It’s a phenomena that goes by many names in the sporting world: “tough love,” “hard line leadership,” “strong discipline” are some of the terms that get thrown around. Erik ten Hag is apparently bringing that to Manchester United. And maybe that’s exactly what the club needs right now, and has needed since 2013 when Sir Alex Ferguson retired. United have not been the same club since Fergie stepped down nine years ago, and many pundits have speculated as to why.
It’s puzzling, given how the club have spent money like water, year after year, on buying new players. Maybe they just haven’t had a strong enough leader in the dugout? Maybe that’ll change now?
Did anyone apart from Garnacho not play any minutes on tour? this might be why pic.twitter.com/8IRmUQ1VwD
— Luke (@ParallelParkJi) July 25, 2022
As you can see from the post above, Ten Hag embodies the old James Brown song “papa don’t take no mess.” The player being referred to above must be Alejandro Garnacho, as he’s the only player who saw no playing time during United’s tour of Thailand and Australia. Ten Hag is supposedly very high on Garnacho, and believes in his potential, so for him to take such actions is very telling.
United won the first three matches of their preseason tour, with a goal differential of 11-2, but then blew a 2-0 lead against Aston Villa and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. They have two more preseason friendlies, against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, before opening the season on August 7 against Brighton.
Ten Hag said after the draw with Villa that the issue was a lack of focus. United defender Diogo Dalot said that he and his fellow players must be ready for some strong discipline now.
“It is discipline,” the 23-year-old fullback said.
“We need to be ready for that, to be ready to hear things that maybe we don’t want to hear but I think everything is for the greater good of the team and that’s the most important thing.
“We start from scratch; new manager, new staff, new energy, new players coming in and we’re looking forward to playing with them as well. We need to build a team, a staff, a club, everyone together and go forward.”
It will be interesting to see how Dalot slots in this season. Tyrell Malacia was acquired to push Luke Shaw for the first choice left back slot. At the right back position, Aaron Wan-Bissaka struggled this past season, regressing in form. Maybe this is where Dalot makes his move.
“I feel like I’m a Man United player,” Dalot continued on during this preseason media opportunity.
“I want to be ready for the manager, for the club, and every time he needs me I’m going be there.
“I need to show my qualities as well. This is why I came here, to show to this club I’m capable to play many games for this club. This is what I want. I think things are going well, but we still have a lot of room for improvement.”
We’ll see how ETH instills discipline at Old Trafford, and if it is enough to turn things around. He really has a huge project on his hand.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.