Man United's performance after 10 matches in the 2023-2024 season is even worse than under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the seasons they were fired. Neither Mourinho nor Solskjaer has been able to turn things around after a disastrous start and a "losing seat" as a result.
Mourinho was sacked in December 2018 and Solskjaer in November 2021. And it felt like Ten Hag was very close to that. Sources close to Man United have stressed that Ten Hag's position is still safe. But in reality, the result will decide everything.
Mourinho extended his contract in January 2018 - less than a year before he left. Solskjaer, meanwhile, agreed a new deal in July 2021, just four months before he was sacked. Therefore, "long" is a very vague phrase at Old Trafford.
The important thing for Ten Hag is that he still received support from the majority of fans despite the groans after the defeats against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray. It was a reaction to the performance and the result was more of a rebellion against the coach. However, the big question for Ten Hag is whether the players will still side with him.
In the final full season under Mourinho (2017-2018), Man United had the second best defensive record in the Premier League and kept the most clean sheets. However, by the end of his reign, that stability had disappeared. In Mourinho's last 10 matches in charge, M.U have conceded 15 goals. That is the same story for Solskjaer, who has conceded 22 goals in his last 10 games.
What is worrying for Ten Hag is that Man United have conceded 18 goals in 10 matches in all competitions, the most at this stage since 1966, Injuries to key players like Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez can be seen as a mitigating factor, but the way Ten Hag organizes the defense still shows many problems.
Andre Onana, a £47.2 million signing from Inter Milan, is suffering a disastrous start to his career at Old Trafford. After playing poorly in the 3-4 loss to Bayern Munich, his crabs pass to Galatasaray sent Casemiro off. This is the third time the Brazilian midfielder has received a red card after only 61 matches for M.U.
Ten Hag felt he could not criticize the players harshly because there were concerns about the team's decline in spirit. Despite the limitations of the Financial Fairness Law, there have been suggestions that Ten Hag will promote the signing of a new centre-back in January. However, for now, Ten Hag must quickly stop Man United's decline.
With the pressure on Mourinho and Solskjaer, they could not turn the situation around and eventually had to pay the price with their own work. Man United still firmly believe that Ten Hag is the right person, but his fate will be decided by the result.
And as those who have gone before have seen, falling into disaster at Old Trafford is unstoppable...
