The biggest issues at Man United, from ownership to Ten Hag،
Manchester United’s disastrous season continued with a 3-0 home defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday, and the problems are piling up at Old Trafford. Manager Erik ten Hag said after their Carabao Cup exit that he was “a fighter”, but he is under pressure after a run of eight defeats in 15 games to start the 2023-24 campaign.
Ten Hag and United have had to deal with several injuries to key players, as well as rumors of a possible takeover, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe having acquired 25% of the club and working alongside the Glazers. Yet there is growing debate over whether he is still the right man for the job after some curious tactical decisions and questionable transfers.
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As the situation at United approaches boiling point, here’s a look at the club’s biggest problems.
The property
Uncertainty has reigned around Old Trafford since the Glazer family announced in November 2022 that they would consider “strategic alternatives”, including accepting outside investment or, potentially, a complete sale. The chances of a permanent departure for the Glazers disappeared when Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani withdrew from the race on October 14, citing the Glazers’ “unrealistic” valuation, and it appears likely that British billionaire Ratcliffe will eventually take over. a 25% stake.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS consortium want to take control of the football sector and, although Ten Hag has denied potential upheavals are behind the ongoing problems, director of football John Murtough would be vulnerable in the event of a reshuffle. organizational chart. Most fans can pin all their grievances on the Glazers, but as it stands, they remain at the helm.
The director
Ten Hag has been in office for 18 months and for the first time he is under pressure. He has credit in the bank after a successful debut season – United qualified for the Champions League, finishing third in 2022-23 – but while most of his supporters still support him, many question some of his decisions. Ten Hag said his decision to drop experienced defenders Raphaël Varane and Sergio Reguilón for the Manchester derby was “tactical” – United lost 3-0 – and twice in a matter of months he was booed for replacing the new striker Rasmus Hojlund.
The biggest problem for many fans is that there still doesn’t seem to be a defined playstyle. Before losing to City and Newcastle, United won three games in a row against Brentford, Sheffield United and FC Copenhagen, but all three wins came down to random moments of skill like Diogo Dalot’s wonder strike against Sheffield United and André Onana’s penalty save in stoppage time against Copenhagen. It’s not sustainable and, 15 games into the season, it’s safe to say that United have just one comfortable win over Crystal Palace reserves in the Carabao Cup in September.
Recruitment
Despite concerns over ownership, United have still spent £400m on signing new players since Ten Hag’s arrival in the summer of 2022, and questions are being raised over how those funds have been used. Murtough has been criticized given his role, as has Ten Hag, whose fingerprints are all over transfer policy.
Among the 16 players who arrived under Ten Hag, four (goalkeeper Andre Onana, striker Antony, defender Lisandro Martínez and striker Sofyan Amrabat) worked with him at former clubs and four others (defender Tyrell Malacia, striker Wout Weghorst and midfielders Christian Eriksen). and Mason Mount) are either Dutch or have links to the Dutch Eredivisie. It was telling that Antony (United’s second most expensive signing at £82m from Ajax) and Mount (£55m from Chelsea this summer) were both left on the bench for the defeat of Sunday’s derby against Man City.
Signing Antony for such a huge fee is particularly puzzling, and the Brazilian winger is nowhere near justifying the money.
The dressing room
United’s decision-makers still have faith in Ten Hag, and that will only change if results don’t improve and he loses the dressing room. Some players are concerned about his high-intensity training sessions between matches, and not everyone agrees with the severity of Jadon Sancho’s punishment for publicly calling out his manager; however, for the most part, the team remains in play.
One of the biggest problems with Ten Hag is that the main cast are underperforming. Marcus Rashford looks like a shadow of the player who scored 30 goals last season, while Casemiro and Varane – confirmed Champions League winners at Real Madrid – are struggling to find form. Injuries haven’t helped – at one point Ten Hag were missing 16 first-team players – but it’s starting to look a lot like the end of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign, when results started to soar and that the Norwegian coach could do nothing. to stem the tide.
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Laurens: Man United lost to Newcastle ‘C Team
Gab & Juls react to Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.
The season
United’s poor form is nothing new; in fact, Ten Hag could go back to the Carabao Cup final in February. Until the victory against Newcastle at Wembley that day, United had played 40 matches, winning 29 and losing six, for a winning percentage of 72.5%. Over the next eight months, they played 37 games, won 20 and lost 13, and saw their winning percentage drop to 54%.
The danger for Ten Hag is that Champions League qualification is generally considered the minimum requirement for any United manager, but only once in the last decade has a team recovered from losing five of his first 10 league matches to finish in the top four. It was Tottenham in 2021-22 when Nuno Espirito Santo was replaced by Antonio Conte in November.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool are all playing well, but Ten Hag could still benefit from a reprieve thanks to the new Champions League format. The 2024-25 competition will feature more teams, and it is possible that the Premier League will have five qualifiers instead of four.
