It seems like déjà vu for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag as one more season spirals into disaster after only a handful of video games.
Perhaps that is why the United supervisor appeared unfazed by the mounting stress following final week’s disheartening 3-0 defeat to Tottenham.
“Nothing is easy, but I won’t panic because I’ve faced similar challenges with my teams throughout the seasons,” he remarked this week.
And he has a degree.
United’s tally of three losses in its first six Premier League matches mirrors the struggles of his earlier two campaigns at Old Trafford.
In 2022, he suffered two defeats in his opening matches, dropping three of the primary seven.
The state of affairs was even bleaker in 2023, with United stumbling out of the gates, dropping three of its first 5.
Both of these seasons ended with a trophy, however the feel-good issue supplied by the latest silverware – May’s FA Cup triumph in opposition to Manchester City – has lengthy evaporated within the face of the likelihood that United’s 11-year watch for the league title is ready to proceed.
There is little signal of progress within the league regardless of spending round $750 million on transfers.
On Sunday, United travels to Aston Villa, which has been reworked by supervisor Unai Emery, who has labored on a fraction of that finances. The Spaniard has spent round $270 million to show Villa from a staff that was battling relegation when he took over in October 2022 to 1 that beat Bayern Munich within the Champions League on Wednesday.
In distinction, United wanted a stoppage-time purpose from Harry Maguire to salvage a 3-3 draw with Porto within the Europa League on Thursday, having led 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Defeat in opposition to Villa would intensify questions on Ten Hag’s place forward of the October worldwide break, which has historically been a time when golf equipment look to make managerial modifications.
Emery’s success at Villa is proof of what could be achieved in a brief interval. Villa was three factors above the relegation zone when he was employed. In his first full season, he led the Midlands membership to fourth place, eight factors forward of United, and certified for the Champions League.
He is but to ship silverware, however the trajectory is clearly upward.
United is thirteenth heading into the weekend, having completed final season in eighth and the earlier yr in third.
Ten Hag stored his job solely after an intensive evaluation by United’s new hierarchy put in place by minority proprietor Jim Ratcliffe. But even when he was given a vote of confidence and a one-year extension to his contract, he stays a legacy of a failing operation that Ratcliffe is attempting to overtake since shopping for a 27.7% stake within the membership in February.
What’s extra, the choice to maintain Ten Hag was made earlier than new CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth formally took up their positions within the offseason.
Both insisted in September that the Dutchman had their full backing, however managers are in the end judged by outcomes on the sphere, and the sight of United followers leaving early and a few booing on the finish of the Tottenham recreation highlighted rising dissatisfaction across the membership.
Ten Hag has a brand new teaching workers, together with former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, however acquainted issues are evident.
United has beforehand sacked managers David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in midseason, however by no means one earlier than November within the trendy period.
That would possibly present Ten Hag with some consolation as he tries, as soon as once more, to show United’s season round.
Source: www.dailysabah.com