How Erik ten Hag Is "Stuck" With His "Best" Player At Manchester United
Erik ten Hag finds himself at the cross-roads ahead of Manchester United's Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
The Dutchman spent large parts of the pre-season inculcating his ideas and preparing his system in the absence of United's talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal international has asked the club to let him leave so that he can continue playing in the Champions League. The Red Devils failed to secure a Champions League berth last season in the Premier league.
However, no Champions League outfit have shown any serious interest in the 37-year-old, and for the time being it appears there's no way out for Ronaldo. It looks like he'll be playing in Europe's second-tier competition for the first time since the 2002-03 season.
Ten Hag, meanwhile, is left with somewhat of a Prima Donna figure in Ronaldo. The Portuguese doesn't want to be at Carrington, has enough influence to divide a dressing room, and is far from ideal for a system built for fluid and versatile forwards.
But such has been United's recruitment in past years that Ronaldo, last season's top goal-scorer for United, is still the best attacking outlet at the new manager's disposal.
Even if the United hierarchy reluctantly sanction his exit, who will replace his 18 league goals?
These circumstances are especially scary as every other top 6 side have strengthened their respective frontlines.
Liverpool and Manchester City have brought in premium strikers Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland, Chelsea have snapped up Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus has reunited with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, and Antonio Conte has added Everton's star man Richarlison as Harry Kane's backup.
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Ten Hag's next best bet to lead his attacking line from the middle is Anthony Martial. The Frenchman had an uninspiring loan spell at Sevilla, having drawn a blank in terms of goals scored in La Liga.
Martial was expected to be sold this summer, but a lack of suitors meant he was on the plane to Thailand and Australia, where he put forward his name as Ronaldo's replacement by scoring three goals in pre-season.
Throughout his time in Manchester, Martial has time and again shown promise, but has been inconsistent through form or fitness. Incidentally, just before United's first game of the season, it was confirmed he's out with a minor hamstring problem.
This has forced Ten Hag to either experiment with a formation without a traditional striker or yet again look to Ronaldo to solve United's goal-scoring woes.
Why Cristiano Ronaldo is not an ideal fit for Ten Hag's System
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If United don't make any new attacking additions in the summer transfer window, Ten Hag will have to depend on a player who is far from the best fit for a counter-pressing and possession-heavy style.
Thierry Henry said last year, addressing Ronaldo's situation:
"When your poison is your medicine, you will struggle."
Ronaldo is amongst the worst strikers in Europe for pressing. He impacts his side's build-up play by regularly dropping deep rather than occupying the last line of defence. His lofty stature makes his teammates pass the ball to him too quickly rather than making a more informed decision and expressing their own talent.
In Ten Hag, United have a manager who isn't rigid with a "total football" philosophy like Louis van Gaal and Pep Guardiola. He has a history of getting the best out of different types of forwards during his time in Amsterdam with Ajax.
Ajax's 2018-19 Champions League journey of saw Dušan Tadić, a natural playmaker, disrupting the opposition's backline in a false 9 role. While last season Sebastian Haller, a penalty box poacher, scored in all six of the group stage games.
During pre-season, Ten Hag said:
"The players dictate the way you play. Especially players who score goals because they are extremely important for a team. You construct your team around them."
The Dutch tactician is certainly open to making tweaks to get the most out of the Portuguese icon. Whether Ronaldo, in the twilight of his career, is ready to learn and adapt to Ten Hag's methods remains to be seen.