Ten Hag vs Arteta and Klopp - Points per game and transfer spend in first two years

Manchester United’s dismal season was dealt another devastating blow as they were knocked out of the Champions League after a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich. The English giants’ fate was outwith their control following a shock defeat in matchday five against Galatasaray with Copenhagen progressing to the knockout stages after beating the Turkish side in the decider in Denmark.

United battled admirably against Munich but they didn't ever look like defeating the Bundesliga side as they exited Europe all together after finishing bottom of the group to increase the scrutiny on Erik ten Hag.

United’s record in Europe’s most prestigious tournament makes for uneasy reading and it led to Jose Mourinho's famous ‘football heritage’ remark as he denounced the club’s performances in the Champions League after exiting to Sevilla in 2018. United have now been eliminated in the group stages four times in their last nine Champions League campaigns with their best run ending against Barcelona in the quarter finals in 2019.

Erik ten Hag under increasing pressure after Champions League exit

Despite an impressive debut campaign in English football, Erik ten Hag faces increasing pressure with United breaking some unwanted records. The resounding 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday meant United had lost more home matches (35) since Sir Alex Ferguson retired than during the Scotsman’s 21-year tenure (34). United lost four or their opening seven English Premier League games - another unwanted record - but responded well until defeat to Bournemouth with Ten Hag winning November’s manager of the month award. United sit just six points off the top four, and reigning champions Manchester City, in the league but elimination from the Champions League has ramped up the pressure on Ten Hag ahead of a daunting trip to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday - where they lost 7-0 last season. The constant cycle of sacking managers hasn’t worked at Old Trafford across the last decade and while no major decision is expected until Jim Radlciffe’s INEOS takes control of football operations, Ten Hag’s record deserves scrutiny.

Point per game: How Ten Hag compares to Arteta and Klopp

Comparing Ten Hag’s record so far at United to Mikel Arteta at Arsenal and Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool across their first two seasons reveals interesting results. Following Unai Emery’s sacking, Arteta was appointed on December 20th after Freddie Ljungberg interim spell yielded just one win in five games. Arteta led Arsenal to eighth place that season, picking up 54 points in 28 matches at an average of 1.93 ppg but the Gunners did win the FA Cup. In Arteta’s first full season in charge, Arsenal finished eighth again and they failed to qualify for European competition for the first time in 25 years. They recorded 103 points from 58 games with an average of 1.78 ppg. Therefore, Arteta averaged 1.83ppg across his first two seasons at Arsenal - lower than Ten Hag’s current record at United of 1.95.

“When you look at the start of Arteta's reign in charge and see two 8th placed finishes in his first season and a half it doesn't look great, but most Arsenal fans understood the state the club was in when he took over and that it would be a process to get back to the top,” explains Transfermarkt’s UK Content Manager Ben Littlemore. “You could instantly see when he took charge the attitude of the players changed, and already players such as Emilie Smith-Rowe, Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka were waxing lyrical about his level of coaching. He said we would have to suffer and trust the process and if you look where the club is now, he has done a remarkable job. Winning the FA Cup in his first season brought him some more time and trust too, and he has always had a very close relationship with sporting director Edu.

Jurgen Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers in October 2015 and he led Liverpool to an eighth place finish. The former Borussia Dortmund boss did reach two finals that season - League Cup and Europa League - but they lost both and finished with 86 points from 52 matches at an average of 1.65 ppg. Klopp’s impact on Liverpool began to grow in his second season as he led Liverpool to 4th place in the English Premier League. The German implemented his style of play successfully and the first indications of their future success under Klopp were visible. This progress was evidenced by a significant increase in their ppg record to 1.96 after collecting 92 points from their 47 games. Therefore, Klopp averaged 1.8 ppg across his first two seasons at Liverpool, which is lower than Arteta (1.83) and Ten Hag (1.95).

Ten Hag’s transfer spend compared to Arteta and Klopp

While Ten Hag’s points per game record compares favourably to Arteta and Klopp across their first two seasons managing in England, it’s imperative to highlight the disparity between their transfer spends. Across their first three transfer windows, Ten Hag has spent more than four times his two rivals after splashing out an eye-watering €446.7m compared to Arteta €94m and Liverpool €86.9m. United spent €243.28m in Ten Hag’s first season, before investing another €203.4m in the summer.

Ten Hag has unquestionably been backed in the transfer market but his recruitment record is hugely underwhelming with Lisandro Martinez representing the only unquestionable success. The 53-year-old has recently rubbished the narrative that he favours signing players that he’s worked with previously but he has signed several players from Ajax. While Ten Hag can’t be blamed for United repeatedly overpaying for players, Antony’s arrival for €95m looks particularly poor business. Ten Hag’s abject recruitment record is arguably more concerning than his ability to get results. While Liverpool and Arsenal had strong senior management and recruitment structures in place when Klopp and Arteta were appointed, United have been a complete mess off the pitch and Ten Hag could ultimately be the one to pay the price.

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