 years of age. His tactical know-how is world-class, and there is no doubt that he can compete with the very best in the game.

Moving to the Premier League means he will face the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, and Antonio Conte, who are all elite coaches in their own rights. Whether or not he can get the current crop of players at Old Trafford to adapt to his style of play is the task the Dutchman will face upon his arrival.

Can He Bring Back the Glory Days? The short answer is a resounding yes, but it is undeniable that he needs time. The Manchester United hierarchy is not known for their patience these days: the four managers laid off since Fergie retired prove so. However, in the spirit of a new era on the horizon, it is only fair he gets ample time to build his squad and imbibe a winning mentality that seems to be a thing of the past at United.

Ten Hag’s appointment might seem swift and risky, considering he has not managed in any of the top five leagues in European football, but he has been on a relentless upward coaching curve over the past two decades. He forged a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting coaches revered for his attacking style of play and is very highly thought of among his fellow managers.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who was head coach of Bayern Munich when Ten Hag was in charge of the German club’s second team, said the Dutchman is “just an incredible person and human being. In terms of his qualities, just take a look at his Ajax team in the last few years”, Guardiola added. “To define a manager, watch his team for a long time. This is a team, and this manager makes the players play. There is no doubt about that.”

Ten Hag will become the eighth coach since Fergie to sit in the Old Trafford hot seat. For a team that has not won a trophy since 2017 after being spoiled with glory during Ferguson’s era, us fans are desperately craving some form of success. It should be the bare minimum for a club of United’s stature.

What Does He Need to Do? EtH has arguably never managed a dysfunctional dressing room like United’s, so he must get it right. United’s recruitment is also a major issue. Many players left or are set to leave Old Trafford this summer; however, finding the right quality to replace them may not be so easy.

Recruitment is one of the most important jobs in a football club, and if you get it wrong, you struggle. There are several things Ten Hag would need to address, but his first job would be to decide who stays, who comes in, and who leaves. Amongst the growing number of problems the Dutchman will have to resolve, getting United’s recruitment spot on is going to be crucial in the quest to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.

Manchester United’s haphazard recruitment since Sir Alex departed has seen the club falling behind and after United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, Ten Hag will be hoping to change the Red Devils fortunes. Despite Erik’s successful stint at Ajax, even the most ardent United fan would recognise that he faces a monumental task getting Manchester United back to the top of the footballing pyramid once again.

Although funding is set to be limited, the departures of several players will allow him greater flexibility to navigate the market. A midfielder will spearhead Ten Hag’s list of potential targets with Frankie de Jong on the verge of joining the Reds at the time of writing. Donny van de Beek is also set to get a chance to revive his dwindling United career. A centreback and a striker will also be a priority.

He needs to galvanise the current squad and bring in players that can add confidence, belief, and an aura while uplifting the team spirit in the dressing room. The club is bracing itself for an unprecedented squad overhaul and a new era.

The fans have every reason to be excited with the prospect of Ten Hag taking over. He is a serial winner and would guarantee exciting and dangerous attacking football. However, while there is no doubt he can bring back the winning mentality the team and club needs, it should be reiterated that he would need time to restore United to the pinnacle of League and World football.