The challenge against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon may be no less important than it was at the Etihad Stadium in early March and there is no guarantee that Erik ten Hag’s side will prevail where the Ralf Rangnick’s team failed.
But the collective will and mood at United couldn’t be much different from seven months ago, when a rudderless, fractured and demotivated group showed up at the home of their bitter rivals Manchester City and were duly sent off 4-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo was nowhere to be found, with the injured striker returning to Portugal without Rangnick’s permission after finding out he was not going to start. Anthony Martial had been loaned to Sevilla. Edinson Cavani declared himself ‘unfit’ despite training for three full days before the match. Marcus Rashford was dropped to the bench and the following day reports surfaced that the disenchanted England striker was considering his future at Old Trafford.
In Ronaldo’s absence, Rangnick had enlisted Paul Pogba to lead the line alongside another struggling midfielder, Bruno Fernandes. Alex Telles, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire were a fragile comeback in four. It was, for all intents and purposes, a mess: trust in the manager and the other, just not there.
Lasting change at Old Trafford is going to have to be difficult to win, but one of Ten Hag’s early gains was to unite the players behind a cause and what is gradually emerging is a stronger and more united dressing room, even if it has a lot to prove. . An injection of new blood with the character and attitude demanded by Ten Hag has facilitated the process and the leaders already at the club, who often found themselves fighting losing battles amid toxicity and dysfunction last season, have new allies. A four-man management group comprising Fernandes, Maguire and goalkeepers David de Gea and Tom Heaton, whose influence should not be underestimated, enjoy extra support in the trenches.
An edict on recruiting ‘no d—heads’ during the summer window briefly seemed in danger of being undermined during this wicked fortnight where United chased Marko Arnautovic. But new signings Lisandro Martínez, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Antony and Tyrell Malacia made a strong first impression, and their arrivals emboldened and encouraged like-minded characters such as Scott McTominay and Raphaël Varane.
Fernandes and Heaton, often the glue trying to hold things together last season, can see a culture improve and, while stopping a City scoring for free and their prolific striker Erling Haaland will be Ten Hag’s toughest task at this day after notable home wins over Liverpool and Arsenal. , the champions will face reinvigorated opponents largely unrecognizable from seven months ago.
“The manager is tough, serious, motivated, detail-oriented and does not forgive lack of professionalism or lack of effort”
Rashford, for example, enters City’s game as September’s Premier League Player of the Month, no longer a lost soul, although he still has a long way to go to show that his career is taking a turn. A re-engaged Martial, having returned to training after a series of frustrating injuries, is chomping at the bit to play. Fernandes has found his mojo. Ronaldo – who put aside the disappointment of not having moved on this summer – appears to have lined up despite finding himself out of the squad. The composition of the defense has completely changed. No one is spoiled and there is competition for places.
“The manager is seen as a genuine and basically decent person, but he is tough, serious, driven, detail oriented and does not forgive unprofessionalism, negligence or lack of effort,” a source close to the manager said. changing room. “So you have a dynamic where he’s really loved and admired, but he’s got everyone on their toes and there’s an advantage over the place in a positive way.”
“WiFi has been disabled to encourage player interaction”
Pep Guardiola will be the first to recognize the importance of what Ten Hag is trying to do. It would be wrong to compare the chaos Ten Hag inherited at United to what Guardiola walked into at City in 2016. But a stale unease had spread during Manuel Pellegrini’s final season in charge and, despite all the changes spellbinding tactics that Guardiola would bring, the Catalan felt the need to forge a stronger bond between the players and the club was just as pressing.
WiFi has been turned off in parts of the first team building to encourage players to interact rather than disappearing into their phones. The players were asked to celebrate all the goals together. The team was instructed to eat dinner together after games and often before practice. Foreign imports had to learn English. Small details in the end game pursuit of a unified, self-monitoring locker room that would drive and demand the highest standards.
United still have a long way to go to get there but Ten Hag, who coached Bayern Munich’s second team for a few seasons while Guardiola was in charge of the German giants and is also a disciple of Johan Cruyff, has put himself on the line. at work. in a similar way. Mobile phones have been banned at mealtimes, which are now taken together at the stadium before matches, with a large area of lucrative premium hospitality at Old Trafford cleared to accommodate Ten Hag’s wish. All non-playing team members must attend games together in the managers’ box and remain there until the end. Delay is punished.
“Players see a leader at the helm, with meticulous attention to detail on and off the pitch”
United players see a leader at the helm, with meticulous attention to detail on and off the pitch, to rally and respond. Martínez is a very vocal and positive, albeit composed, voice in the locker room who straddles all the different groups and easily interacts with the young academy players. Cliques are harder to form with individuals like that. Casemiro, like Eriksen and Varane, carries a quiet but significant authority.
Eriksen has become very close to Fernandes and is said to be excellent with his teammates and club staff. The Dane completed his move just a week before the end of United’s pre-season tour of Australia and was desperate to travel halfway around the world to compete, if only for a few days. The club felt their preparations for the new campaign would have been better spent training during this short time in Manchester, but admired his attitude. Malacia is one of the last people left in the building each day. Antony has brought extra intensity and advantage to training and is happy to be at a club he desperately wanted to join.
Fernandes and Heaton are considered two of the most emotionally intelligent and balanced individuals on the team who understand the value of the carrot and the stick and are not afraid to stand up or support their teammates, or the manager, when necessary. . Heaton is currently enrolled in one of UEFA’s management courses and those who have watched the former Burnley and Aston Villa goalkeeper during his career would not be surprised if he goes the sporting director route or direction on time. A source describes Heaton as the ‘keel on the boat’ and points to how he helped manage the delicate dynamic between De Gea and Dean Henderson last season as proof of his personal touch.
There is still a long way to the top for United, but they are in a much better place than the misery of early March.
