Man United don’t have the luxury of overlooking the FA Cup،
WIGAN, England — In the debate over the importance of the FA Cup, Erik ten Hag can leave the chat.
Struggling in the Premier League and outside Europe before Christmas, the Manchester United manager needs a trophy to emphasize to new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he is the right man to lead a new era at Old Trafford. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp may claim they have bigger priorities, but Ten Hag has no choice but to take the FA Cup seriously.
As he battles to impress Ratcliffe and Ineos sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, the Dutchman can only hope the Cup has lost none of its old magic. Still poor results in a season full of them and he might need something closer to a miracle.
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United avoided what would have been an embarrassing mistake against League One Wigan Athletic to win 2-0 on Monday night and set up a fourth round tie with either Newport County or Eastleigh before the end of January. Guardiola and Klopp will be asked if they are tempted to rotate ahead of their fourth-round matches, but Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, on duty at the DW Stadium, will be back in action against League Two Newport or National Eastleigh. League.
“It’s a massive competition that everyone wants to win,” Ten Hag said after the match. “All managers are eager to win, we take that seriously.
“We have so many injuries and illnesses, but we still presented a strong team. We had a good team, so we were confident before, we have to win this match. You should never underestimate any opponent, certainly not This team, you know they will fight for their lives because this is the game of their lives, we took this game very well.”
Winning the FA Cup in 1990 saved Sir Alex Ferguson's job. Ten Hag, last year's runners-up, could benefit from a similar boost at the end of his second season in charge.
The bank credit generated by a relatively successful debut campaign has been gradually eroded by a series of calamitous defeats, the latest at Nottingham Forest just over a week ago, to the point where legitimate questions are being asked as to whether Ratcliffe should appeal to his own party. man. However, nothing can happen until the investment is ratified in early February, giving Ten Hag time to steady the ship.
As Ratcliffe and Brailsford – in the Wigan stands alongside Ineos sport chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc – start to make decisions with real impact, Ten Hag could use a thriving cup run to point the finger .
United did their job against Wigan and, for only the third time in 29 attempts this season, won a game by more than a goal. Nothing comes easy at the moment, and if more evidence was needed that United exist in a near-constant state of vulnerability, Wigan provided it within three minutes.
The team, 18th in League One, two divisions below the Premier League, pounced on a misplaced pass in midfield before passing the ball to Thelo Aasgaard inside the penalty area. Only a good save from Andre Onana prevented the shot and prevented Wigan from taking a shock lead.
Despite the freezing January night, United took 7,506 supporters to Wigan, filling the East Stand, and eventually their nerves were calmed when Diogo Dalot's curling shot from the edge of the area found the bottom corner.
Rashford, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Højlund all missed good chances to end the tie. Alejandro Garnacho hit the crossbar. It was only when Fernandes scored a penalty 17 minutes from time that United were sure of their place in the next round. Only then did the traveling fans feel comfortable enough to chant “We are the famous Man United and we are going to Wembley”.
“It’s all about winning,” Ten Hag said. “In the first half, the way we played, the performance, the way we worked the ball, the way we made our runs, the investment in the final third, we created a lot of chances and it was nice to see. I think we should have scored more, but the good thing is we created chances.”
As the FA Cup fights for its place in the English football calendar, there is no doubting its importance to Ten Hag and United this season. The Dutchman has prepared for the trip to Wigan by holding his first meetings with Ratcliffe and the Ineos team, but after a miserable campaign so far, questions remain over whether he will get the chance, in the long term, to lead the new project.
As he looks to provide answers between now and the end of the season, winning the FA Cup will become an even bigger priority. His team cleared the first hurdle.
