Erik ten Hag can do what no top Premier League Coach has done before

Man United have had a difficult start to the season and Erik ten Hag has got a job on his hands to turn it around.

Just when you thought the bad times were gone they come roaring back with a vengeance.

Manchester United’s seeming return to normalcy last season had all those revelling in their decade of decline entering a period of mourning. But like Tyson Fury somehow getting back to his feet after being lamped by Deontay Wilder, the banter era has shambled back to life.

Both on the field and off it, the air of chaos Erik ten Hag seemingly eradicated in his first year in charge has returned. All the optimism and excitement that was built with a trophy win and return to Champions League football has been drained away in a few short weeks.

The start of the season has bordered on depressing. A remarkable number of players being unavailable doesn’t help, but United have been uninspiring, disorganised and frail.

United have played four teams better than them and lost them all. They’ve managed to beat the three teams worse than them but all only by one goal in games they could just have easily lost against relegation contenders.

It’s been a struggle but Ten Hag has already come through hardship at Old Trafford. In just his second match, United were torn asunder by Brentford in a humiliating defeat. As the Dutchman watched on helplessly, he cut a deadman walking.

A listless Gary Neville on commentary was already wondering if he would even be able to turn it around. He did, of course. The next match saw a victory over Liverpool which sparked a strong run of form. There were big hiccups along the way with ridiculous losses to fierce rivals, but gradually performances continued to improve.

To arrest the dire form, Ten Hag had to enforce change. Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay were dropped. The approach of passing it out of the back with David de Gea in goal clearly wasn’t going to work so a more direct style was implemented. It worked.

“These players now are probably not suited to the way he wants to play, but he’s found a way to win games with this group of players – now, why would you change and go back to something that didn’t really work at the start of the season?” United legend Paul Scholes told Premier League TV at the time.

“He’s found a way of playing football on the counter-attack with this group of players – why change that?” He added: “We talk about philosophies all the time, don’t we? These managers are stubborn. [Mikel] Arteta will be stubborn, [Pep] Guardiola will be stubborn, Jurgen Klopp will be stubborn; but this man – you have to give him credit because he’s gone away, really, from what he wants to do.”

Being humble enough to accept things aren’t working and smart enough to come up with a solution are great traits and it’s what Ten Hag needs now. With so many players out, it’s almost impossible for the team to get settled and learn the new way he wants to play following the arrival of Andre Onana so a return to basics could help the team.
Ten Hag has shown he can get United out of trouble once and he needs to do it again.