Erik Ten Hag came into a club in chaos but there was no doubt that the new man on the hot seat carried the aura of a winner who knew what needed to be fixed. Outgoing interim manager, Ralf Ragnick had compiled a dossier on what the new coach has got to fix. His candid recommendation was a massive clear-out of the squad. United had just played out one of their worst PL campaigns, but Ten Hag had other ideas---There was enough quality in the squad. The problem was with the structure, discipline and organization on and off the pitch.
The glaring conundrum at the start of the season was how the squad rebuild would go on and with United spending weeks chasing Frenkie De Jong to no avail, it seemed United, who were billed for another campaign in Europe's second-tier competition, the Europa League, would not be able to attract their Dutch manager's targets. Recruitment, since the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson, has been a perennial problem at Old Trafford, and despite the fortune spent over the past decade, the club has never mounted a title challenge of note.
Ten Hag knew the key problem to fix. Despite the goals the one-man wrecking crew, Cristiano Ronaldo plundered at the top of the pitch, the defence kept gobbling up goals as the midfield kept losing command of games incessantly. Old Trafford became a hunting ground for away sides. The Red Devils could not lay a glove on the top sides and the manner of the 4-0 rout at Brighton was just the perfect summary of United's impassiveness off the ball.
The signings of Lisandro Martinez and particularly Casemeiro from Real Madrid were specifically aimed at addressing this basic issue. There was a need for genuine presence, aggression and character in the team. The five-time Champions League winner particularly is the embodiment of the winner's mentality that has fizzled out of Old Trafford. Ronaldo's return the previous season was thought to spark the team but without the hard work, discipline and grit off the ball, United were farther away from the top than they were before he joined, despite the goals which ensured they finished in European places.
Speaking of discipline and organization, it is the way of top managers to lay down the law, a marker, and a statement to show who the captain of the ship is. United is a big club, and whoever manages there must understand the pressures that come with the job both within and without. The dressing room must be in harmony. The fans must be behind the team and more importantly, the club must be in alignment with the vision, philosophy and structure of the club from top to bottom. There must be unity of purpose and not personal agendas or glory.
So, the moment Cristiano Ronaldo made his infamous interview with Piers Morgan, it was a watershed. The statistics had shown the team to be better all-around without the talismanic Portuguese. There was the embarrassment of walking out on the team against Tottenham. Ten Hag had also denied him a taste of the 6-3 drubbing at the Etihad out of "respect". But the five-time Balon d'Or winner went for the jugular in criticizing the club from top to bottom, calling out their lack of infrastructural progress since his first spell as well as the gross disrespect from the new gaffer who he insisted he would never respect. The die was cast. The club stuck with their manager and their legendary player was inadvertently sacked.
After a tough start, with back-to-back defeats at the hands of Brighton and Brentford, Erik was expected to last only a few months. The manner of those defeats threw up fundamental questions about the ability of the team to produce the high-octane football Ten Hag's teams are known for. In Ten Months of football, Ten Hag has shown adaptability and tactical astuteness to produce a devastating counter-attacking side.
Although there have been tedious inconsistencies, United on their day have been a difficult side to face. Ten Hag has instilled discipline and a mentality that expects to win. There have been a few disastrous outings: the two-legged chaos in the Europa League against perennial winners, Sevilla, stands out. But, there is surely the overall concession that United are once again on the path to great heights.
At United, only success counts. Third place and a spot in the Champions League group stage is progress. The Carabao Cup win in February, which put paid to a six-year drought is another milestone, but the real deal is the title. It is over ten years already. The feeling now is that with the groundwork in place, the hierarchy must now genuinely back a manager who is piecing it all together. Whether the Glazers sell or not, a new era is on the horizon and Ten Hag must be backed.
The FA Cup final defeat to City would hurt, but Avram Glazer, seated alongside the last title-winning manager of the club, Sir Alex Ferguson, at Wembley, must have seen the need to give it a genuine go this summer. Money has been spent, to be fair, but the right people must come in. United must sustain this upward trajectory as they now have their city rivals to "knock off their perch."
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