Erik ten Hag slammed and called "deluded" after comments following Man Utd's derby loss
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been told he's "deluded" following his comments in the aftermath of Sunday's derby defeat.
The Red Devils made the trip to the Etihad to take on local rivals and reigning champions Manchester City and despite taking the lead, left with nothing after Pep Guardiola's side ran out 3-1 winners. A Phil Foden brace and a late Erling Haaland strike were enough to ensure Marcus Rashford's wondergoal meant nothing in the end.
City displayed overwhelming dominance, with 27 shots on goal to United's three as well as the lion's share of possession. Despite this, Ten Hag heaped praise on his side at full-time, insisting they could have won the game were it not for the "small margins" and claimed the Red Devils defended "brilliantly".
Former Chelsea star and prominent pundit Chris Sutton has issued an emphatic response to Ten Hag's post-match theory. Speaking on the It's All Kicking Off podcast, he explained: "Erik ten Hag is deluded. I think Man United have done a full circle under him.
"His first Manchester derby they lost 6-3 and I predicted a cricket score that day and I went for that again yesterday. Man City are so far ahead of Man United (but) the biggest concern - and I appreciate managers have to put a positive spin on things - is listening to Ten Hag saying things like 'we are progressing, that was a good performance.'
Related video: Ten Hag claims Utd unlucky in 3-1 derby defeat at City (English Football Channel)
"If I was a Man United fan I would really be questioning what the manager is saying and the way the team are playing. The truth is I don't think anyone sees a future for Erik ten Hag (at United) beyond this season."
If the meeting on Sunday wasn't enough to highlight the huge gulf in quality between the two teams, the league table makes for grim reading from United's perspective. City sit four places above them, with an 18 point advantage and a vastly superior goal difference.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Sutton's assessment of Ten Hag fair? Comment below
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While Guardiola's side are aiming for a sixth title in seven season's, United's hopes of Champions League qualification are fading by the week. Ten Hag's men sit sixth in the table, 11 points adrift of Aston Villa who currently occupy the much-coveted fourth spot.
The fixture list isn't exactly kind to United either. Between now and the end of the campaign, Ten Hag still has to face off with fellow 'big six' outfits Liverpool and Arsenal at home, as well as a tricky trip to west London to face off with struggling Chelsea.
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The 10 clubs with the highest net spend over the past decade: Man Utd, Chelsea, PSG….
The clubs with the highest net spend over the past decade is unsurprisingly dominated by Premier League behemoths like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City – but how do they stack up against some of Europe’s biggest-spending clubs?
The Cies Football Observatory have conducted an in-depth study looking at how clubs have spent their money over the past 10 years. We expected to see some of the clubs that feature towards the top, but seeing Liverpool (12th), Juventus (14th), Bayern Munich (18th) and Real Madrid (19th) feature lower down is a little surprising.
Here’s how the top 10 stacks up in full.
10. West Ham United – €526m
The Hammers have had a somewhat mixed record in the transfer market in recent years, with high-profile mis-steps like Sebastian Haller, Gianluca Scamacca and Andre Ayew.
But they’ve also grown as a club considerably over the past decade, moving into the London Stadium and building a side worthy of European competition.
They’ve spent over half a billion Euros to get there, with their balance sheet helped out by the club-record sale of Declan Rice, but it’s since looked like money well spent by Arsenal.
9. AC Milan – €545m
We’re a long way off the heady days of Serie A being the top-spending league in the world, but AC Milan have spent considerably to go from their mid-2010s wilderness years to Scudetto winners and Champions League semi-finalists.
Their spending sprees haven’t always worked out successfully, but Stefano Pioli has built a quality side and their many ex-Chelsea stars look at home at the San Siro.
© Provided by Planet Football
READ: 15 of the silliest transfers of Serie A’s golden age: Ventola, Amoroso, Coco
8. Tottenham Hotspur – €609m
Tottenham haven’t spent quite as much as some of their Premier League rivals over the past 10 years, but nor have they been massively thrifty in the transfer market.
Record signing Tanguy Ndombele did not prove value for money, while the jury remains out on whether Richarlison will come good.Related video: 10 Most Dominant Premier League Champions Ever (Dailymotion)
Harry Kane’s €120million departure to Bayern Munich has helped raise funds used to reshape Ange Postecoglou’s new-look squad, with more money going out on the likes of Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.
