After his short tenure at Bayer Leverkusen, Erik ten Hag is being dubbed Erik Ten Weeks by some critics.
Ten weeks is an exaggeration – his reign was actually one day short of nine weeks, clocking in at 62 days. He lasted just two Bundesliga games.
He was sacked after Leverkusen threw away a 3-1 lead against 10-man Werder Bremen on Saturday, to draw 3-3.
That disappointing result came one week after Leverkusen lost to Hoffenheim in their season opener at home. Ten Hag only won one competitive game – a German Cup tie against a fourth-division side.
The experienced Dutchman was appointed in late May to replace title-winning coach Xabi Alonso, who departed for Real Madrid, but he did not begin work until 1 July.
At first, Leverkusen seemed to be convinced he could lead a partial rebuild, as the Werkself were losing a number of key players, including Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah.
But while early results this season were disappointing, they were not the sole reason – or even the main reason – for Ten Hag’s dismissal.
Almost from the start, Ten Hag caused irritation with his decisions and behaviour.
For instance, he rescheduled a friendly against Flamengo’s under-20s team during Leverkusen’s training camp in Brazil. The game was played four days earlier than initially planned and Leverkusen lost 5-1 in quite an upset.
Around the same time, Ten Hag took a stance against Granit Xhaka’s departure, saying the midfield leader ought to stay and that Leverkusen had lost enough key players already.
However, Leverkusen had made it known that Xhaka could leave if the right offer came in. He went to Sunderland.
In addition, Ten Hag criticised his players for not being fit enough, even though he and his staff had overseen pre-season.
And he has been accused of lacking the kind of charisma necessary to lead any ambitious top-flight team, but especially a newly assembled group of players. He seemed to struggle with convincing players of his ideas. Sources close to the club suggest he gave lacklustre pre-match talks.
Before the season opener against Hoffenheim, it has been said Ten Hag didn’t even give a pre-match talk.
In contrast, Spaniard Alonso tried his best to improve his German and his leadership skills as a manager during his tenure at Leverkusen.
It is not a good look for sporting director Simon Rolfes – who argued vehemently in favour of Ten Hag when the hiring process took place in May – or chief executive Fernando Carro.
“A parting of ways at this early stage of the season is painful, but we felt it was necessary,” Carro said on Monday.
One would expect that they did thorough background checks before hiring Ten Hag.
But then again, only a few years ago, coming off his successful stint at Ajax, Ten Hag was a much-lauded football coach.
He won the Dutch championship three times and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
Even his first year at Manchester United seemed promising, and the fact that he eventually was let go was often attributed to the turmoil at Old Trafford rather than to his weaknesses as a manager.
As for Leverkusen, they have a mess on their hands. They seemed willing to sell almost every player who considered leaving.
At the same time, players such as Malik Tillman and Jarell Quansah signed, thinking Ten Hag would be their coach.
In the past and even before Alonso’s successful run, the club had often been praised for level-headed decisions.
Monday’s announcement might change that perception.
Leverkusen now need to find a replacement during the international break. They have reportedly held talks with former Barcelona coach Xavi, while former Dortmund and Leipzig manager Marco Rose is also high on their list.
Whoever they turn to, the Ten Hag saga won’t be forgotten easily.
[BBC]