Football
Erik ten Hag ‘At The Top’ Tactically But Lacks Passion Claims Ex-Manchester United Assistant Benni McCarthy
Cai is a news and features writer that specialises in football, but has experience covering a variety of other sports, including darts, basketball, American football, MMA, boxing and more. He holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby, and worked with Nottingham Forest FC and Burton Albion FC throughout his studies. Cai also has experience working in social media with the Football Association of Wales, where he worked on a freelance basis, and has also been an accredited writer in the JD Cymru Premier for both Y Clwb Pêl-Droed and welshfootie since the 2019/20 season.
Get to know Cai Parry betterPublished02 Oct 2024
Former Manchester United assistant coach Benni McCarthy believes that Erik ten Hag is ‘at the top’ tactically, but that his lack of passion lets him down amid uncertainty over his future at the club.
Manchester United are winless in each of their last three matches across all competitions, and the pressure is reportedly mounting on manager Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils boss was handed a new contract until the summer of 2026 after winning the FA Cup last season, but there is now uncertainty over the Dutchman’s future at Old Trafford just six games into the Premier League season.
Ten Hag’s side currently occupy 13th place in the English top-flight table, boasting just two wins, one draw and three losses after their opening six matches.
Their Europa League campaign got off to a poor start too, as they were held to a bitterly disappointing 1-1 draw at home against FC Twente despite initially taking the lead.
With question marks over Ten Hag‘s future at the club, former United assistant Benni McCarthy has offered some insight into his time at the club. The South African spent a total of two seasons working under the former Ajax boss and departed to pursue a managerial career of his own back in June.
Benni McCarthy: Erik ten Hag Doesn’t Show Enough Passion
Speaking to Portuguese news outlet ZEROZERO, McCarthy said: “In modern football, I believe that players want to see a bit more passion in their coach, they need to feel that the coach is with them and willing to fight alongside them.
“Tactically, I feel that Erik is at the top. He lacks a bit of that fire, that passion.
“That’s where we differ, him and I. I think my biggest strength is the empathy I create with the players. That’s the difference, that fire I feel inside me, that hunger I have.
“Erik gives the players all the information and expects them to deliver on the pitch.”
McCarthy then went on to touch on the training standards and claimed that if other players showed similar levels of commitment and passion to Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, United would be a much more successful side.
“If some of the Manchester United players had what Bruno [Fernandes] and Diogo [Dalot] have, it would have been easier to achieve good results.”
He added: “They both trained with incredible concentration, giving everything they had. Some of the others didn’t do the same. This ended up limiting United’s progress, because some players weren’t training to the best of their ability.
“Even in games, the data showed us that some players were at their peak performance and others a little below.”
Up next for United is a trip to Portugal to take on Porto in the Europa League on Thursday evening, and the UK’s best football betting sites have them at around 8/5 to come away with three points.