Here we are again. Lads, it’s Tottenham.
There were serious echoes of October 2020 and the 6-1 defeat under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in Manchester United’s 3-0 reverse to Spurs on Sunday. A listless defensive performance, giving the ball away innumerable times on the edge of the box and a first half red card that opened the floodgates further. The rapid emptying of Old Trafford in the second half even gave Covid era vibes. Perhaps it would have been better if the 70,000 United fans hadn’t witnessed this one.
So after a truly grim afternoon in which United did virtually nothing right, where do they turn? On another day, there would be raging complaints about a harsh red card for Bruno Fernandes, but even that like clutching at straws given how poor United had been with 11 men. They actually played better with 10.
The obvious answer to the question above is to further scrutinise the manager – you know, the guy who oversaw 19 defeats last season and guided United to the giddy heights of eight with a goal difference of, er, minus one.
It’s hard to get past the idea that INEOS retained Erik ten Hag – and extended his contract as United manager – because of the outcome of one game. A game in which United had 26% possession, sat deep and counterattacked. The FA Cup final was a glorious day for United but it was hardly a calling card for Ten Hag’s footballing philosophy. It was a day when United were buoyed by the occasion and City were a tad unlucky. Not the blueprint for a brave new regime.
INEOS fudged the decision, even after interviewing prospective new managers and so here we stand, with a grave sense of de ja vu. Six league games played, two wins, three defeats and just one goal scored at home. Add in a disappointing home draw against mediocre European opponents and an easy win against a third tier side in the League Cup and still unimpressive.
Has anything really changed? For comparison, United actually had nine points after six league games last season, as opposed to seven this season. They’d given Bayern Munich a decent run for their money and they’d beaten a Premier League side 3-0 in their Carabao Cup opener. So by all metrics, this season so far is actually worse than the previous one, the one that – bar a miraculous cup run – was an unmitigated disaster. Sure the xG merchants may claim United have played well in patches this season, ardent fans may cling to the hope provided by new signings Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui but, again the phrase clutching at straws springs to mind.
Manchester United should not be clutching at straws. With a supposedly ruthless and football-focussed ownership, plus the best in class when it comes to directors and executives, they should be making ruthless decisions.
It’s hard to make the argument in favour of Ten Hag, even if he now (somehow) conjures the most inexplicable turnaround in form and performances. The defeat to Tottenham, who carved out an xG of 5.33, was the 25th time United have conceded three goals or more under the Dutchman. Away trips to Porto and Aston Villa loom this week before a potentially pivotal international break.
Last season it was the injuries that Ten Hag blamed, but that card is no longer available for him to play. Considering the near £600m that has been spent on players largely at Ten Hag’s behest, the current United manager is running out of time and excuses.
We’ve seen it all before.
Dominic Booth