A thought that struck me several times while Erik ten Hag was in charge of Manchester United was that both the body language and the facial expression of the Dutch manager were of someone who would like to be somewhere else.
Also, what we have seen from Ten Hag now as a man for Bayer Leverkusen is, if possible, even more insistent. “There are no visible signs that Erik ten Hag actually likes being a football manager.
From success to failure in record time!
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Bayer Leverkusen, who under Xabi Alonso’s leadership captured the Bundesliga title in the 2023-2024 season for the first time in the club’s 120-year-old history and who last season landed in 2nd place, have started this season miserably.
Already crisis meeting about Erik ten Hag’s future – after weak two league starts
As we pointed out before the start of the season, Erik ten Hag took over a club filled to the brim with confidence after the Bundesliga title in the 2022/24 season and a second place finish last season. This was the starting point for the former Manchester United coach. Since then, the Dutchman has had to watch one after another of the key players from the Xabi Alonso era leave the club. Nevertheless, expectations have not changed. Now that Bayer Leverkusen have started the season exceptionally weakly, all alarm bells are ringing.
It started with a 5-1 defeat to Flamengo’s U20 side ahead of the season, which Ten Hag dismissed as “just a friendly match”. Then the Bundesliga season started.
There was a win against fourth-division side Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the German Cup, but the mood among Leverkusen supporters quickly after a 1-2 loss at home to Hoffenheim. On Saturday came the real collapse against Werder Bremen, who with ten men on the pitch made up a 1-3 deficit to 3-3 (with the equaliser in injury time) and secured the points split.
According to Bild, there is already a mood of crisis in Leverkusen’s management, where Ten Hag has failed to implement a recognisable style of play or structure in the team. The German media claims that the club leaders will hold crisis meetings about the way forward as soon as the transfer window closes – and this after only two Bundesliga rounds.
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Ten Hag’s coaching career
Erik ten Hag came to Leverkusen with solid experience from his time at Ajax Amsterdam, where he led the club to the historic Champions League semi-final in 2019. However, his move to Manchester United in 2022 was marked by instability and disappointing results.
The uninspiring Dutchman was never able to find the right balance between attacking play and defensive stability with the Red Devils, which ultimately led to his departure in 2024. Now he faces a similar challenge at Leverkusen, where he must prove that he can act under pressure and revive a team that has lost its most important players, if given the time he “needs”.
