Manchester United limps into October on the back of one of the worst moments for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. A 3-0 loss at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur sank the club to 12th in the league table. Through six games, United is on seven points with two wins, one draw, and three convincing losses.
Captain Bruno Fernandes picked up a red card in the first half, but it made little difference to the result. The Red Devils were poor with 11 men just as they were with a numerical disadvantage.
Gone are the days of “lads, it’s Spurs,” the saying made famous by Sir Alex Ferguson. Now, it’s United themselves that teams expect to beat at Old Trafford. For over a decade, home defeats have become a sad pattern for the club. Despite the modest score-line, a more in-form side than Spurs could have inflicted a much heavier goal tally. This loss fits the same trend as previous embarrassments under Ten Hag, like Liverpool (7-0), Brentford (4-0), and Manchester City (6-3 and 3-0).
United’s only wins this season have come against Fulham, Southampton and Barnsley. It is early doors but United sit just 4 points away from the relegation zone. As October approaches, it’s hard to see where more points will come from.
Sunday’s defeat felt eerily similar to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s 4-1 loss to Watford in 2021, which ultimately led to his dismissal. The deflated crowd at Old Trafford is no longer surprised by such performances.
The start of this season came with a reason for optimism. The new board of management, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, had precariously decided to keep Ten Hag on as manager. In hindsight, it feels like an impulsive decision based on United’s surprise FA Cup final victory against Manchester City.
There was a whiff of caution about this decision over the summer. The club only triggered a one-year extension in the Dutchman’s contract. The deal keeps him at the club until 2026.
Despite concerns over Financial Fair Play, Ten Hag was allowed to spend big this summer, bringing in five new players. Yet, the team looks more directionless than ever. Meanwhile, in stark contrast, Arne Slot’s Liverpool side already has a clear identity after just four months in charge. Ten Hag is now two years into his reign, with little to show.
Over the next few weeks, the former Ajax manager will have to survive a scare-fest of fixtures as he hopes to keep his job past Halloween. The chances of this look slim, given he has no room for excuses left. Last season, he was able to blame the uncertainty of club ownership and the plague of injuries.
Before the Spurs defeat, United were held to a midweek 1-1 draw against FC Twente in the Europa League.
The forecast continues to look bleak. Their next fixture is a trip to Portugal against FC Porto on Thursday. The Dragons lost their opening Europa League game against Bodo Glimt but followed it up with a 4-0 thrashing against Arouca. Despite not being as successful in recent years, Vitor Bruno’s side will cause problems, particularly in wide areas, stretching the game against United’s high line.
Three days later, United travel to Villa Park to face Unai Emery’s in-form side. With a plethora of attacking options, Villa will likely head into the team as the favorite to win. The United defense struggled against Brennan Johnson at the weekend. Similarly, the pace of Ollie Watkins and the vision of the exciting Morgan Rogers behind the defensive line could penetrate the flailing wall with ease.
Depending on the results of these two fixtures, United and Erik ten Hag could enter the October international break in crisis mode. Two more defeats could force CEO Omar Berrada to make the difficult phone call to part ways with Ten Hag.
If the Dutchman survives the break, United return to welcome Brentford to Old Trafford. The Bees have been hit-and-miss so far this season. However, Bryan Mbuemo is in fine form and could cause problems for United’s fragile backline. Another defeat could be one of the final nails in Ten Hag’s coffin.
Following that, a reunion with former United manager José Mourinho—now at Fenerbahçe—awaits. Mourinho was sacked by United in 2018, and he knows all too well the relentless pressure of managing at Old Trafford. His presence would be an ironic reminder of just how quickly things can turn sour.
Erik ten Hag has run out of excuses, and time is not on his side. With a string of tough fixtures ahead, it seems only a matter of time before United’s board makes a decision.
United arguably played their most ‘complete’ version of soccer in the first half against Crystal Palace in September. However, the team failed to sustain the Ten Hag model of play for long before the Eagles plastered the defense with squandered opportunities to win the game.
That is the biggest indication of a roster of players who have been unable to believe in Ten Hag’s playing style over the last two years. Just as the cycle fell with the last three managers, the dressing room is close to being lost and history has shown it to be the catalyst for the manager’s sacking.
Can Ten Hag find a miraculous way to save his job, or will October mark the end of his tenure at Old Trafford? This season, there is a very eager Ruud Van Nistelrooy waiting in the dugout to possibly take charge of his former club.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
