I can’t believe it’s been close to two months since I last wrote a blog post! Work and my other obligations were in the way, but moreover it was difficult to motivate myself to write about a very lackluster and average Manchester United team. Not to worry though, I am back and ready to thoroughly break down all the happenings of the past seven weeks or so in this mega (aka longer than normal) post!
United Win the FA Cup
The highlight of the season was easily United’s 2-1 victory over the blue bastards Manchester City to win the FA Cup at Wembley at the end of May. Goals were from winger Alejandro Garnacho and midfielder Kobbie Mainoo. United were heavy underdogs coming into the match, given their own poor form this season and the fact that City are the reigning Premier League champions and widely regarded as the best club team in the world. But our lads finally showed up and played their best game of the season when it mattered most. The first goal from Garnacho was more of a defensive error from City than anything, but some credit is due to Garnacho for being in the right position to capitalize on it. The second goal was truly a work of art in terms of passing and tactical awareness. It was a counter-attack goal, and it involved at least five United players before Mainoo slid it home from about eight yards out. The final pass from midfielder Bruno Fernandes to Mainoo in particular was pure football poetry.
It was nervy at the end of the match for sure, as City pulled one back through striker Jeremy Doku with about 20 minutes left to play. United keeper Andre Onana probably should have kept it out since it was a low shot from distance at his near post, but it slipped past his fingertips and City had a lifeline. However, some good center-forward play from Rasmus Højlund and solid defending saw the Red Devils hold on and claim their 13th FA Cup in club history!
Spot-on tactics and substitutions from manager Erik Ten Hag (more on him below) and fantastic effort from everyone who was on the pitch. When this United team is clicking, they can play with any team in the world. The fact that two teenagers from our youth academy took down the oil state-backed football machine that is City is the stuff dreams are made of. As mentioned above though, the rest of the season was much different.
Manchester United Season Review
The success in the FA Cup is important, but the rest of the season was poor by United standards. They crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage, were knocked out of the League Cup in the quarterfinals, and finish a very mediocre 8th in the Premier League. The FA Cup win qualified them for the Europa League next season, but had they not won that match, there would be no European football at Old Trafford next year. And to be honest, we wouldn’t have deserved it.
Consistency was again an issue, and it has been at this club for several seasons now. For whatever reason, the lads simply can’t string together good results consistently enough over the span of the season. There were a ton of players missing matches due to injuries, indeed more than the average amount, but that really only seems to be part of the problem. Frequently, I found myself questioning the desire and motivations of too many of these players. There were too many times in which they simply didn’t look like they could be bothered to play well. Our starting eleven and several of our bench players are all extremely talented, but talent means very little if they don’t put the hard work in that’s required to win at this level of football. They’re all millionaires, for crying out loud! Give the average man 20% of their salary and he will run himself into the ground, and do it happily. It’s very clear that several United players need to go in the summer, but who goes and who stays remains to be seen.
As has been stated many times on this blog, the overall structure of the club needs to change as well. The lack of investment in this team from the Glazers has never been more apparent than this season. Old Trafford has more leaks in it than the Titanic, and the water cascades down the steps and floods the place every time it rains. It’s needed a facelift (or perhaps even a rebuild) for a long time now. The attitude of salutary neglect from the owners trickles down just like the rainwater down the steps. If the owners don’t care and are only there to make money, why would anyone else who works for the club care about winning? Obviously yes there are people there who do love the club and want to see us win as much as possible, but the ones at the very top clearly don’t, and that is why this club continues to wade in the waters of mediocrity season after season for the past 11-12 years.
Fortunately, change does seem to be coming. Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his firm INEOS have brought in two new executives to start next season, and they have begun the process of regenerating Old Trafford. There is even the possibility of United moving to a new version of Old Trafford in the coming years. But fixing the stadium is only one of many issues. Ratcliffe has to work at changing the culture of this club. Everyone from the stewards to the players to the coaches to the owners needs to be on the same page and focused on the same goals. We need a coherent transfer policy, and there needs to be continued and sustained investment in the youth academy. We need to make players want to play here again, and we do that by re-establishing a culture of inclusion and support for anyone who puts on the red shirt for us. That’s hard to do in the era of social media, but I believe it can be done if the right people make the right decisions.
