The 2022/23 season marks 10 years since Manchester United failed to win the Premier League. The last time Man Utd won the title was in 2013. For any other team, a decade without a title would certainly lead to decline and collapse not only on the pitch but also economically . Only Man Utd is an exception. The "Red Devils" of Manchester are still the most attractive topic of debate in the football field.
The Red Devils' revenue is still among the "top" most successful clubs. However, despite this strange and magnificent phenomenon, Man Utd will not be able to "beg the past" forever.
If Man Utd fails for another 10 years, no one can imagine what terrible collapse will come to this team, especially when the old generation of fans are getting old with memories of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Here's a look at 10 years of crisis and chaos for Man Utd, as seen by Sky Sports writers. Laugh or cry, depending on your love for the club!
When Robin van Persie scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa (including a volley that no one remembers or forgets) to bring Man Utd their 20th English football championship in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season, few expected that the team would have to wait more than a decade for the next championship.
In his farewell speech, the Scottish legend called on "fans to support our new head coach" and reminded him of the patience the fans had shown him during difficult times.
Since then, Man Utd have had 5 coaches, 2 CEOs, only the owner has remained the same. The Old Trafford team has spent 1.43 billion pounds on the transfer market and 40 million pounds on coaches while being in debt of nearly 1 billion pounds. However, it is worth mentioning that Man Utd have not won the Premier League once.
From the motto "attack, attack, attack" to "fire, fire, fire", the giant of English football fell into a serious identity crisis in the post-Sir Alex era.
"It was a strange feeling when I first sat in this chair," David Moyes confided when he took over as Man Utd manager in July 2013. "I just tried it when no one was looking. I had to see how it felt but I didn't want anyone to see and think I was stupid." The image of "The Chosen One" sitting in Ferguson's old office would become a satirical symbol of his short tenure at Old Trafford.
Moyes was slow to realise that his every move would be closely watched. Just weeks after taking charge, on the pre-season tour of England, Sir Alex's successor looked like a fish out of water.
He took the entire Man Utd squad to Bondi Beach, Sydney, for a training session similar to the one he did at humble Everton. The result was a mob of people surrounding the Premier League champions. It was reported that some Man Utd players had to climb onto the roof of a nightclub to avoid the curious.
Overall, Moyes not only created chaos at Man Utd but also inherited the inherent chaos under the guidance of Ed Woodward, Vice President in charge of team operations.
Woodward is well aware of Moyes's disaster in his first summer at Man Utd, when the Scottish coach was not attractive enough to compete for world- class contracts such as Tottenham's Gareth Bale or Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas.
The Man Utd vice-chairman caused a stir on social media in July 2013 when he briefly announced that he would be returning to England after a pre-season tour in Sydney due to “urgent transfer planning.” Weeks passed, and Woodward failed to make any meaningful signings.
"For us journalists, this is an interesting topic to explore," Jackson said. "But why reveal such information? He was never seen on tour again. Woodward was a bit naive. That summer, Man Utd were chasing every star. It was a farce."
After 47 days of speculation and doubt, Woodward signed Marouane Fellaini on transfer deadline day. Instead of ending the fan furore, Woodward is now the butt of jokes. That’s how new managers work at Manchester United.
"The call from Man Utd is what every team looks forward to," said former Man Utd captain Gary Neville. "Everyone wants Woodward to call because they know they will get a huge amount of money for the player he wants to recruit."
Moyes never recovered from that summer of tragedy. The former Everton manager built his reputation on pragmatism, but that was not enough for United. The Scot won just one game against the Big Six. City and Liverpool left Old Trafford with three goals, while West Brom and Everton won their first games at United in 35 and 21 years respectively. The Theatre of Dreams became the Haunted Theatre of Horrors.
Sir Alex's "chosen successor" lost all confidence from the players and Man Utd ended the season with the "achievement" of not qualifying for the European Cup for the first time since 1980. Did Moyes inherit a team in decline? "It's nonsense," said Rene Meulensteen, Ferguson's assistant from 2007-2013. "Players don't become bad overnight. It's the result of wrong changes. I don't think they anticipated the whole situation."
Things could have been different if Moyes had had better luck in the League Cup. United were beaten by Sunderland in the semi-final at Old Trafford after an entertaining penalty shootout. The Red Devils' only rare moments of brilliance under Moyes came in the Champions League. The highlight was Patrice Evra's thunderbolt to put United ahead against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. However, that happiness lasted just 73 seconds, before the Bavarians equalised and knocked the Red Devils out of Europe's most prestigious competition.
The "Grim Reaper" visited Moyes' reign on a coincidental trip to Goodison Park, Everton's home ground. Man Utd lost 0-2 and the pale, lifeless face of the Scottish strategist became the subject of ridicule by fans. Moyes was fired after exactly 50 matches, despite a contract of 6 years.
