Former Manchester United coach, Erik ten Hag, is quickly coming under pressure at Bayer Leverkusen following a disappointing start to the new season.
The Dutch coach took over Bayer Leverkusen early this summer after several months unemployed since being sacked by Manchester United at the end of October 2024. He succeeded club legend Xabi Alonso, who led the team to an unbeaten domestic double in the 2023/24 season.
However, Ten Hag’s start has been worse than anyone could have imagined. In his debut friendly match, Leverkusen suffered a heavy 0-5 defeat to Flamengo’s U20 team, and official match results have not been much better. Although they easily overcame fourth-tier Grossaspach in the German Cup, Leverkusen still have yet to taste victory after two Bundesliga rounds.
Leverkusen is facing a tough start under Ten Hag (Photo: FBT).
In the opening match, they allowed Hoffenheim to come from behind despite initially leading 1-0. Even more disappointing was the 3-3 draw against Werder Bremen early on August 30. Bremen entered the game amid crisis, missing many key players and in poor form, yet Leverkusen still lost a win in an unbelievable way. Leading 2-1 at halftime, then extending the lead to 3-1 via a penalty in the 64th minute, and playing with a man advantage after Niklas Stark was sent off, Ten Hag’s team still conceded an equalizer at the 94th minute.
This result has increased the pressure on Ten Hag, who was already facing doubts before the match. German media revealed growing conflicts between him and Leverkusen’s management, especially after the 55-year-old coach was sidelined in the transfer deal for Lucas Vazquez from Real Madrid. The club’s top executives are also dissatisfied with Ten Hag’s management style. The Kicker even described the situation at Leverkusen as “serious” before the Bremen match, and the atmosphere darkened further after the disappointing collapse.
The disappointing draw against Bremen added fuel to the fire (Photo: 433).
Ten Hag’s statements to the media offered little hope, as he frequently repeated his familiar phrase “I’m not Harry Potter” – a defense he used at Man Utd during crises. Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that the Dutch coach is struggling to rebuild a squad heavily disrupted in the summer transfer window, with many key players leaving and important figures like Piero Hincapié and Edmond Tapsoba potentially following suit.
Although the chance of Ten Hag being fired early in the season is low, the pressure on him at BayArena is clearly reaching its peak, especially with his reputation tarnished by the failure at Old Trafford.
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