7. FC Barcelona – €663m
Barcelona have continued to spend money under returning president Joan Laporta.
Time will tell if pulling all these economic levers is worth it, but things would have to go seriously wrong for Laporta to leave a worse legacy than his predecessor, Josep Maria Bartomeu.
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READ: Ranking the 10 worst signings of Bartomeu’s Barcelona presidency
6. Newcastle United – €671m
Unsurprisingly the vast majority of this net spend has come over the past couple of years under the ownership of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The Magpies have spent over €450million on bolstering Eddie Howe’s squad since the takeover went through back in 2021. Very little has been brought in the other direction, with the sales of Chris Wood and Allan Saint-Maximin the only ones to bring in any notable funds.
5. Manchester City – €856m
Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut are always going to feature towards the top end of these lists, such is the backing from the Abu Dhabi-backed City Football Group.
Building a squad capable of conquering the world doesn’t come cheap, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Josko Gvardiol, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri and Ruben Dias towards the top end of their transfer spending. No arguing with that hit rate.
In recent times City have had plenty of money coming in the other direction, having raised considerable funds through the sales of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres and Leroy Sane.
The sale of Cole Palmer means they’ve also raised over £400million in selling academy graduates during Guardiola’s reign.
4. Arsenal FC – €872m
Arsenal have consistently spent big – more wisely under Mikel Arteta and Edu of late, admittedly – over the past 10 years.
That plus failing to recoup anything for the likes of Mesut Ozil, Hector Bellerin, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and once club-record arrival Nicolas Pepe and their net spend was always going to be colossal.
The Gunners have started to bring in funds from selling players like Folarin Balogun and Granit Xhaka, but for a long time the money they made from departing players was negligible.
3. Paris Saint-Germain – €1.01bn
With the heft of Qatar behind them, PSG have spent a ridiculous amount of dosh chasing Champions League glory. It hasn’t quite gone to plan.
In the summer, PSG received €100million for Neymar. That sounds like a good deal until you consider they bought him for over twice that in a world-record transfer back in 2017.
Despite receiving that colossal fee, PSG ended up with the third-highest net spend of summer 2023 behind Neymar’s Al-Ahli and…
2. Chelsea FC – €1.033bn
The Blues were never short of a bob or two under former owner Roman Abramovich, but under Todd Boehly they’ve reached unprecedented new heights.
Boehly’s Chelsea have spent over £1billion on transfers in just three transfer windows. No club in football history – not even state-backed City, PSG or Newcastle – have spent such a huge amount in such a short space of time.
1. Manchester United – €1.39bn
In the 10 seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, they’ve had more managers than major honours and never really put up a serious challenge to win the Premier League.
They have spent an unthinkable sum of money to be in this position.
READ NEXT: Every club in Europe ranked by their 2023-24 wage bill: Man Utd third…
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the last 20 players to break the world transfer record?
Every Premier League club’s most improved player in 2023-24 according to Whoscored
Using Whoscored match ratings, we have identified each Premier League club’s most improved player this season and some of these entries might surprise you.
The algorithm uses a number of underlying statistics to work out a player’s average match rating and then gives them a score out of 10.
We’ve gone through each Premier League side and have found their most improved player according to Whoscored average match ratings. We have also detailed how much their average match rating has increased this season.
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka (+0.31)
Impressively, Saka has improved his match rating by more than any other Arsenal player this season, despite the fact he was one of their top performers last season too.
Recently, there’s been plenty of discourse debating whether or not the 22-year-old falls into the world class category. Given the elite numbers that he continues to produce, it’s tough to make an argument against him.
The numbers speak for themselves.
READ: 7 outstanding stats which prove that Bukayo Saka is undeniably world class
Aston Villa – Ollie Watkins (+0.45)
Watkins was Aston Villa’s highest-rated player last season and he’s got even better this time around. With 26 goal contributions already, he’s already surpassed his overall tally from the last campaign.
You won’t find many forwards across Europe who are in better form than the Aston Villa frontman right now.
Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo (+0.59)
The 24-year-old was mostly used as an impact substitute last season, but Andoni Iraola has handed him a more prominent role this time around.
He’s taken his average match rating from 6.17 to 6.76 which is an overall increase of 0.59. With two goals in his last three matches, Semenyo is in fine form right now.
Brentford – Keane Lewis-Potter (+0.16)
While the majority of Brentford players have seen a small decrease in their average match rating, Lewis-Potter is among the few players who buck that trend.
The 23-year-old has been eased into life at Brentford following his move from Hull City in 2022. He’s played a more prominent role this season and has improved his rating by 0.16.
Brighton – Jan Paul van Hecke (+0.53)
Loan spells with SC Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers have greatly aided Van Hecke’s development. He only featured in eight league matches last season but has been a much more prominent figure in the starting XI this time around.
In fact, only Lewis Dunk and Pascal Gross have played more minutes for Brighton this season in the Premier League.
Burnley – Lyle Foster (+0.24)
The majority of the Burnley squad have seen their average match ratings plummet this season compared to last time around in the Championship.
However, Foster is among the few players who have seen an increase in rating. The South African forward has scored four goals this season and has been among the club’s top performers.
Chelsea – Conor Gallagher (+0.5)
In a largely underwhelming season for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, Gallagher has undoubtedly been among the club’s most consistent performers.
Unlike last season, the 24-year-old has been a regular in the starting XI and his underlying stats have greatly improved as a result.
QUIZ: Can you name all 44 players that Thomas Tuchel used at Chelsea?
Crystal Palace – Michael Olise (+0.55)
Despite missing a large chunk of the season through injury, Olise still ranks as Crystal Palace’s most improved player. He’s taken his average match rating from 6.99 to 7.54 which is hugely impressive.
In just 755 minutes of football, he’s produced six goals and three assists. That’s an average of a goal contribution every 83.8 minutes. No wonder so many of the big sides are sniffing around.
Everton – James Garner (+0.5)
Following his switch from Old Trafford last season, it feels like Garner has properly got his feet under the table at Goodison Park now.
James Tarkowski is Everton’s only outfield player who has played more minutes than Garner this season. Still only 22 years old, there’s plenty of time for Garner to continue his improvement.
Fulham – Tom Cairney (+0.31)
While the majority of this list is made up of youngsters, Cairney bucks that trend. The 33-year-old continues to be an important player for Marco Silva and the underlying stats highlight his improvement this year.
Liverpool – Diogo Jota (+0.36)
Losing Jota to a knee injury last month was a devastating blow to Jurgen Klopp’s side. The Portuguese forward was looking sharper than ever before his injury setback with nine goals and three assists in 19 games.
He’s also overperformed his xG by a whopping 4.6 goals which is the third-largest overperformance of any Premier League forward.
Luton Town – Gabriel Osho (+0.09)
Most Luton players have seen their average match rating drop compared to last season in the Championship, but Osho is among the players who have actually improved.
The 25-year-old defender has chipped in with a couple of goals and has been among the club’s most consistent performers this time around.
Manchester City – Julian Alvarez (+0.47)
The Argentine forward has firmly established himself in the starting XI this season. Whether he’s played as a striker, midfielder or winger, Alvarez is usually amongst the goals.
In the Premier League this season, Alvarez has 16 goal contributions which is already seven more than he managed last time around. No wonder his average match rating has jumped up by 0.47.
Manchester United – Alejandro Garnacho (+0.42)
Despite United’s struggles of late, Garnacho himself has kicked on this year and has undoubtedly been one of the club’s most consistent performers.
He’s managed to nail down a starting spot on the right-hand side and has produced several match-winning moments. That goal against Everton especially will live long in the memory.
Newcastle – Anthony Gordon (+0.89)
Plenty of people raised their eyebrows at Newcastle splashing £45million on Gordon, but the former Everton man has certainly proved his worth this season.
With an overall improvement of 0.89 on his average match rating, he’s improved more than any other Premier League player this season. That’s some going.
Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood (+0.36)
Having struggled to hit a barn door for Forest last season, Wood now finds himself as the club’s top scorer with eight goals. Newcastle still don’t know what hit them after Wood rocked up to St. James’ Park in December and bagged a hat-trick.
