Ten Hag Celebrates FA Cup Victory
The Wembley field was the site of Erik ten Hag and Lisandro Martinez’s dance fifteen months ago. Their revelry this time was more primal.
The Argentine center-back snatched the boss, who had a profound influence on his career, and yelled at him as the final whistle sounded in a thrilling FA Cup final. They had both been frustrated for a year, so today was a day to enjoy.
Ten Hag instead lifted the FA Cup into the sun-lit sky at Wembley, a day that might have ended with him being fired. The roar that followed that moment revealed the sentiments of Manchester United matchgoers towards their Dutch boss.
It was a fitting finale to a season that took place under cloudy weather. The question that remains is whether it will be sufficient to save Ten Hag. Although his weekend did conclude with a trophy, it does not prove that rumors about the end of his reign at Old Trafford were unfounded.
Joel and Avram Glazer, as well as Sir Jim Ratcliffe, were ecstatic spectators in the Royal Box. Ratcliffe has seen the team he currently manages to a victory in a full-game match. But this is not the time to have the uncomfortable talk about cutting ties with Ten Hag’s services. The sort will be known to Louis van Gaal. If United were to win the FA Cup and then fire their manager for the second consecutive season, it would make for quite a story.
There may be some truth to it, however, according to the dispassionate research that millionaires are known for. With a negative goal differential, United ended the 38-game season in ninth place. On the whole, it has been terrible.
Ten Hag will always have Wembley, but he will also have a feeling of ‘what if?’ if the end does come. Imagine if he had been able to draw on these players more often during the season and if he had been willing to make tactical concessions like the ones that occurred on Saturday earlier in the year.
United have played Ten Hag at Wembley five times before, and each time they’ve used the same changing room and played at the same end of the stadium. Through thick and thin, Ten Hag has remained steadfast in his professional field of expertise.
He was glued to the position in the corner of the rectangular box five weeks ago when the Sky Blues seemed to have won the game against Coventry. Ten Hag stood still, hands clasped together, amidst wild revelry. The championship team had a 4-3 lead, and he thought he was out of there—until VAR saved the day.
On Saturday, in the bright sunlight of Wembley, he hardly strayed beyond the technical area, but he relished the experience. He started to take notes after twenty-five minutes and retrieved his notebook from his coat pocket. Just saying, “Good,” would have been enough.
The Grand Canyon-sized chasm that existed between defense and offense during the whole season was eventually sealed by Ten Hag’s decision. Under the arch, United were more compact, but in the middle of the field, they had been exposed. When not in possession, City were choked and smothered, and the distance between the three lines was seldom more than fifteen yards. Perhaps Ten Hag meant to say, “should have done this sooner.”
He has attempted to justify United’s technique of letting the other team fire at the United goal whenever they want, despite the fact that this strategy has always proven inadequate. Your numbers will be drawn at some moment if you purchase enough lottery tickets. City should have scored more goals than their six in the two Premier League derbies this season, despite having 47 shots.
They managed only three shots in the first half at Wembley. The United defense was rock solid, with the likes of Scott McTominay, Kobbie Mainoo, and Sofyan Amrabat stifling the midfield, and the return of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as a tandem crucial. Bruno Fernandes’s introduction from the ‘false nine’ position forced United to create chaos in the center of the field, which unsettled City and gave Ten Hag’s squad a chance to score.
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While Alejandro Garnacho’s first goal may have been the result of a fortunate break from Stefan Ortega and Josko Gvardiol, the second was the product of an incredible collective effort. What Ten Hag wants from his squad is a seamless transition from one flank to the other, with Fernandes remaining composed to set up Kobbie Mainoo, who was bolstering the assault with his numbers, for the finish.
In pure joy, he clinched both hands on the touchline. Ten Hag squatted and yelled at the fourth official in frustration after Mainoo was called for a foul just before halftime, but the lead stood.
It was expected that City would come back in the second half, but United refused to give up. Their persistence in stifling space and Andre Onana’s two excellent stops from long-range efforts by Kyle Walker revealed a hint of desperation in City’s performance. When Erling Haaland blasted a shot against the crossbar, United had a stroke of luck.
After United’s last-gasp collapse against Coventry, they seemed unflappable this time around. However, things would have felt familiar when Onana’s error let Jeremy Doku make it a nail-biting last ten minutes. They held onto it this time.
During the seven additional minutes, Ten Hag engaged in continuous conversation with Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren, waving his arms to encourage the players. At the very end, the intensity of the audience’s feelings became apparent.
Ten Hag is now awaiting word on whether or not he has earned a third season.
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