Manchester United struggled in Europe under Erik ten Hag on Thursday night and it’s a sight Red Devils fans have become all too accustomed to.
It was a 3-3 draw with Porto this time around, spared from being a 3-2 defeat only by a late Harry Maguire header after Ten Hag had seen his side blow a comfortable 2-0 lead.
After the game, Maguire, who was stripped of the United captaincy by Ten Hag at the start of his time in charge, suggested the club have a ‘mental issue’ in Europe right now – and that’s seemingly been present the whole time the Dutchman has been around.
In his last 10 European games as United boss, Ten Hag has won just once. That was against Copenhagen – a 1-0 win at Old Trafford in the group stage of last year’s Champions League.
That is showing no sign of changing. After 1-1 draw with Twente last week, Christian Eriksen admitted his side’s opponents wanted it more. Alarming. And the stats are a concern.
Manchester United’s European struggles under Erik ten Hag have been laid bare in numbers
The Red Devils fell to another disappointing result on Thursday as they drew 2-2 with Porto
United have now won just one of their last 10 matches in Europe under their Dutch manager
Against Porto, United had 29 shots but just eight were on target and just one was a clear-cut chance. At the other end, they continue to leak goals. That’s seven in the last three games and 12 for the season.
In comparison, Liverpool, who are top of the Premier League, have conceded four. City seven, Arsenal seven.
Out of 20 European games in total at the helm at Old Trafford, Ten Hag has nine wins from 20, and most have been in Europe’s second-tier competition. A far cry from the days of competing for the Champions League under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Since the start of last season, collapses have been a common occurrence. Via ESPN, United conceded two goals in four minutes against Bayern Munich, two in 10 against Galatasaray and then two in nine, two in four against Copenhagen and now two in seven against Porto.
‘It’s becoming a trend that Manchester United really need to fix,’ one fan writes on X, formerly Twitter. Certainly.
Thursday marked the 24th time that United had conceded three or more goals in a game under Ten Hag. 24 times it’s happened in 124 games – that’s over 19 per cent of the time.
United spent nearly £120million on new defenders in the summer, with Noussair Mazraoui (£17.1m) and De Ligt (£42.7m) both starting on Thursday night.
Martinez, who has partnered De Ligt over the last few games, cost United £55m two years ago. Fans are yet to see Leny Yoro in competitive action, and it appears that hopes are already hanging on the injured 18-year-old’s shoulders.
It took a last-minute Harry Maguire goal to ensure that United didn’t leave Porto empty handed
Ten Hag has vowed to continue fighting despite logging just a 45 per cent win record in European competition
Ten Hag has vowed to continue fighting. He referenced ‘the project’ again on Thursday, and asked fans to judge him at the end of the season. He may not get that long.
United maintain that they have full faith in the 54-year-old but, as they old saying goes, the stats don’t lie. Improvement, evidently, is needed.
It’s Aston Villa next at the weekend, it’s Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce will await next in the Europa League later this month.