Future of Erik Ten Hag
Speaking of the right people, it was announced today that ETH will be keeping his job as United manager next season, meaning he will likely be signing a contract extension as well. It’s difficult to succinctly describe his tenure so far. Last season was objectively pretty good, having won the League Cup and finished 3rd in the Prem, with an FA Cup Final appearance. This season was decidedly not as good, and ETH is partially at fault for that. Winger Antony dos Santos, a player brought on the insistence of ETH for a staggering £80 million, has failed to improve in his second season and actually gotten worse.
His tactics were often questionable as well. United faced more shots on target than any other team this season, and we relied heavily on the counter-attack to create opportunities to score. This worked against lesser opposition fairly well, but United struggled frequently against any team with a semi-competent attack. Their inability to keep possession left them tired at the end of matches, and they frequently conceded late to lose points. I understand ETH was severely hampered by injuries and issues above his rank this season, but at some point I would have hoped for more adjustments from him to somehow get us playing more competent football.
However, as stated above, it has been decided that he is staying for next season. It seems the FA Cup, the League Cup last season, and his general trust in youth academy players has earned him at least one more year at the helm. It was unclear if he was staying or not, and the lack of a decision over the past 2-3 weeks was frustrating to many, but of course it was a big decision that needed to be carefully made. Admittedly, the FA Cup Final did it for me as well. I saw how we played that day and it showed what this team can do when they aren’t injured and properly motivated. It was a fantastic display of tactics from ETH in the biggest game of the season. This transfer window will be interesting to see who the manager and Ratcliffe bring in for next year.
Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!
England Euro 2024 Preview
Before I dive down into the depths of this topic, a quick shout-out to Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Borussia Dortmund/Man United winger Jadon Sancho. Those two England teammates played against each other in the Champions League final on June 1, with Bellingham’s Madridistas victorious. Well done to them both, and a special well done to Bellingham for winning his first European Cup at the tender age of 20.
Bellingham and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane will be key to England’s success at Euro 2024, which starts on June 14. Bellingham was Player of the Season in Spain this past year, and Kane had 30+ goals in the Bundesliga. Man City winger/forward Phil Foden, Player of the Season in England, will also have a vital role to play for the Three Lions. We have some bloody amazing players, but can they finally put it together? Can they finally bring home a trophy for the first time in 58 years?
England are in Group B, along with Slovenia, Denmark, and Serbia. Denmark are a decent side thanks to players like Højlund and midfielder Christian Eriksen, but England are heavy favorites to top the group. England’s first match is against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on June 16 at noon PDT, and I am very excited to watch it. This team has disappointed me over and over again in the past, but like a fool I always get optimistic before the start of a major tournament. We’re spoiled for riches in attack and very solid in midfield, but the defense is a little bit of a question mark. England are especially thin at left back and also to a degree at center back, with manager Gareth Southgate relying on the very good but also very injury prone Luke Shaw and John Stones. I have concerns about them standing up to the likes of France and Portugal if need be. England can score for sure, but can they keep teams out?
There are a number of younger players in the squad as well, including Mainoo and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton. I like that approach, given the experience of players like Kane, Stones, and right back Kyle Walker. There is a good balance of youth and experience here, and that is often key to winning tournaments. I think the superstars will need to be at their best though. I’m talking about Kane, Bellingham, and Foden. They are the best players at their positions in the world, and they need to play like it. I do think England will likely win the group given the level of opposition, but the likes of France, Portugal, Italy, and possibly Germany will not be easy to beat. We have the talent to win this tournament, but as has been the case recently, it will likely come down to the decisions of Southgate.
I have a feeling that unless England win the whole thing, Southgate will either call it quits or be sacked. He has done phenomenally well compared to every other England manager not named Sir Alf Ramsey. He has taken us to the semifinals of the World Cup in 2018, the final of Euro 2020(1), and the quarterfinals of World Cup 2022. His conservative but consistent style of play has brought us more success and happiness in recent years than almost any of his predecessors. But that same style has come back to haunt him when it comes time to take a gamble in a big match. There will come a moment in a knockout game when he has to make a big decision, and his job will likely ride on whether he makes the right one. He has been a very good England manager, but this will likely be his last chance to become a great England manager.
Three Lions On the Shirts! It’s Coming Home!
4-4-2 