For Erik ten Hag, there was a worrying familiarity within the undesirable statistics that got here out after the ultimate whistle of his aspect’s 3-2 defeat by Galatasaray at Previous Trafford.
Manchester United have opened a Champions League marketing campaign with consecutive defeats for the primary time.
United have misplaced six of their 10 matches in all competitions this season. They’ve additionally conceded 18 objectives in 10 video games in all competitions in 2023-24, their most at this stage since 1966-67.
Statistics will be haunting at instances like this.
For David Moyes, it was dropping at house to Everton for the primary time in 21 years adopted by house defeat to Newcastle for the primary time in 41.
For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, dropping 5-0 at house to Liverpool was an undesirable file.
For Louis van Gaal, 2015-16 was United’s joint lowest variety of Premier League wins and fewest objectives scored.
When Jose Mourinho presided over a 3-0 Previous Trafford defeat by Tottenham in 2018, it was the heaviest house lack of his profession.
However Ten Hag’s personal phrases are damning as effectively.
“Our begin to the season has not been adequate,” he stated in his programme notes – even earlier than Tuesday’s defeat. “Though there are causes, we is not going to try to cover behind excuses. It’s as much as us to now to show our fortunes round. What occurs subsequent is as much as us and no person else.”
The issue at United in latest instances is what occurs subsequent, not essentially subsequent week, and even subsequent month, is when a spiral like this begins it tends to finish up tossing the supervisor out of the door.
United struggles a bolt from the blue
Very very like Solskjaer two seasons in the past, the place United discover themselves – mid-table within the Premier League with 9 factors from seven video games, backside of a Champions League group that additionally contains Copenhagen – is a shock as a result of no-one noticed it coming.
As with Solskjaer, Ten Hag went into the summer season on the again of a promising marketing campaign. Not like the Norwegian, he additionally gained a trophy.
There’s similarity within the switch enterprise. Simply as United patted themselves on the again by bringing in Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo two years in the past, they’ve finished so this season with the arrivals of Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund.
For Solskjaer it did not begin to go flawed till the top of September. This marketing campaign nosedived nearly from the second it began.
A fortunate win in opposition to Wolves on the opening weekend and a stirring comeback in opposition to Nottingham Forest at house, plus a slim away triumph at Burnley, don’t stability out damaging defeats by Tottenham, Arsenal, Brighton and Bayern Munich, even earlier than we reached the previous 4 days.
The extra issues change at United it feels, the extra they keep the identical. Antipathy in the direction of the Glazer possession continues within the type of in-match chanting in opposition to the Individuals and social media abuse. Gamers are lambasted. Even the notoriously leaky Previous Trafford roof stays.
The massive query is can Ten Hag buck the pattern? Can the Dutchman, who loved such success at Ajax earlier than quitting to develop into Solskjaer’s everlasting successor, be the person to search out the solutions past these he adopted?
He thinks so.
“Final season went good, greater than we may count on,” he stated. “But in addition on this venture we knew there could be gaps.
“We’re in a really troublesome interval however we come out collectively. We combat collectively and stick collectively, that’s me, the administrators, the group. Altogether we are going to combat.
“This isn’t us. We all know we are going to do higher.”
The massive points
The issue for Ten Hag for the time being is twofold. The Dutchman has been affected badly by accidents and absences.
He misplaced each left-backs, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, to long-term accidents. His last-minute alternative, Sergio Reguilon, can be sidelined, which means Sofyan Amrabat is getting used at left-back when the Moroccan is desperately wanted in central midfield, the place the presence of teenager Kobbie Mainoo has additionally been denied to Ten Hag attributable to damage.
Lisandro Martinez is out for as much as three months with a damaged foot, which implies United are weaker within the coronary heart of their defence and usually are not capable of give goalkeeper Andre Onana the passing choices envisaged.
After which there’s the Sancho stand-off, which exhibits no signal of decision, and the board degree selections taken round Antony over the short-term and Mason Greenwood over the lengthy.
However there additionally questions for the coach to reply.
He was the one who pushed for Antony final summer season. United delivered however the £82m spent on the Brazilian meant purse strings have been tightened 12 months on to maintain the membership inside Monetary Truthful Play restrictions.
This summer season, David de Gea was ditched attributable to Ten Hag’s demand for a ball-playing goalkeeper.
Onana price £47.2m. The Cameroon worldwide definitely arrived from Inter Milan with loads of confidence. However his errors are piling up. His aberration in gifting Dries Mertens possession near the United field ended up costing his aspect the providers of Casemiro, who was despatched off after getting a second reserving attempting to retrieve a determined state of affairs.
Though United survived the penalty that adopted, the reprieve was temporary.
“Andre was in a single semi-final of the Champions League [with Ajax], final season he was within the ultimate [with Inter], so he has capabilities to be top-of-the-line goalkeepers on this planet,” stated Ten Hag. “He has proven that.
“We’ve got already seen in video games his nice capabilities and likewise his persona. He’ll bounce again.”
‘I’m accountable’
It isn’t simply Onana who has to bounce again. As Ten Hag says, United as a collective want to search out options to salvage their season earlier than it is too late.
Though they have been booed off, simply as they have been after the defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday, it was a response to the outcome quite than disenchantment with the supervisor.
That sentiment will solely final so lengthy. Brentford arrive at Previous Trafford on Saturday with just one win all season and one level from their final three video games.
“Sure I can perceive,” stated Ten Hag, when requested in regards to the crowd response. “Along with my squad, I’m answerable for this group, the efficiency, the outcome and along with my squad, we do not get the outcomes.
“We’ve got to do higher. However I’ve seen a group with nice spirit and likewise a group that was backed by a crowd from the begin to the top.
“We’re very upset. That’s gas.”
