Ten seasons, six managers, no Premier League titles and an average finishing position of between fourth and fifth. That is the blunt reality of the post-Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United. There have been six trophies, though only one since 2017, and at no point has the team come close to winning the big ones: the Premier League or the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Manchester City has established the kind of dominance in English football that has rarely been seen, racking up multiple 100-point seasons, with only Liverpool and lately Arsenal offering any significant resistance to a club that went into this season as reigning Premier League and Champions League holders, following last season’s treble.
Comparing the odds at the various similar UK bookmakers, it is clear to see how far Manchester United have fallen. The team is rated as seventh in the betting for the Premier League title with some bookmakers, and are rated as 25/1 shots to win the Champions League, compared to City’s 2/1. This has also been a typically chaotic beginning to a Premier League season.
Another Rocky Start
The opening 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers was not particularly impressive, but it did get three points on the board. The next home game, against Nottingham Forest, was even less impressive, as United conceded twice in the first five minutes before eventually prevailing 3-2.
In between those games there was a 2-0 defeat at Tottenham, who admittedly have started the season strongly, and then last weekend, another trip to north London ended in another defeat, as Arsenal won 3-1 thanks to two goals in injury time.
Manager Erik ten Hag was furious after the game at the Emirates, complaining about two decisions that he felt did not go his way, but these were not clear cut errors and there is already a sense that the pressure is telling on the United boss; the same pressure that has forced out his last five predecessors, caused by the sheer weight of expectation from fans and club owners.
That pressure is made worse by the perception that United has once again disappointed in the transfer market this summer. It isn’t fair to judge summer signings in early September, of course, but the fact that three of their seven signings – two of them on loan – went through on deadline day does not suggest that things went to plan.
The reaction to those signings from United fans has been muted. Mason Mount’s arrival was welcomed, but a combined fee of £108 million on Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund does not look like great business, and the return of Jonny Evans to Old Trafford does not do anything to encourage United fans who want to look to the future.
The Case for the Defence
Finding reasons for optimism amid the gloom has become a regular pastime for United fans over the last ten years, but even so, it is possible to find some positive signs as the Premier League schedule pauses for the first international break of the season.
Given Arsenal’s resurgence over the last twelve months and the positive start that Tottenham has made to the season, those two away fixtures can probably be rated as among the top five toughest Premier League games of the season, with only trips to the Etihad and Anfield likely to be harder.
And in both games, Ten Hag’s team played well. They failed to take their chances in either, but registered more shots than Tottenham in the first game, in which they remained in the hunt until seven minutes from time, and they took the lead against Arsenal.
There are also indications that Ten Hag’s style of play is beginning to take effect. Going into the Arsenal game, United led the Premier League in Pressing Sequences and Possession Won in Final Third stats, which are positives, given that pressing is so crucial to Ten Hag’s football philosophy.
The former Ajax boss is also dealing with the same problems that others have faced at Old Trafford in recent years. Since 2013, the United approach has been to back each new manager with significant transfer money and then remove them before they’ve been able to complete their rebuild. The result is a bloated squad, cluttered with other manager’s signings and Ten Hag has had to try to clear out the dead wood and build a new team, while the expectation clock ticks away.
The midfield trio of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes is a strong one, and offers a possible foundation for a successful season, if they can all stay fit and available at the same time. Elsewhere, however, there are still lingering issues around Jadon Sancho, and doubts about a number of United players who were there when Ten Hag arrived.
The Wildcard
The prospect of new ownership has understandably produced some optimism among United fans, such is the dislike felt towards the Glazers, but as the saga has dragged on, it has become clear that providing certainty and stability for the team going forward is not high on the Glazers’ agenda.
Amid reports that they are asking potential buyers to pay as much as £10 billion for the club, the uncertainty has dragged on into the season and is likely to remain a distraction for several weeks yet, even if a definitive conclusion is reached on the sale – or not – of the club.
This is no sideshow, however. There is a reason why managers of the calibre of Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho were ultimately forced out of the club, and that is the fundamental incompetence of those running the football side of the business.
From the decision to appoint David Moyes to the confused thinking over the appointment and removal of Mourinho and Solskjaer, off-field unpredictability has sunk every manager since 2013. Maybe Ten Hag will be different, but ‘maybe’ doesn’t quite cut it for a club that once sat at the top of English and European football, and for United fans, faith is in short supply.
