The Statistics Which Show How Badly Manchester United Struggled under Erik Ten Hag

An aerial photograph taken by drone of Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, Britain, 28 October 2024. (EPA)
An aerial photograph taken by drone of Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, Britain, 28 October 2024. (EPA)
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The Statistics Which Show How Badly Manchester United Struggled under Erik Ten Hag

An aerial photograph taken by drone of Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, Britain, 28 October 2024. (EPA)
An aerial photograph taken by drone of Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, Britain, 28 October 2024. (EPA)

Manchester United, the record 20-time English champion, is searching for a sixth permanent manger since the retirement of Alex Ferguson in 2013 following the firing of Erik ten Hag.

Here are the statistics that show how low things got at United under Ten Hag — and what his successor will need to improve on:

Worst start

The break for international matches this month offered a chance to assess each Premier League team’s start to the season, and it didn’t make good reading for United. After seven games, United had collected eight points — its fewest in the Premier League era (since 1992) by that stage of a season and its lowest tally since the team had seven points from seven games in the 1989-90 season. Ten Hag’s team was in 14th place in the 20-team top division at that point. With a win and a loss since then, United remains in 14th — already 12 points off first-place Manchester City.

Worst finish

Last season, Ten Hag led United to its worst finish — eighth place — in the Premier League era. United had to go back to that 1989-90 season for a lower finish, and that was 13th place under Alex Ferguson in the year he reportedly came close to losing his job.

European failure

It didn’t get any better in Europe for Ten Hag. United finished in last place in its Champions League group last season even though it contained outsiders like FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray. United conceded 15 goals in that group, the most goals it has ever conceded in a single Champions League group stage. It was also a record for an English club. This season, United has drawn each of its three games in the revamped Europa League, against FC Twente, Porto and Fenerbahce — leaving the team in 21st place in the 36-team league, sandwiched between Viktoria Plzen and Elfsborg.

WHERE ARE THE GOALS?

“Attack, attack, attack” is the chant that has often been heard swirling around Old Trafford down the years, but goals were hard to come by under Ten Hag. With eight goals from its opening nine games, United is currently the third-lowest scorer in the Premier League, with only Crystal Palace and Southampton having fewer.

Last season, United was tied in ninth place in the list of top scorers in the Premier League with 57 goals. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, United has a goal difference of minus 4, having scored 65 goals and conceded 69.

Porous defense

United conceded 58 goals in the league last season — its most in the Premier League era — and there are more stats to highlight Ten Hag’s inability to bring defensive shape to his team. Since Ten Hag’s arrival midway through 2022, United conceded three goals in a game on 24 occasions — more than any manager since Ferguson’s retirement. According to Opta, the Premier League’s stats supplier, United has faced 1,739 shots in their 128 games under Erik ten Hag. Man City has faced 717 fewer shots despite playing six more games in that time.

Late goals

According to Opta, seven of Ten Hag’s 27 losses came via a winner in the 90th minute or later. The last of those came in what proved to be Ten Hag’s final game in charge, when Jarrod Bowen converted a penalty in second minute of stoppage time to earn West Ham a 2-1 victory.

Embarrassing loss

Ten Hag’s tenure got off to a dreadful start with back-to-back losses to Brighton and Brentford in the Premier League in the 2022-23 season. The 4-0 loss at Brentford was arguably the worst under Ten Hag until United arrived at Anfield for a match against its fiercest rival, Liverpool, last season. United lost 7-0 for its heaviest defeat to Liverpool and its worst competitive defeat in more than 90 years.



Zheng Routs Paolini to Advance to Semifinals at WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia

Tennis - WTA Finals - King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - November 6, 2024 China's Qinwen Zheng celebrates after winning her women's singles group stage match against Italy's Jasmine Paolini REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Tennis - WTA Finals - King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - November 6, 2024 China's Qinwen Zheng celebrates after winning her women's singles group stage match against Italy's Jasmine Paolini REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
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Zheng Routs Paolini to Advance to Semifinals at WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia

Tennis - WTA Finals - King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - November 6, 2024 China's Qinwen Zheng celebrates after winning her women's singles group stage match against Italy's Jasmine Paolini REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Tennis - WTA Finals - King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - November 6, 2024 China's Qinwen Zheng celebrates after winning her women's singles group stage match against Italy's Jasmine Paolini REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Zheng Qinwen cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Jasmine Paolini to reach the semifinals of the WTA Finals on Wednesday.
Zheng needed just over an hour to defeat Paolini in the match that decided the final qualifier from the Purple Group at the season-ending tournament for the top eight women's players, The Associated Press reported.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who had won her first two matches to clinch a semifinal spot, lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to No. 5 Elena Rybakina. It was Rybakina's first win of the round-robin phase.
It was Zheng's fourth win in as many matches against Paolini. The 22-year-old Chinese player had 12 aces and broke the Italian's serve five times.
“It's one of the best performances I had during this year,” Zheng said. “I'm really proud. I played in a really difficult group.”
Zheng is the youngest player to reach the semifinals in her first appearance at the WTA Finals since Petra Kvitova in 2011. It’s her seventh semifinal of the year and the first time she has beaten two top-10 opponents in the same tournament. She defeated Elena Rybakina on Monday.
Zheng has won 30 matches since Wimbledon, clinching the Olympic gold medal in Paris and winning titles in Palermo and Tokyo.
She could become the second player to win the singles gold medal and reach the WTA Finals championship match in the same season since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988, after Serena Williams in 2012.
Paolini finished the season 38-19, having made the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon.
Jessica Pegula withdrew from her last match at the tournament because of a left knee injury. The American, who lost her first two matches and was already eliminated from semifinal contention, will be replaced in the Orange Group by first alternate and ninth-ranked Daria Kasatkina.
Kasatkina will play second-ranked Iga Swiatek on Thursday.