When Manchester United kicked off their Champions League campaign at Bayern Munich on September 20, it was impossible to ignore the foreboding. The season had started poorly – three Premier League defeats in five – and the priority at the Allianz Arena was seemingly not winning or drawing, but avoiding humiliation.
The 4–3 defeat was a seven-goal thriller in name only, Bayern were comfortable once ahead and their superiority was declared over a United team incapable of shooting in more than fits and starts. Yet it was not a disaster for United. They knew their progress in the Champions League would not rest on this draw.
When United exited the competition on Tuesday evening, the bottom of Group A, without even the consolation of a drop back into the Europa League, it was after another one-goal loss to Bayern, this time 1-0 at Old Trafford. Once again the Bundesliga champions were simply too good. They had already qualified for the last 16 as group winners, but lacked the sharpness, the do-or-die commitments that bring out the best in the very best. That was a relief for United.
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It was such a strange event, so little elemental excitement. Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel had spoken beforehand about the ‘electricity’ of Old Trafford. Well, the lights were on, but…
United brought what they had from the start, pressing hard, throwing themselves into tackles, playing for the shirt – and the manager, Erik ten Hag. But it was as if everyone in the stands knew it wouldn’t be enough. The home crowd seemed to accept their fate. There was no lingering anger at the end, just a brief cheer from those who remained. And at least it wasn’t humiliation.
This is where United find themselves in an increasingly wayward season: how far they have fallen. Every time they’ve played someone of significance, they’ve lost. When United look at the Premier League table, they can only count one scalp from the top half of it: that of Fulham, in tenth place, against whom they broke in 1-0 in stoppage time.
The damage to their Champions League hopes had already been done before Tuesday; in the home and away games against Copenhagen and Galatasaray, each a mini-epic, although United’s points haul failed to keep pace with the high level of drama.
They have started to measure defeats by their severity, in extremely relative terms, rather than the defeats themselves, which is the sign of a club going nowhere, a club that is losing hope.
The broader question concerns the salvage operation in the second half of the season and whether Ten Hag can keep his job as a result. At best, United can secure a top four or top five finish and mount another Champions League campaign, although it would certainly be ironic if fifth place wasn’t enough as European woes of the club had reduced England’s lead this time. efficient. There is also the FA Cup.
According to any objective analysis, Ten Hag must be approaching borrowed time. The defeat at Bayern was United’s twelfth of the season; only Burnley, Almería and Union Berlin have lost more games in Europe’s five major leagues.
The good news for Ten Hag is that, to put it bluntly, there is no one to fire him at the moment, while the club waits for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to complete the purchase of a 25% stake from the Glazer family and takes control of the sport. side of the operation.
United have an interim CEO in Patrick Stewart, the chief legal officer, after Richard Arnold resigned and it is equally unlikely that the football department, led by John Murtough, would act as they are about to hand over power to the people of Ratcliffe.
Does Ten Hag deserve to stay in situ for the rest of the season? The question is partly about what he was able to do last season, when he had better luck with injuries. Also the risk and disruption of a mid-season change. It didn’t work when United did it before, signing Ralf Rangnick for Ole Gunnar Solskjær in December 2021. There are dissatisfied players. Of course there are. But exactly how much is difficult to say. The match fans have not turned around in the meantime. They remain remarkably supportive.
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Things can change quickly. They did that for Solskjær, with the 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool as the turning point. And at exactly the right time, Ten Hag has Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday – the scene of its darkest hour; the 7-0 mauling last March. Ten Hag recovered from that. It was seen as an outlier compared to overall progress. The climate is different now.
United will travel nervously given their form and what has become a selection crisis. It was interesting to hear Ten Hag complain on Monday about the club’s injury problems, especially in defence. For Ten Hag, everything starts at the back, not only when it comes to keeping the opponent out, but also in the way he wants to play the game in an attacking sense.
United’s best football last season came as they worked their way up through third place with beautifully synchronized movements, crisp first passes and reaching into spaces between the lines. Luke Shaw played a fundamental role at left back, often driving with the ball and linking up with Marcus Rashford on the wing in front of him.
The cohesion has been less clear this season, less sustainable and it is worth noting that every time in the Champions League, Ten Hag has had to make two personnel changes in his back four compared to the previous game – and sometimes have to deploy defenders in different situations. positions too. It has not been a basis for solidity and embedding in a new goalkeeper with a new style in André Onana.
Ten Hag had to miss the injured Lisandro Martínez, Victor Lindelöf and Tyrell Malacia against Bayern. He then lost Harry Maguire and Shaw to muscle injuries during the match. Down to the wire, Anfield barely covers it, especially if you count the absentees in midfield. Casemiro, Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen were injured for Bayern; Bruno Fernandes misses Liverpool due to suspension.
Ten Hag is eagerly awaiting medical bulletins and the next step for him is fraught with danger. Avoiding humiliation will be the order of the day.