Many viewed the appointment of Erik ten Hag as the new Manchester United manager as an important phase in the club’s history. The years preceding his appointment, weren’t very exciting for the club. Sporting results weren’t very satisfactory, and the players looked unhappy. There was increased backlash among the fans against the owners, the Glazers.
🇳🇱👔
The new First-Team Manager of Manchester United: Erik ten Hag.#MUFC || #WelcomeErik
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 21, 2022
Erik ten Hag had a huge responsibility on his shoulders, to deliver quick results. And he did just that. He won the Carabao Cup, their first trophy since 2016 in his first season, and finished third in a highly competitive league. He also got rid of unhappy players and asserted his authority on the team. United could go only better than this.
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣ #CarabaoCup winners: Manchester United 🏆🤩 pic.twitter.com/7EbRHBihqe
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 26, 2023
But things have taken a sharp turn this season. United is playing some awful soccer, and the results on the pitch do not seem to help that. They sit 6th in the Premier League table, having lost 5 games already. In the Champions League, they lie bottom of their group. So what has exactly gone wrong for Ten Hag this, season?
United’s poor performances this season
One thing that strikes out between Erik ten Hag’s two teams, Ajax and United, is the difference between the two club’s recruitment quality. Erik ten Hag requires a team filled with young talents, to play his possession-heavy high pressing soccer. And that is exactly what he got at Ajax. He wants a team suited to his requirements. The average of his United squad is 27, which is higher than what he had at Ajax
But in United, he inherited a team filled with misfiring star players. The players had already reached a certain age, where they could not be taught a new kind of soccer. ten Hag tried to change it but to no avail. This was particularly evident in the United’s poor start to the 2021/22 season.
Currently, United lacks the squad depth to go strong in elite competitions such as the Premier League and the Champions League. He’s had to clear out all the deadwood slowly and bring exciting new talent. Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana‘s signings indicate the same notion, though both of them require to settle in.
One of the most detrimental issues, for United this season has been the situation related to the club’s ownership. The Glazers had announced that they were open to selling their stakes. This opportunity eluded many parties, of which the INEOS group led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Sheikh Jassim from the royal family of Qatar were the front runners.
🚨 Gary Neville on the Glazer’s not selling Manchester United:
🎙️ “I just can’t believe it’s true. Anybody who has a knowledge about the financial situation of United within the club know it’s desperate.”
(🎥 @footballdaily) pic.twitter.com/h85OijpVcz
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) September 3, 2023
Glazers were reportedly unhappy with their bid and eventually, the Qatari party, had to withdraw their bid. Now, it seems the INEOS group, will buy a 25% stake at the club. When the future isn’t clear, it only makes sense for the owners to not put money into the club.
The individual errors made by the players are concerning. It was expected from Onana to do great things, but he has let way too many easy goals, in his net. Their starlet, Rashford has been abysmal this season, scoring just once in 16 appearances for the club, all season. Casemiro already has 4 goals this season, which is quite unexpected for him, but his defensive side of the game is saddening.
🚨🇧🇷 Man Utd confirm Casemiro will be out for several weeks due to a hamstring injury.
“Assessment has revealed a strain that will keep him out for number of weeks”, club reports. pic.twitter.com/I4fP5BDJnl
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 3, 2023
With Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, sustaining injuries, Erik ten Hag’s first-choice centre backs are the pair of Johny Evans and Harry Maguire. Their combined age is 65, 16 years greater than the partnership of Daley Blind and De Ligt, that ten Hag had at Ajax.
The long list of injured players also includes their star striker Hojlund, Luke Shaw, Malacia, Wan Bissaka, Eriksen, etc. Most of them are defenders, part of the reason, why United have had a leaky defence.
Erik ten Hag has a huge job in front of him. He needs to secure Champions League football and improve his team’s form in the Champions League. Trophy seems like a distant dream now. The board needs to give their coach some time. In the past, United has gone through periods of experimentation, and it has not worked. This time around ten Hag needs the trust and support to turn United’s season around.
