Aston Villa continued their European chase with a big three points against Fulham. United, however, were held to a draw despite being 2-0 up against Champions League race rivals Spurs. Next up is a vital game for both teams as they look to secure a place in the Champions League and Europa League, respectively.
I spoke to a United fan to find out more about Manchester United’s season so far.
OPPOSITION VIEW
Whilst Manchester United’s season has been mostly inconsistent, as a whole things have picked up since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure. What’s the general opinion amongst United fans regarding the Ronaldo situation?
I think for most United fans it’s a sense of disappointment rather than a sense of anger. There was always the chance that Ronaldo’s United legacy would turn sour when he rejoined. It’s a shame in a way. There was also a sense of relief that an element of toxicity had left the club. It speaks volumes of how much the fans rate Ten Hag that they supported him over their idol Ronaldo. The message was clear; it’s Ten Hag’s way or the highway.
As I mentioned before, Man United’s season has been very inconsistent. It started off poorly, picked up, got to two cup finals but still suffered heavy defeats to rivals. Although there has been progress, how much is still left to do for Ten Hag?
As you mentioned before, it really hasn’t been all bad for United, there’s been quite a few positives. You mentioned the Cup Finals, securing Champions League and getting the best out of players like Sancho and Ronaldo. But also there is still lots of work to be done.
It shows just how bad a place United were in that there is still elements of inconsistency. I think that’ll be fixed in time and I have every faith Ten Hag will restore us to where we belong.
United have many stars in their current squad with Rashford arguably being the pick of the bunch. His upturn in form since the World Cup has been crucial to United’s Champions League push. Who’s been a player that has been slightly underrated by other fans?
Again a tough one. There’s been a few stand out players this season. The player I’ll mention is most noticeable when he’s not playing. He is so crucial to the way we play and he is so consistent when not injured. He’ll casually drop 8/10s every week with a minimum of fuss. It’s not just his playing ability either. He brings a lot of experience to a relatively young squad. Not just experience but a winning mentality, I mean he has won almost everything he can win. I’m of course talking about Casemiro.
Finally, what’s your score prediction?
I definitely think some of us United fans are underestimating just how good you have been since Emery’s takeover. Saying that, we were embarrassed in the return fixture and we will want to rectify that. I can only see us winning. I’ll go 2-0.
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OPPOSITION FOCUS | ERIK TEN HAG: SUCCESS OR FAILURE
Manchester United have been one of the most inconsistent teams in England this season. Their successes have been great. They’ve won the League Cup, into the FA Cup final and look to be cementing a Champions League place. Their failures have been borderline disastrous; back-to-back defeats to start the season and a 7-0 defeat to Liverpool.
In this Opposition Focus I’ll be looking at Ten Hag’s journey so far. I’ll look at changes in personnel, performances and overall success.
Personnel
Arguably, the biggest story of Manchester United’s season has been the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. This was Ten Hag’s statement to the rest of the team that he was in charge. There’s been a lot to say over the “disrespect” that Ten Hag shown the multiple Balon D’or winner however I believe this was a necessary step.
Ronaldo’s attitude was badly effecting morale and bringing negative attention to the football club. This is exactly what the club was trying to avoid. Getting rid of Ronaldo was vital to restoring a clam and positive working environment.
It wasn’t just Ronaldo’s departure that changed the mentality of this group of players. In the summer, Ten Hag made two vital signings which bought back the winning mentality to Manchester United Football Club. Raphael Varane and Casemiro. While both players have been hindered slightly due to injury, their influence is key.
Performances
This one is a tough one to analyse. Because of how inconsistent, Manchester United have been, it’s tough to give on overall analysis. One thing for certain is that Ten Hag has instilled a quick, attacking emphasis in his tactics.
Ten Hag likes to counterattack with his wide players including the likes of Rashford, Sancho and fullbacks Wan-Bissaka and Dalot. This is an effective way of breaking against teams who like to dominate possession.
Ten Hag’s players thrive on open games, it’s against teams that sit back where United begin to struggle. Having said this, United have got s let better at breaking teams down especially with Fernandes on the pitch.
Overall Success
In terms of overall success, it’s a very good start. Ten Hag has changed the culture at the club and enforced a winning mentality. That’s been shown through United’s success in domestic cup competitions.
Having said that, that’s the bare minimum that United fans should expect. It speaks of the levels that United have fell to that two cup finals is seen as progress. United are still not performing consistently enough to warrant any form of league title charge and United shouldn’t be losing 7-0 to local rivals Liverpool.
It’s clear what Ten Hag is trying to produce but it’s not quite there yet. Therefore, I would say that Ten Hag’s first year in charge of United has been a success, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
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MY PREDICTION
I’m sure at the start of every prediction in the last few weeks I’ve said that each game is vital. And that’s because it is. In the wise words of Emi Martinez, we have five cup finals left, and this may be the most important one.
Under Emery, I don’t think we are afraid of anyone. If we follow Emery’s gameplan we can go toe-to-toe with anyone as shown by the annihilation of United in his first game. I don’t think we will beat them that convincingly, but I think we will beat them.
I’ll predict a 2-1 win with Ramsey and McGinn scoring.
AUTHOR | ELLIS BURNETT
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