"It was the worst moment of the decade," Neville commented. "Giving a manager a six-year contract, right or wrong, and then sacking him after eight months, for me, was a sign of a dark age." Ferguson's calls for a successor were no longer valid. "The Chosen One" turned out to be "The Wrong One".
Louis Van Gaal is like a village teacher. Every gesture of the Dutch strategist is always disciplined. He rarely shows emotions or has excessive behavior in front of the crowd. Van Gaal has a strong belief in the philosophy he pursues. Any instructions to change tactics are superfluous when it comes to the match. Therefore, if Van Gaal rushes to the touchline like a respected headmaster, the whole of Old Trafford knows something terrible is about to happen. This crazy old man can no longer stand it. But no one expected that to happen.
As Van Gaal rolled around at the feet of Mike Dean, the fourth official, and reenacted Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez's dive by collapsing to the ground, all eyes from the stadium and the football world were on him. "He looked hilarious," commented journalist Jackson. "For writers, Van Gaal was gold dust. He was charismatic and funny. It was a Van Gaal style that made you laugh."
The humorous and eccentric image of Van Gaal spread like an earthquake and caused a lot of controversy. At that moment, behind the typical pensive face of coach Arsene Wenger, there were opposing reactions in the stands. Some people applauded but many others were surprised and annoyed.
Man Utd's fate might have been different had Woodward stuck to his original plan. The vice-chairman tried to sign Jurgen Klopp from Dortmund, but the suggestion that Old Trafford was a "fun place for grown-ups" was not enough to convince the German.
"Being the richest club in the world and having so much resources but not being able to recruit elite managers like Pep Guardiola or Klopp, there is something wrong here," Jackson continued. "That reflects the weakness in management from top to bottom!"
Van Gaal was considered the next best choice and became the coach of Man Utd in July 2014. Moyes was too inexperienced in leading a big team but Van Gaal was too old. While Moyes avoided the "spotlight", Van Gaal's appeal was exploited to the fullest. The Dutch strategist's pride was not inferior to Man Utd's. So when he set foot in the "fun land", he boldly declared: "Maybe this is a big team. Not only in terms of sports but also in terms of commerce. I have to adapt to this club, but I think this club also has to adapt to Louis van Gaal".
Although Van Gaal did not like the team being turned into a money-printing machine, it became a condition for him to burn 281.5 million pounds in 2 years. Including inflation, that figure is equivalent to 400 million pounds at present.
Despite spending a lot of money, Man Utd's playing style under Van Gaal is very boring, monotonous with "full throttle" side passes, often ridiculed by the fan community as "taca-dada" (crossing, heading). The Dutch strategist explained that because he did not have the players he wanted, the bland playing style was born. But in reality, he treated the players no differently than children. The players' instincts were crushed by Van Gaal's rigid "knocking on the head of the child" method to cram his old philosophy.
"That's not the right formula for Manchester United," Meulensteen said. "He's very pragmatic, giving instructions to the players, which affects their creativity and their performance. It's the complete opposite of Sir Alex's team."
Van Gaal has one advantage over Moyes in that he qualified for the Champions League with a fourth-place finish in his first season. However, the Dutchman has also suffered the same humiliation as his predecessor. The 4-0 defeat to League One side MK Dons will be etched in the memory of fans as one of the worst results of the post-Ferguson era.
The interaction somewhat offsets Van Gaal's somnolent style of management. The manager was furious with Rafa Benitez after Sam Allardyce criticised him for playing long balls and brought statistics to his press conference to prove why the West Ham boss was wrong.
Even Man Utd's communications officer, Karen Shotbolt, who sat next to Van Gaal at the press conference, had to frown in dismay.
Frustrated with Van Gaal's coaching methods, a wave of departures emerged during the Dutchman's second summer at Old Trafford. Angel Di Maria, the club's record signing for £60 million, moved to PSG with just four goals and frustration with Van Gaal.
"He was the worst coach I ever had," said the Argentine midfielder. "I would score goals, make assists and the next day he would tell me my passes were not in the right place."
Woodward was also criticised for signing Bastian Schweinsteiger in that summer transfer window. Before joining Man Utd, Schweinsteiger had played just 13 Bundesliga games in a turbulent final two years at Bayern Munich.
The FA Cup was not enough to save Van Gaal as he failed to qualify for the Champions League. Van Gaal's rare legacy at Old Trafford was the emergence of Marcus Rashford. The dreamy fairy tale of a new icon emerging as Wayne Rooney gradually declined was a bit of a crutch for fans. Woodward signed the decision to sack the "crazy scholar" on the same day the whole team celebrated at Wembley. Money is now worth more than titles. The money-printing monster Van Gaal always feared finally chewed up and pulled his career out of the "fun land" of Man Utd.
