admin Erik ten Hag has absolute authority at Man United, but he is not as bold in running the match as last season.
On Saturday night, at twenty-five minutes to seven, Erik ten Hag walked out of the Old Trafford tunnel in the rain. The weather was a hindrance, but dozens of passionate Manchester United fans still stood on both sides of the fence to say goodbye.
Ten Hag didn’t slow down, raised his hands in appreciation, stopped to hug a friend and then got into his Audi 4X4. A quick getaway United did not escape.
Last week exposed the fragility of a team whose mentality seemed to have been repaired last season. United bounced back when Palace failed to appear in the League Cup match at Old Trafford. When Palace appeared in the Premier League rematch, it was United who had disappeared.
They have the same points tally after seven games as four years ago, when United entered October’s international week with back pages detailing the untimely departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.As has been United’s tendency under Solskjaer, they have responded, giving chapter and verse to their famous ‘cultural reset’. On Saturday night, Gary Neville seriously laid out a plan to “reset the culture” for United.
Senior figures at United have scoffed at the strange questions asked by colleagues about Ten Hag’s position. The pitch is not frozen for Ten Hag and as with Solskjaer in his first summer, United’s investment in the transfer market provides clear support.
However, predictable problems arose.Macus Rashford’s form has declined since he was handed a five-year contract worth £325,000-a-week in July, after becoming United’s main source of goals last season. Rashford has scored 30 goals in the 2022-23 season and Bruno Fernandes, the second top scorer, has failed to score half of those goals.
Rashford scored 5 goals in 8 matches last season and has 1 goal in 8 matches this season. His form deteriorated and audiences disapproved of Palace, Burnley and Brighton. United have scored seven goals in their seven matches.
“I think he knows he can do better than he does now,” Ten Hag said of Rashford, “and I am sure it will come.
“He works hard and that is what he is doing. He will net, he will finish and it will come but it is not going to be automatic.”
A matchday staff member suggested Alejandro Garnacho come on at the interval against Palace. When he did in the 61st minute, it was for Facundo Pellistri just as the Uruguayan was hitting his stride. Ten Hag needs to be as brave with his in-game changes as he was in his first season.
Think Anthony Martial against Liverpool, Rashford against Wolves, Antony against Barcelona, Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the League Cup final, Casemiro against West Ham and, yes, Jadon Sancho against Leicester City. An unexpected player to emerge during the offseason was Victor Lindelof, who played in three different games.
Rasmus Hojlund’s callousness will never protect him after United turned to him rather than deal with Daniel Levy who rejected them. Hojlund scored one of six goals and the 20-year-old had United’s three best chances against Palace.
This always happened and it happened early.The frequency with which this happens is United’s concern. A club like Brighton can be patient with unknown players arriving at the drop of a hat, but at United they will always be around. They don’t have the right team environment to help Hojlund.
Javier Hernández was discovered in 2010 at the age of 21 and has teamed up with proven partners such as Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov. Hojlund was promoted to instant starter and cost £66m more than Hernandez’s £6m.Alternative No. 9 is Martial, whose numbers have increased.
Four begins his United career and the same worn contours that marked the faces of previous clubs are already etched on the faces of Mason Mount. Mount was the epitome of United’s week: a trip into the dark side of Palace and then a plunge into the true version of Palace.
“We were chasing the game throughout and it’s difficult to get back in it,” Mount admitted afterwards. “There are areas we need to look at but it’s a frustrating one to take.
“You don’t want to lose games and especially at home with the fans here. We want to perform for them and win games for them. We need to go away and look at some areas that just weren’t ticking today.”
Few teams have the luxury of turning to £120million worth of talent in the last knockings of a game. Only the players Ten Hag instructed to remove their tracksuit tops were Harry Maguire and Donny van de Beek, two deluxe duds United wanted to sell in the summer.
A season-ticket holder friend said a handful of supporters within earshot booed Maguire’s introduction, sparking some caustic infighting where he is sat. Matchgoers are feeling as miserable as the weather.
Squad personnel is still inhibiting Ten Hag. Four players on the bench against Palace were free to leave in the summer and three came on. Yet having waxed lyrical about Hannibal Mejbri on Friday afternoon, Ten Hag overlooked him 24 hours later.
He can’t get away from that.