If Forest are going to survive, Wood’s goals could prove to be vital.
Sheffield United – Andre Brooks (+0.22)
It won’t come as much of a surprise to learn that the vast majority of Sheffield United players have seen their average match rating plummet.
However, there are a few exceptions to this. Statistically, Brooks has been their most improved player by taking his average match rating from 6.00 to 6.22. Albeit, he barely featured for the Blades last season.
Tottenham – Yves Bissouma (+0.55)
Plenty of people were quick to label Bissouma as a flop, following a subpar debut season with Spurs. However, the 27-year-old has proved his worth with several top performances this time around.
Along with Bissouma, Richarlison has also seen a drastic improvement in his match rating from last season. That’s the Ange Postecoglou effect.
West Ham – Alphonse Areola (+0.61)
The French goalkeeper only played 307 minutes of Premier League football last season, but he’s since established himself as the club’s outright first choice.
His latest game against Everton was arguably his best performance of the season so far. By making 10 saves and denying Beto from the penalty spot, he ensured the Hammers picked up all three points.
Wolves – Pedro Neto (+0.68)
The Wolves winger is attracting plenty of interest right now and it’s no surprise to see why. Following an injury-hit campaign last time around, he’s been one of the best wingers in the league this year.
With two goals and nine assists so far, his average match rating has increased by a whopping 0.68. That’s some effort from the Portuguese winger.
'I don't get it' - Peter Schmeichel questions Erik ten Hag decision in defeat to Man City
Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel says he was baffled by Erik ten Hag’s substitutions in the side’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, especially the removal of goalscorer Marcus Rashford for Antony.
Rashford got the Red Devils off to the perfect start in the 192nd Manchester derby as he found the top corner of Ederson’s goal from 25 yards to give the visitors an eighth-minute lead.
But an inspired Phil Foden completed a stunning second-half double to put Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions in front before Erling Haaland added a third at the death to consign United to their 11th loss of the top-flight campaign.
The result moved last year’s treble winners to within a point of top-of-the-table Liverpool, while United remain down in sixth, 11 points worse off than fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Ten Hag made four substitutions after the break, with Jonny Evans, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo all removed at the Etihad as City took control in the second half.
Any momentum United gained after Rashford’s opener appeared to dissipate and Sunday’s hosts never looked under any serious threat as the clock ticked closer to the full-time whistle.
Discussing Ten Hag’s cautious approach in the derby, club legend Schmeichel told talkSPORT: ‘You’ve got to have pace up front… really, really, really quick players because what they have at the back is they’ve got experience, they’ve got cleverness and they’ve got pace.
© Provided by Metro
‘Kyle Walker… [Nathan] Ake yesterday, he was running with Garnacho and catching him up. He surprised me with the pace that he’s got.
‘You’ve got to have that to give yourself a chance. I think that’s just a general thing.
‘Now, when you’ve chosen to play like that, there is a limit to how deep you can fall when you play Manchester City and I thought, as the game progressed, the team fell in a little bit too deep for my liking. I would have pushed them up a bit.
© Provided by Metro
‘And also then, when you need to change the game at the moment they’ve equalised, they’ve scored again, the substitutions that you make… you take all your pace off, you take your driving force in midfield off, you take your best defender off. I don’t get that.
‘Are they being rested for the next game? I really, really don’t get the substitutions. When you look at what Pep’s doing, Pep is only substituting two players. Generally, he doesn’t substitute a lot.Related video: Pep Guardiola lauds Phil Foden for Manchester derby win comeback (Daily Mail)
So to become a world cast player at the date
‘Yesterday, those substitutions, from that moment on, I just don’t get it.’
Schmeichel, a treble winner with United in 1999, could not believe Ten Hag brought Rashford off for Antony with 15 minutes remaining, given the Brazilian is without a goal in the league since last April.
‘Rashford scores a really, really good goal but he is a threat on his own. We’ve seen that in the game,’ the legendary ex-United goalkeeper added.
‘He only needs one pass and he’s through. Why take him off? Why put somebody on who hasn’t made an assist since April? He hasn’t scored a goal since April.
‘Why bring somebody like that on instead of Rashford? Why take Garnacho off? I don’t get it.’
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