Forty-one behind, 24 left? Manchester UnitedThe marathon season can stretch up to 65 games. If they are no longer in the four competitions, it is because they have won the first. They could have finished their interest in one second in four days, and in a very different way, but He came back with 3 goals in 18 minutes.. An FA Cup quarter-final beckons: with Fulham at homeimpressively in the semi-finals, as well as Marco Silva’s side has done this season.
However, as Sir Alex Ferguson can confirm, removing the FA Cup may involve a comeback or two. There were two late goals when United beat Liverpool in the fourth round in 1999 and took a three-pointer. There were two late strikes against West Ham in the fifth round in 2023 and Plum skin Witchhis team remains on course for a different kind of treble. Manchester City may come their way in the FA Cup, but not yet. Arsenal may stand in the way of the Europa League final, but not yet. United seem long distance in this regard.
At least they played the equivalent of a full season for non-European clubs that failed to win a local cup tie at the beginning of March. They face midweek matches and continental trips for three months. His physical and mental reserves will be tested. Likewise, if Ten Hag’s real reserves and reserve players against West Ham were initially short of two decisive goals. Alejandro Garnacho and Fred may not be in the top 11 of Ten Hag. The manager was pleased that Wout Weghorst contributed to all three goals, albeit indirectly by jumping and pressing. His Dutch friend failed to score in 10 matches. United won eight of these and drew in one of the others at Camp Nou.
A good friendship between them may be a meager consolation for West Ham: United beat Manchester City from behind And Barcelona at Old Trafford so it was perhaps not surprising that they did the same against the 16th side.pearl in the Premier League.
“We showed that we have the character to handle difficult situations, we can show that the team stays calm and moves on,” Ten Hag said. “He showed his team personality and never gave up. Mentally it was a tremendous performance of our team. Faith is very strong, stamina is very strong and they hate losing.”
Yet the context makes it all the more admirable and shows the scale of the work Ten Hag does. For years, it was acknowledged that United hated losing: It was part of Ferguson’s personality, and he recruited and beat up like-minded characters. Yet when they finished last season with six losses in 10 games and began the Ten Witch’s reign with two-for-two, it was as if some accepted to lose, some didn’t care about losing, and some blamed others for losing.
Many of the same players; not all, because Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez are strong figures Ten Hag promoted and the Brazilian was not a United player when his team lost to Brentford and Brighton and their first game against West Ham in the second half gave United more power. But many were players who seemed to have a losing mindset when Ralf Rangnick was coach. They looked helpless and unfortunate, being defeated by a host of rivals and then always brutalized by Roy Keane.
Alejandro Garnacho scores a crucial goal for the Red Devils.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Ten Hag brought a change in attitude and a change in fortune. One school of thought is that they did what they had to do by beating West Ham. They won a winnable game. On a superficial level, it’s true.
But in the best part of the decade, United won very few winnable games. When Brighton won at Old Trafford in August, they continued a trend that started in 2018. David Moyesmission time. One stronghold was conquered: by West Brom, Everton, Newcastle and Swansea. Then a second time under Louis van Gaal by Swansea, Southampton, West Brom, Norwich and Southampton. Jose Mourinho’s United were undefeated for 40 games at Old Trafford but then lost to West Brom and Derby on penalties. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team has traveled at home to Cardiff, Crystal Palace, Burnley, Palace Again, Sheffield United, Leicester, West Ham and Aston Villa. Under Ralf Rangnick, Wolves and Middlesbrough took home losses on penalties.
Manchester United’s David de Gea celebrates
(REUTERS)
That’s even before mentioning home losses or away losses to the big six opponents or the European sides. Most of them were clubs by then long waiting for victory at Old Trafford, which usually coincided with Ferguson’s reign. Under some of Ten Hag’s predecessors in some previous seasons they would have put United a goal at home to a mid-table or relegation-threatened team and they would have lost. They were not a team with that determination or resilience. And if they’ve made 65 games this season, making consecutive comebacks, adding a record of 16 wins of 17 at Old Trafford, it’s because they’ve reinvented it.