Manchester United’s difficult start to the season had indeed been difficult, piling pressure on manager Erik ten Hag once again.
With new ownership and a new executive infrastructure in place, this season is a chance for a refresh. Even for Erik ten Hag, who watched his new employers publicly search for a replacement before ultimately sticking with him.
Facing Brighton and Liverpool in the first two games was always going to be tough. However, losing both games was a reminder that Erik ten Hag was seconds away from being sacked on the spot at Wembley after throwing the F.A Cup semi final against Coventry away.
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Manchester United weren’t even convincing in their opening day win against Fulham. There are a few undercurrents running through the decided mid-ness at Old Trafford.
The first is the decline of Casimero, whose stock is falling week after week. Whether it’s fitness, motivation or something else, he does not look like the same player who dominated with Real Madrid. Casimero was taken off against Liverpool at half time, but the damage had already been done.
The second theme is ten Hag’s defiance, and it can only be defiance because he has eyes in his head. His ‘I’m not Harry Potter’ comment was a unique spin on the under-pressure coach explaining they’re not a miracle worker trope. However, once a coach starts saying those things, it starts to look ominous.
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United hired Ruud van Nistelrooy as one of his assistants. Considering he has head coaching experience, it smells like succession planning. Ten Hag is correct to cite the trophies he’s won because winning trophies is hard. The point, though, is that we’re not exactly seeing Dutch total football from his team.
Instead, he keeps insisting he wants Manchester United to be the best transition team in the world. Perhaps it’s a symptom of the club as a whole, which has been in perennial transition for a decade now.
