Outstanding Erik ten Hag rant shows Liverpool how lucky they are

If this was the signing of Erik ten Hag from Manchester United, it was a defiant last stand. Manchester United overcame the odds to beat their cross-town rivals, ending the season by winning the FA Cup.

This is the Ten Hag’s second piece of silverware in his time at Old Trafford. But he still looks unlikely to be on the hot seat next season, with a remarkable pre-kick-off showing a man expected to leave his role.

Ten Hag reportedly hit out at the club’s fans for not having a “sense of reality”, while also criticizing the level of the team. He also highlighted Manchester United’s growing wait for the Premier League title, now in its second decade – after mocking Liverpool for so long, supporters are learning how quickly it can slip away.

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“Manchester United last won the league in 2013, 11 years ago,” Ten Hag said. “But still we are expected to win every game as we compete at the top. This club is not ready for that.

“We had to start building something and we took the first steps last year, but then you find out how big this club is and that nobody is ever satisfied. Inside the club people were happy, but outside the club there was a ruckus saying ‘We only won the Carabao Cup, we lost the (previous) FA Cup final and came third’.

The manner in which Manchester City won should have underlined a bright future for Manchester United, with goals coming from teenagers Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. But the FA Cup triumph looks to be little more than a port in a storm, in a season that the Ten Hag admitted without question before the game was “c**p”.

In a way, he’s probably right to feel a little off about the media narrative surrounding his team. Bringing in young players, he was in and around the Champions League places for two consecutive seasons, delivering silverware on both occasions. It is more than its most recent predecessors have achieved. But time and time again, he has shown himself unable to promote the positivity he craves.

The Ten Hag can hardly expect the media to praise his team’s progress when he himself is quick to criticize it. And for all the struggles this season, there have been a number of moments that could and should have been turning points, where late winners offered the potential to ignite a spark — yet the fire remained unlit.

He got his tactics on point against Manchester City, but being a manager is more than that. It shows how lucky Liverpool were to have Jürgen Klopp, a true tactical visionary in his own right, but also perhaps the best motivator and manager of a generation.

And in Arne Slot, Liverpool seem to have found another manager who knows how to engage and energize a fan base. His expulsion at Feyenoord is proof of that.

Tipped for success by his compatriot – amid clear remarks that he will inherit a better team – Slot may not, however, win as much silverware as Ten Hag in his first two seasons. In English football, two trophies is relatively good. But crucially, Liverpool can be relatively confident that they will at least have everyone pulling in the same direction.

If Ten Hag is going to leave, it will technically be on a high note. But you’d be hard-pressed to tell from the cloud of negativity he leaves in his wake – it takes more than results to ‘build something’ and Liverpool have been blessed with one of the best architects around . Manchester United may now be looking for one of their own, but with Slot now installed at Anfield, they are already one step behind.