After Man Utd beat Ajax to win the Europa League in 2017, the image of Mourinho hugging Paul Pogba, the world's most expensive player, became a symbol of hope for the future.
United were stuck in sixth place in Mourinho’s first season (2016-17), with 35-year-old veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the charge. But with two trophies, three including the Special One’s Community Shield, all criticism was put to rest. This was seen as the foundation for something special. These two titles would be the launching pad. Yet United did not win another trophy for the next six years.
That night in Sweden, Mourinho had to grit his teeth and bear it. Man Utd won against Ajax in the familiar style of the Special One. Peter Bosz, the Ajax coach, criticized Mourinho's "long ball" tactics, but the Portuguese coach paid no attention. "There are many poets in football," he said. "But poets don't win many titles."
"The best moment since Sir Alex retired was winning the Europa League," Meulensteen said. "Ultimately, trophies are what Man Utd are after. Winning is everything. Mourinho has won all his career. The problem is that he needs to combine style and results. That's difficult."
Man Utd finished second in the Premier League, 19 points behind Pep Guardiola's Man City. Mourinho still calls it his greatest achievement at Old Trafford. However, the Portuguese tactician's "us against them" style of play has gradually worn off. Mourinho has become isolated in the "us" as his unpredictable behaviour alienates those around him.
The 'Special One' went on a 12-minute rant to defend his record after being criticised for Man Utd's Champions League exit to Sevilla. He told his players they needed to grow up and explained that Man Utd's early exit was no surprise given the team's recent form in Europe.
"At that time, I was really disappointed with Mourinho," Meulensteen said. "He was the manager of the top club in the world and every time he gave a press conference, he spoke as if he had the worst job on the planet."
Behind the scenes, the relationship between Mourinho and Woodward has also deteriorated. The decision to sign Victor Lindelof instead of Virgil van Dijk to cut costs was the first crack. They will also argue over the future of Antony Martial in the "Special One's" final summer at Old Trafford.
Despite Woodward's unwavering approval of Alexis Sanchez's £500,000-a-week deal, Mourinho never got the best out of the former Arsenal striker, whose most impressive performances for United came from the piano.
Mourinho continued to upset many members of Man Utd and create divisions. The reputation of the "Special One" hit rock bottom when the feud between him and Pogba was discovered. The image of Pogba glaring at Mourinho negated the moment they hugged to celebrate the Europa League championship.
Mourinho's utter despair and helplessness were of course still shown in the press conference room. After the 0-3 defeat at Old Trafford against Tottenham, Mourinho held up 3 fingers and asked the reporter: "Do you know what the result is? 3-0! 3-0! Do you understand what it means? 3 is also the number of Premier League titles I have. I have won more than the other 19 coaches. 3 for me and 2 for them (Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola). Respect, respect, respect". He said and walked away.
Not long after, Mourinho left in the same deadlocked and frustrated way he left the press conference, after the 1-3 defeat to Liverpool. Man Utd agreed to pay 14 million pounds in compensation for Mourinho to no longer appear at Old Trafford.
After Mourinho was fired, Solskjaer was put in charge (December 2018) just like the way he was put on the field by Sir Alex in the historic moments of the 1999 Champions League final.
And true to his role as "super sub", Solskjaer filled the void when replacing Mourinho. The Portuguese strategist made the atmosphere at Old Trafford too toxic and the Norwegian legend appeared as a reminder of the good old days.
Despite the difficulties, Solskjaer helped Man Utd become the first team in Champions League history to successfully overcome a 2-0 deficit after the first leg at home. He also won 14 out of 17 matches as caretaker manager after defeating PSG.
Evra and Pogba celebrated in the VIP area of the Parc des Princes. Sir Alex and Eric Cantona appeared in the dressing room to share the joy. The strong mix of nostalgia made many believe Solskjaer would revive Ferguson's golden era. Former centre-back Rio Ferdinand also insisted that Man Utd must sign Solskjaer at any cost and absolutely believed the Red Devils would return.
Ferdinand’s comments were later replayed millions of times in mockery because they were wrong. Any judgment made in the heat of the moment usually leads to total failure. United won only 2 of their remaining 12 games of the season, including a defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals. The team finished 6th in the Premier League but Solskjaer was still given a long-term contract.
"At first I thought, 'What the hell is going on?' This is Manchester United," Jackson said. "But I was also impressed by Solskjaer's charisma. He came in and he wasn't scared. The fans loved him, not just because of his goal in 1999. He played the Man Utd style, quite chaotic in attack. He was always in a hurry."
