Man Utd year in review as Ten Hag repeats worrying cycle amid Ratcliffe delay
Manchester United will head into 2024 the same way they headed into 2023 - with optimism that maybe things could be about to change.
The Red Devils celebrated New Year's Day 2023 as a top four outfit having won both their festive fixtures. Erik ten Hag was showing himself to be a man who was in control and Marcus Rashford was in the midst of breaking Old Trafford scoring records.
On January 14 United claimed bragging rights over Manchester City, securing a controversial derby victory as hope continued to grow. Ten Hag's calls that were subjected to questioning were beginning to pay off. Lisandro Martinez's height didn't stop him looking a classy centre-half, Harry Maguire wasn't missed as he sat on the bench and those citing Casemiro's signing as an error because of his age were looking very foolish.
Gary Neville's confidence was clearly growing as he suggested United would end up finishing above Arsenal. His prediction was off by nine points but it was, yet another, sign of how those in red felt the good times might be returning after a decade away.
Silverware hoodoo ends
What did return after six years was a trophy. Jose Mourinho was mocked as he held up three fingers in the aftermath of United's Europa League success in 2017. It was the Special One acknowledging his haul of three trophies in a season following victories in the Community Shield and the Carabao Cup.
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He proved to be the one laughing though as the Red Devils continued to fall short in semi-finals and finals. Six years without any silverware would once have been unthinkable but ending that wait was one of Ten Hag's early jobs ticked off.
Man Utd claimed Carabao Cup glory earlier this year (PA)United got the chance to celebrate at Wembley, even if it was the season's least sought after trophy. Casemiro and Rashford, two shining lights of the first-half of the year, were goal scorers against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.
"Silverware shows you are on a good pathway, a good direction," said Ten Hag after their success. "It's one cup and it's February but it shows we are [going] in the right direction."
Problems on the road
The Carabao Cup win came just days after United knocked Barcelona out of the Europa League. The Spanish outfit went on to claim LaLiga glory, boasting one of Europe's meanest defences. Ten Hag though saw his side find the net four times across the two-legged affair with Antony scoring the winner at Old Trafford.
But it was games on the road against top sides that proved to be the team's Achilles heel. They visited Anfield in early February having already gone down on the road to Arsenal. They were competitive in north London, but anything but on Merseyside.
Liverpool ran riot in a humiliating defeat for the Red Devils (PA)Liverpool enjoyed one of their great afternoons against their arch rivals, recording a 7-0 victory with four of those goals coming in the final half hour as United self-imploded. "I haven't seen this from my team I don't think it's us. I don't think it's Manchester United, so that's really bad and poor," said Ten Hag.
The Anfield mauling was the team's darkest moment of the year but struggles of the road continued. A 3-0 loss at Sevilla saw their European journey end in April. They also lost at Newcastle, Brighton and West Ham before the season ended.
A run to the FA Cup final and a second visit to Wembley in a matter of months gave hope to another trophy. For many connected to United though their main motivation was halting City's treble charge.
Man City earned FA Cup bragging rights as they won the treble (AFP via Getty Images)Errors from David de Gea, which aided both Ilkay Gundogan goals, perhaps contributed to his Old Trafford exit as the club opted against offering him a new deal as they prepared for a return to the Champions League after finishing third.
A cycle on repeat
And so to a sense of Old Trafford deja vu. For years they've repeat their failings without learning. Louis van Gaal, after producing shoots of promise, was backed in the market. He added the likes of Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial before being sacked a year later. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finished second and was rewarded with Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo - he was sacked months later.
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Now Ten Hag had shown the hierarchy that he could be the man to take them back to the success of yesteryear. It doesn't take much for the Old Trafford bosses to get giddy and back their manager, some may say blindly. This time that faith came in the form of almost £200m as Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana were all signed for big money.
Andre Onana has endured a rought start to life with Man Utd (Getty Images)An opening weekend win over Wolves was unconvincing and the warning signs were already present. Onana was rash and the Cameroonian has been error-strewn throughout his spell so far, producing several errors leading to goals.
Mount, whilst talented, was signed seemingly without any thought to where he may fit into this United team. Hojlund needed 15 games before he scored for the first time in the league.
The Red Devils lost for a 13th time in all competitions when they went down at West Ham on December 23 with the top four looking an increasingly distant prospect. The last season they lost more matches before Christmas was in 1930-31 (16), a campaign in which they finished bottom of the top flight.
Ten Hag's issues on the pitch are not his only battles. One of the club's major talking points is the treatment of Sancho after he referred to himself as a "scapegoat" after calling out his manager on social media. The United boss left him out of the trip to Arsenal in September and criticised training performances.
The saga has reportedly split the dressing room with some feeling as if the manager has taken too strong a stance. Sancho isn't even allowed to train with the first-team and has not played a minute since. A resolution in January is a must for both parties.
Ratcliffe's revival
The United boss, to his credit, has had to endure hefty background noise throughout much of his tenure. The Glazers announced their plan to seek investment opportunities in 2022, with potential for a complete sale or minority investment. There was talk of a Qatari billionaire coming in to rid of the club's debts and invest huge sums.
Whilst there was excitement among the fanbase that the Glazers could exit Old Trafford, there were concerns over who would be the replacement. It turns out that British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now the minority shareholder and has taken over the football operations.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be making the major football decisions at Old Trafford (PA)Ratcliffe has shown himself to be more than competent when it comes to business and has seen sections of his sport portfolio succeed. He has some trusted and experienced lieutenants who will come on board with him with United set for a culture shift.
And while the Glazers ultimately remain at the helm for now, there is a new voice with new ideas bringing new optimism that could eventually bear fruit. Albeit the short-term could be painful, there is genuine reason to think the good times could return.
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