When Cristiano Ronaldo clashed with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, the soccer world witnessed probably the most explosive manager-player fallouts of current years. The Dutchman, identified for his strict strategies and calls for for self-discipline, by no means managed to reconcile with the Portuguese star. However whereas the Ronaldo saga dominated headlines, a recent twist unfolded in Germany—this time it wasn’t the Portuguese, however one other former Actual Madrid participant whose arrival performed a decisive function in Ten Hag’s downfall at Bayer Leverkusen.
After his turbulent tenure at Previous Trafford, Ten Hag was handed a recent begin when he took over at Bayer Leverkusen in July, changing Xabi Alonso, who had departed for Actual Madrid. Expectations have been excessive, contemplating Alonso had guided the membership to their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2024 whereas going unbeaten.
However the optimism rapidly light. Ten Hag’s time on the BayArena lasted simply 63 days and three aggressive matches—a 4-0 win within the DFB-Pokal towards Sonnenhof Grossaspach, adopted by just one level from his first two Bundesliga video games. By September, the Dutchman was sacked, setting a file for the shortest Bundesliga managerial reign. Sporting director Simon Rolfes bluntly said that Ten Hag was dismissed as a result of he was taking the workforce “within the improper course.”
Ten Hag’s problem was by no means easy. He inherited a squad stripped of its backbone—Florian Wirtz, Victor Boniface, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah, Amine Adli, and Granit Xhaka all left in the summertime, dismantling the construction Alonso had constructed. The duty of rebuilding appeared daunting, but Leverkusen anticipated instantaneous outcomes. With the Bundesliga marketing campaign already slipping and the Champions League looming, tensions between administration and Ten Hag rose quickly.
The breaking level
The decisive blow, nevertheless, didn’t come from the touchline however from the boardroom. As reported by Bild, Leverkusen accomplished the signing of Lucas Vazquez, the long-serving Actual Madrid utility man, with out Ten Hag’s approval.
The Dutch supervisor was reportedly not knowledgeable of the transfer till Vazquez had already undergone medical checks. This left Ten Hag feeling undermined, and his fragile relationship with the membership’s hierarchy grew to become unsalvageable. In response to the German outlet, the signing of the Spanish veteran was seen internally as “the ultimate dagger” within the membership’s belief towards its supervisor. Simply days later, he was dismissed.
Echoes of outdated conflicts
The saga attracts uncomfortable parallels to Ten Hag’s points with Ronaldo at Manchester United. Whereas the Portuguese celebrity’s fallout was private and public, in Germany, the battle was institutional and rooted in an absence of communication and belief.
Satirically, Ten Hag as soon as claimed that Ronaldo was “by no means the issue” at United, regardless of the bitter break up. In Germany, although, it was one other former Los Blancos star who inadvertently grew to become the catalyst for his swift exit.
