This is not the first time this season that boos have filled the stands of Old Trafford, but it was more evident during Manchester United’s defeat by Newcastle in the English Football League Cup, which ended with a heavy defeat for the Red Devils in their own home 3-0.
Such cries have been heard many times this season, but what is new is the pockets of empty red seats that have begun to expand little by little over time, and as soon as the 80th minute of the Man United match against Newcastle arrived, they became wide and huge spaces covering almost half of the field. Many fans have seen enough decline and defeat, and their early departure signaled that Manchester United’s miserable start to the season had entered a new phase.
Manchester United made their worst start this season, as they are in eighth place with 15 points after the end of the tenth round of the English Premier League. In fact, this is their worst start ever since the 1986-1987 season. They were also eliminated from the League Cup after losing… A humiliating defeat against Newcastle, while his situation in the Champions League is worse, as he appears to be in danger of early exit from the competition, and no evidence of that is his defeat at Old Trafford also against the Turkish team Galatasaray.
Erik ten Hag’s post-match commentary.#United || #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/VjwpM18jqU
– Manchester United (@ManUtd_AR) November 1, 2023
What are the causes of poor results and who bears responsibility?
If there is a difference between the defeats that came earlier this season, and the two recent successive 3-0 defeats in just four days – first against Manchester City, then against Newcastle United – it is a mental difference, and this leads us to examine the performance of the team as a whole, including That’s the players, the owners and the manager.
Before getting into the details, let us hear Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, as he accurately identifies – without intending to – the problem that the Red Devils suffer from, while commenting on his team’s impressive victory over United in the Manchester derby recently.
Guardiola was asked in the post-match press conference about the difference between the two clubs, and his answer was revealing. The Catalan emphasized the “unity” that exists behind the scenes at Manchester City. Guardiola did not explicitly state that United did not have this quality, but the answer was clear, as he indicated unequivocally that the president, CEO, manager and players were all moving in the same direction at the Citizens. Does Manchester United have such unity? Let’s go into a little detail.
Tin Hag Crisis
Forget defending the Carabao Cup in a repeat of last season’s Wembley final, the undisputed highlight of Erik Ten Hag’s first year in charge. The United manager needed a positive response after recent losses, and instead, the team lost two consecutive home games by three goals for the first time in the 53-year-old’s life.
There are plenty of mitigating factors for Ten Hag, including a relentless injury crisis, numerous off-pitch controversies and uncertainty over the fundamental issue of ownership of the club, which has been up for sale for several months.
ℹ️ will be missed @Casemiro on #United For several weeks due to injury.
– Manchester United (@ManUtd_AR) November 3, 2023
The coach was reluctant to point to any of these obstacles as an excuse. He knows that he will be judged on results, and that he must deliver them consistently. At a club of United’s size, regardless of what is happening in the background, good results mean confidence, and Ten Hag is fully aware of that. “You only get confidence when you get the right results, and this is possible when you follow the basic rules and principles and are present in the match, and fight,” he said after the recent defeat.
It is clear that the team lacks these “principles” that its technical director spoke about. Ten Hag made seven changes against Newcastle, switching almost everywhere on the pitch, but in his attempt to solve old problems, he only created new ones, whether in attack, midfield or defence.
Here is Erik ten Hag talking about his own philosophy during the press conference 🔴#United
– Manchester United (@ManUtd_AR) November 3, 2023
Replacing Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes was wise only on paper, as Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony did not succeed in providing the required effectiveness in front of goal. The substitute midfield was not more negative than what was the case against City in the Manchester derby match, as most of them received yellow cards within the first 20 minutes only, and the defensive errors with the return of Landelöf and the entry of Sergio Regalion in place of Jonny Evans were disastrous in every sense of the word.
As for the confidence that Ten Hag spoke about, former Manchester United player Roy Keane answered it in an interview with Sky Sports a few days ago, saying, “One of the few understandable traits in the current United team is that it lacks confidence.”
He added, “There is no recognizable style of play when United attack or when they seek to build an attack.”
Kane explained, “United lost five of their first ten league matches this season, which is their worst start since the 1986-1987 season, and even the matches they won lacked confidence. Keep in mind that Nottingham Forest was 2-0 ahead at Old Trafford and then lost.” With ten players, and that the victory over Wolverhampton came due to a refereeing error, and that Sheffield United only lost due to Diogo Dalot’s late shot, and that Brentford was ahead in the score after 90 minutes, and the only convincing win for United this season was a 1-0 victory over Burnley.”
Is the solution to change Ten Hag?
It does not seem so. Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, the team has been coached by nine coaches over a period of nine years, and among them are names with weight and history in the world of coaching, such as Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, David Moyes, and others.
This statistic means that a new coach is appointed almost every year, and this is a very short period for any coach to impose his mark and style, and therefore changing Ten Hag will not solve the problem, but may even complicate it. A mounting injury list has undermined his plans for this season, and with players now back, there is plenty of time for an astute tactician like him to turn things around, or so fans around the world hope.
The spiral of club ownership
Returning to the issue of unity that Guardiola talked about, this takes us back behind the scenes, specifically to the club’s owners, who are the “Glazer family,” which has taken over the club since 2005 and whose greatest concern during these years has been achieving financial profits, as many Red Devils fans accuse them of. . These accusations are supported by the fact that the club achieved record annual revenues for the 2022-2023 season, amounting to 648.4 million pounds sterling over the 12 months ending on June 30, 2023.
The club’s supporters have raised protests against the Glazer family repeatedly over the past years due to their mismanagement of the club, their lack of interest, its low level, and its exit from the competition, whether in the English Premier League or various European competitions, the most important of which is the European Champions League.
To complete the story, the American family recently put the club up for sale, and set a price of 10 billion pounds sterling for the club, which is a large sum that has not yet been met by any of the potential candidates to buy the club, which put the team in a whirlpool of rumors that certainly affected the course of things. Within the club, on its management method, its unity and cohesion, and on the levels it presents in various competitions.
As club legend Gary Neville told Sky Sports: “The truth is that nothing will change given the uncertainty at the top of the club. The problem is that almost a year after United went up for sale, the club is still up for sale, and there is no end to this story.” In sight”.
