What is Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United record against the Premier League “Big Six”?

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Man Utd 0-1 Arsenal 

Manchester United’s dismal Premier League campaign hit new depths on Sunday, when Erik Ten Hag’s side succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford. The loss not only means that Man Utd have slumped to eighth place in the league table, falling behind Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side for the first time this season, but extended a poor run of form to just one win in their last eight league matches. 

When asked about his team’s poor performance, Ten Hag was quick to point to the numerous injuries that have ravaged his team and forced him to play key players like Casemiro out of position. “Every manager can always do better,” he said after Sunday’s game. “I have been here two years and only one time had a full group of players. It is like swimming with your hands on your back and you have to keep your head above the water level.” However, while some may sympathise with the Dutch tactician’s situation, his record as Man Utd manager is far from impressive. Especially when we narrow in on how the club have done against the rest of the Premier League’s “Big Six” since Ten Hag joined the Old Trafford side in 2022.  

Erik Ten Hag’s Premier League record vs “Big Six

Naturally, the English top-flight is the arena that Man Utd most routinely face off against their domestic foes and it’s here that we’ll take the first look at Ten Hag’s record against the best the Premier League has to offer. And, unfortunately for fans of the club, it makes for rather sober reading. As we can see in the graphic above, in 20 games against the aforementioned “Big Six”, Man Utd have won just six and claimed five draws. This gives Man Utd a total points total of 23, which is the fourth best record among the six clubs. Not only does the Dutch coach have the fourth worst points per game average of 1.15 but his team have also racked up an unwanted goal difference of -12 along the way too, which is in stark contrast to Arsenal (+14), Man City (+16) and Liverpool (+7). 

Erik Ten Hag’s overall record vs “Big Six” 

When we then take a look at Ten Hag’s record against the “Big Six” in all competitions since he made the move to Man Utd, it changes things slightly. To date, the Man Utd manager has played the other five clubs 22 times and won seven of those showdowns. This is because Ten Hag has actually only faced two “Big Six” side in domestic cup competitions since he made the move to England, when his side lost 2-1 to Man City in last season’s FA Cup final and the extra-time victory over Liverpool in this season’s FA Cup quarter-finals. A somewhat fortunate run of draws in both cup competitions, when we consider Man Utd’s struggles in such fixtures. 

This means that Ten Hag’s overall record against the other five clubs across all competitions currently stands at 1.16 points per game, or a rather measly 32% win ratio. And, as we can see in the graphic above, there isn’t a single club that the Dutch manager has managed to get the better of – with a 50% win ratio against Chelsea proving to be the most encouraging record to date. When we then consider the turmoil that the London club have gone through in the past few seasons, it certainly doesn’t suggest that Man Utd have much of a record to be proud of under Ten Hag. Which only underlines the importance of this season’s FA Cup final against Man City. Not only is there potential silverware on the line, but also the reputation of Man Utd’s under-pressure manager.