Solskjaer is the first United manager to set a clear transfer plan as he seeks to build a counter-attacking team, built around a core of young English players. The big money spent on Harry Maguire (£80m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£50m) has come at a steep price.
Signing Bruno Fernandes (£67.7m) was the big revelation. Evaluating Bruno, Gary Neville commented: "In the last 10 years, in terms of performance, assists and goals, he has been the most successful signing. He has made the team under Solskjaer look scary."
Legendary status has given the Norwegian the patience his predecessors lacked. The anger has been directed at the Glazers and Woodward. The rickety structure of the Man Utd board and the indifference of the owners have caused serious consequences. Participation in the planning of a breakaway European Super League has added fuel to the fire. Even Woodward has objected to the Glazers' plans and resigned.
Despite rising tensions and the impact of the Covid pandemic, Man Utd's low level of stability shows that Solskjaer's ability is only that. Under the Norwegian coach, the Red Devils always qualified for the Champions League but never got past the group stage. In addition, Man Utd also did not win any titles. The defeat in the 2021 Europa League final after a penalty shootout against Villarreal proved Solskjaer's limitations.
The lure of revenue and social media clicks was too great for the Glazers to resist signing Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, a few months later. The offer from Man City further exaggerated the success of recruiting their former idol, who had won 5 Ballons d'Or.
But the signing of Ronaldo sealed Solskjaer’s fate. The emotion of Ronaldo’s return was overwhelming. Like the meeting with Solskjaer, the memory lingered in the minds of United fans, who were immersed in the glory of yesterday. However, the reality was that Ronaldo’s age and lack of mobility meant Solskjaer had to adjust the entire system. The reality was worse when defeats to Liverpool and Watford saw Solskjaer off the driver’s seat. The super-sub was no longer in control of the steering wheel.
When Ten Hag stood up to leave the press conference after the final at Wembley, he left something behind: the Carabao Cup, Man Utd's first trophy in six years. The reporters chuckled. The laughter reminded Ten Hag, who shrugged and smiled mischievously: "I can leave this Cup here because we're going to the next one."
Ten Hag was half joking, half serious. He didn't say it outright, but the new Man Utd boss knew something special was brewing at Old Trafford. Ten Hag was proving wrong those who predicted he would be Erik Ten Months - in just 10 months in charge.
However, Ten Hag's predecessors had thought the same way at the dawn of their reign and were eventually torn apart by tragic reality.
Van Gaal was in the same chair with the FA Cup and was sacked that same day. Mourinho's success in the League Cup only brought him the Europa League. Solskjaer couldn't get over the line. Moyes had no chance.
"Compared to other coaches, Ten Hag is really the right choice," Jackson commented. "Man Utd seems to have accidentally found the right person after 10 years."
Erik Ten Hag arrived at Man Utd in April 2022 and brought high expectations after his success at Ajax. Ten Hag inherited the worst Man Utd in the Premier League era. The Ralf Rangnick experiment blew away all the reputation and stature of the Red Devils. The German coach was fired after 6 disastrous months and lost the promised advisory position.
Rangnick is not without merit, though. His candor about the difficulties Ten Hag faces is a refreshing change from Solskjaer’s approach to internal issues, and highlights the shortcomings of United’s management structure.
As Rangnick predicted, Ten Hag’s tenure got off to a rocky start. But by quickly getting rid of Ronaldo after his bombshell Piers Morgan interview, making the right signings and reviving flailing stars, the Dutchman overcame his first challenge.
The harsh punishment for his players, and also the 10km run after the 4-0 defeat to Brentford, was a turning point. And, despite further defeats, none worse than the 7-0 thrashing at Anfield, United always got back up after each fall.
"Man Utd were on the decline after Sir Alex left," said Meulensteen. "Now with Ten Hag, things are starting to stabilise. I think everyone at Man Utd feels it's time to find a balance. When you don't win trophies, there will always be doubts."
United are still on course to return to the Champions League and can still win two trophies this season. Wins over Mikel Arteta, Jurgen Klopp, Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola highlight the progress made under Ten Hag. But there are still risks beyond the manager’s control. That is the future of the team itself.
Man Utd is time to need new bosses. Ten Hag stabilized the army, but the superstructure also needed stability. The Glazer has no money to invest in a new football field, no money to invest in the new training ground and the debt has increased, currently at £ 1 billion. The owner of the team accepted to listen to the suggestions but always hesitated to wait for someone to put £ 6 billion on the negotiating table.
It should be emphasized that one of the decisive factors to the future and success of Man Utd lies in the management. Ten HAG and the Carabao trophy are not enough. If he only won the Carabao Cup, it was not enough. And there would be times, he was also left like the trophy he almost forgot.
Content: Khai Hung Design: Do Diep
Dantri.com.vn
Source
Comment (0)