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The issue plaguing Manchester United’s struggling season revolves around the number of players included in Erik ten Hag’s version of the iconic quote from The Godfather Part III. Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Raphaël Varane, Casemiro, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Christian Eriksen, Jonny Evans, and Sofyan Amrabat may all feel like they are being pulled back into the fold after thinking they were out of favor under the manager.
Different levels of rejection and reinstatement have occurred as Ten Hag makes (at times confusing) changes in direction that indicate a lack of clarity on who should be in the starting lineup – or even his overall strategy. As Ten Hag leads his struggling team (played 24 matches in all competitions, lost 12, won 11, drawn one) to Liverpool on Sunday, this is far from an ideal situation.
Varane is the latest to experience Ten Hag’s selection hokey-cokey. The winner of three La Ligas, four Champions Leagues and the 2018 World Cup began the season as the A-list defender whose header beat Wolves on the opening day. Yet, after an injury-interrupted period, in late October he was dropped for the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City and had to wait six weeks for a next start – Tuesday’s 1-0 Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich that dumped United out of Europe.
Last November, Ten Hag provided an explanation for why Varane was not a favored footballer and how Maguire had worked his way up from being the fifth-choice center-back (behind Varane, Lisandro Martínez, Victor Lindelöf, and Luke Shaw) in the previous season. He also mentioned that Evans, who was signed as a free agent at the age of 35, was ahead of Varane at the time. Ten Hag stated, “Harry didn’t get much playing time, so I was pleased with Rapha’s performance. However, Harry is currently playing very well. There is competition within the team.”
Maguire’s comeback can be seen as a resurrection rather than simply a result of his manager’s often referenced internal competition. During the summer tour in New Jersey, Ten Hag removed Maguire from the captaincy on the first day. This was followed by another blow when McTominay was chosen to wear the armband in the final warm-up game in Las Vegas against Borussia Dortmund, despite Maguire being in the starting lineup and his successor, Bruno Fernandes, not being present. If United had agreed to cover the £7m difference in wages caused by the transfer, Maguire would have been playing for West Ham currently.
McTominay is enjoying a similar Lazarus act. The Scot has become Ten Hag’s designated No 8 and is United’s top scorer despite, like Maguire, having been for sale in the close season. Now Ten Hag would instead countenance the exit of his former go-to midfielder, Casemiro, and Varane in January. And when the former returns from injury he will vie not (for the moment, anyway) with McTominay to be selected but with Amrabat and Kobbie Mainoo.
The current situation in the attack remains unstable. On the wing, Rashford, who scored 30 goals in the 2022-23 season, has been replaced by Antony and Garnacho for the last two matches. These two players were previously dropped by Ten Hag this season but are now back in favor. In the center-forward position, Rasmus Højlund, who has not scored in 12 Premier League games, was recently benched for the matches against Newcastle (a 1-0 loss) and Bournemouth (3-0 loss). Ten Hag instead chose to start Martial (with only one goal in 13 games), but then reinstated the Dane for the game against Chelsea (a 2-1 win) and the 1-0 loss against Bayern.
Martial, trusted to lead the line against Newcastle and Bournemouth, was substituted early in the second half of each as Ten Hag twice sent him into a mid-game banishment. Then it emerged that the Dutchman wishes to make the condition permanent by allowing him to be bought next month.
The recent four outcomes – defeat, victory, defeat, defeat – provide insight into the reason for Ten Hag’s constant pattern of being promoted and demoted: having “internal competition” is unnecessary if the 11 players chosen for a match are able to perform well and secure three points or advance to the next round of a cup.
In his first season under Ten Hag, Varane, Casemiro, and Rashford were guaranteed starters while Maguire, McTominay, and Garnacho were relegated to the bench. The team secured third place in the league and the Carabao Cup, but ultimately lost to City in the FA Cup final at Wembley in June. However, things have now changed and Casemiro’s inconsistent performances have raised doubts about Ten Hag’s decision to sign him two years ago at the age of 30 for a contract worth approximately £350,000 per week. This is further compounded by the uncertain playing time of three other signings, Antony, Eriksen, and Amrabat, who seem to be at the mercy of their manager’s ever-changing evaluations.
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Really, there are two types of “internal competition”. The one at City where the relentless winning machine Pep Guardiola has constructed is so fine-tuned that, the recent blip apart, he can omit a lead act such as John Stones for Rico Lewis and know performance will not drop. And the one at United, where Ten Hag’s continual chop-and-change is fuelled by the desperation to stave off an instability reflected in all strata of the club.
The sale of Manchester United by the Glazer family to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and then back to the Glazers, and now potentially 25% to Ratcliffe, is causing turmoil among many fans who are eager to see the disliked Americans leave. While the owners’ high-level executives, including football director John Murtough, are uncertain about their future as they await confirmation from Ratcliffe, who will have control over football decisions.
Amidst the disorder, Ten Hag struggles to restore order to the team in order to ensure his own job security. It is crucial to establish a stable strategy as soon as possible. Facing the chaos of Anfield at 4:30pm on Sunday is not an ideal setting to do so. However, on the other hand, a victory and strong performance could greatly benefit him and his efforts to move forward with a constantly evolving team roster.
If not, Ratcliffe, upon becoming part-owner, may utilize his own interpretation of a popular line from The Godfather by “making an offer” that Ten Hag cannot reject and directing him towards the exit.
Source: theguardian.com
