ERIK TEN HAG’S final glory at Manchester United might have NEVER have happened if he had persisted with his original tactical plan in the FA Cup final.
The Dutchman was sacked from his post as Man Utd manager on Monday following a controversial 2-1 defeat to West Ham.
It left Man Utd down in 14th place in the Premier League after their worst-ever start to the season.
Ten Hag, 54, had looked like a dead man walking at Old Trafford after finish a record low of eighth in the Prem last season.
But he earned himself an unlikely lifeline by shocking Manchester City to win the FA Cup final in May, courtesy of goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
However, the result of that game could have turned out very different.
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That’s because, according to The Independent, Ten Hag had to be talked out of his planned tactics for the Wembley showdown by concerned Darren Fletcher.
It is claimed Ten Hag wanted to go “toe-to-toe” against the league champions in a kamikaze plan.
And it was only after hours of debate led by then-technical director Fletcher that Ten Hag relented.
The tactical tweaks he eventually did make prior to the game worked as a treat, as the 4-4-2 shape helped United defend against Pep Guardiola’s side and gave United the ability to be dangerous on the counter.
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Reports at the time suggested that Ten Hag had also listened to the advice from new club chief Jason Wilcox to use Bruno Fernandes as a False 9 for the final, which yielded the captain an assist for the winner.
Man Utd have tried going match up with teams this season, and come up embarrassingly short against Liverpool and Tottenham in 3-0 defeats at Old Trafford.
Behind the scenes, one senior member of the Ineos hierarchy is reported to have said: “I told you this would happen,” in key meetings, where the main dividing factor was who could come next.
However, after getting their first transfer window out of the way Ineos now appear to have made swift progress on appointing a potential successor.
According to reports, Sporting manager Ruben Amorim has agreed to become the new Red Devils boss.
United will have to pay his £8.5million buy-out fee, but the 39-year-old has impressive credentials behind him with two league titles ending a 19-year league drought at the club.
The “Special One 2.0” has been heavily linked with replacing Pep Guardiola at Man City, while was also linked with Liverpool, West Ham, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Amorim has a distinct style with his 3-4-3 system and will have a five-point checklist of things to do upon arriving.
The former midfielder has already broken his silence on the prospect of taking the job, admitting: “I was already expecting this question [about Man Utd] and obviously I’m not going to talk about the future, because otherwise I’ll always have to comment.
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“I’m very proud to be Sporting coach, that’s all.”
The Portuguese tactician actually already has a tenuous link to Man Utd, having faced them three times in his career, including one player who he is now set to coach.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
