Manchester United are in their worst form since 1989-1990

Manos Staramopoulos • 9 de octubre de 2024

Ten Hag has entered his 3rd season as the Red Devils captain but signs of improvement are yet to be seen. In fact, results are starting to resemble the nightmare days of Manchester United before Sir Alex Ferguson took over and put them on top of the world.

Erik Ten Hag head coach Manchester United from 2022.

Reasonably, most (if not all) Manchester United fans are now wondering how long the Dutchman, Erik ten Hag, will be at the helm of their team's technical leadership. The Dutchman has entered his 3rd season as the Red Devils captain but signs of improvement are yet to be seen. In fact, results are starting to resemble the nightmare days of Manchester United before Sir Alex Ferguson took over and put them on top of the world.


In the recent game in Birmingham, United drew 0-0 against Aston Villa and Ten Hag's side are now in 14th place in the Premier League after 7 matches. A not beautiful harvest, rather a sad one, which certainly does not suit the history and size of the club...


Stop far 89/90


To find a similar poor start for United, then, one has to go back in time. To be precise, in the 1989/90 season, when United had collected only 7 points in the same number of matches! In the 25 years that have followed from then until today, never before at this point in time have the "red devils" been in such an unfavorable position.


For the sake of history, let's remember that time in United, among others, Paul Ince, Brian McClaire, Mark Hughes, Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Jim Leighton, etc. played. Then the 1989/90 season was Sir Alex Ferguson's 3rd in a row, who was still trying to reshape the whole club and not just the playing part of the team.


Ten Hag, on the other hand, did not take into his hands the ruin that the legend of world football had to manage at the time and for this very reason his achievements made history.

 

The saddest thing of all is not the poor results, but the overall image of the team. There doesn't seem to be any progress in whatever game plan the Dutchman is trying to go through now, while he has exactly the tools he has asked for.


Given United's management is not the best and rightly so the fans express their displeasure at every chance you give them. But they have given Ten Haag a bloated wallet to make any transfer moves he deems necessary.


The Dutchman's excuses have now dried up for good and the two Cups that Manchester United have won in his wake cannot in the least replace the psychological state of the team's fans, every time they see their favorite team unable to  cross pass (in exaggeration).


And for anyone who still has doubts about Ten Haag's "achievements", just think that Brentford against Wolves (05/10, 5-3) scored as many goals as United have scored in the entire season, exactly five.


Ten Hag firmly at the helm


Meanwhile, while many expected that the summit I had called for Tuesday morning (October 8) Sir Jim Ratcliffe would probably also mean the removal of Ten Hag, things turned out quite differently. The meeting of the managers of the club, according to the English Media, showed once again that the Dutch coach has won the trust of the United people and the decision taken is, for now at least, not to change the coach.


It is denied, in fact, that there was contact with Thomas Tuchel, who appeared as the main candidate to replace the Dutchman. And life in Manchester goes on…




Manos Staramopoulos

Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs

Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com

Athens (Greece)

   Post recientes


Barcelona and Inter clash of UEFA Champions League semifinals.
Por Manos Staramopoulos 30 de abril de 2025
Barcelona and Inter clash on Wednesday (30/4) at the “Montjuic” in Barcelona, ​​in the first semi-final of the UEFA Champions Leagu
Ousmane Dembele scored against Arsenal for victory 0-1 in London.
Por Manos Staramopoulos 30 de abril de 2025
PSG took an important step towards qualification. The French champion prevail over Arsenal in firest leg of semif-finals of Champions League.
Arsenal vs PSG first match of UEFA Champions League semifinals
Por Manos Staramopoulos 29 de abril de 2025
This tuesday (29/4), Arsenal welcomes PSG to the Emirates. The two teams have met again this year for the 2nd matchday of the League Phase.
El Liverpool venció al Tottenham 5-1 y se coronó campeón de la Premier League.
Por Juan Carlos Quiñonez Bonilla 27 de abril de 2025
El Liverpool ganó la Premier siendo de lejos, el mejor en el apartado ofensivo. Fue a lo largo de la temporada un huracán en ataque.
FC Barcelona won Copa del Rey about Real Madrid 3-2.
Por Manos Staramopoulos 26 de abril de 2025
After a shocking game, FC Barcelona prevailed 3-2 in extra time over Real Madrid and won the Copa del Rey.
Harry Maguire central defender of Manchester United.
Por Manos Staramopoulos 26 de abril de 2025
The once-powerful team under Sir Alex Ferguson is going from bad to worse, having lost as many games in 12 years as they did under him (the Scottish manager) in 26.
Following initiatives by Turkish Football Federation, UEFA's new office in Istanbul.
Por Manos Staramopoulos 26 de abril de 2025
Following initiatives by Turkish Football Federation, UEFA's new office in Istanbul was inaugurated at TFF's historic Levent Mansion, becoming UEFA's third external hub after London and Brussels.
Kevin de Bruyne great star of Manchester City
Por Manos Staramopoulos 25 de abril de 2025
De Bruyne is considering other options to continue playing in the Premier League after leaving Manchester City at the end of the season.
Por Manos Staramopoulos 16 de abril de 2025
Arsenal failed to maintain the euphoric atmosphere that existed after the imposing 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Their tank was almost... empty, stuck at 1-1 against Brentford, and now Mikel Arteta's team seems to be raising the white flag in the championship battle!.  Now Arsenal is turning its attention exclusively to the Champions League, where after the 3-0 win, it seems to have a big lead to qualify for the semi-finals of the top club competition in Europe, if not the world.