Manchester United fans would have thought they were watching the latest horror movie under Erik Ten Hag after a dismal start to the season, a loss at Old Trafford to Brighton Albion on opening day in the Premier League, and a disgraceful scoreline to Brentford the following week.
The fans' horror and emotional pain could be read on the face of the new Manchester United manager, who is often spotted on the sidelines in deep thought with his hand over his mouth or arms folded while shaking his head each time his players conceded another goal to cap a very poor team performance. The players were at their worst.
It appears the 40-mile run the following day as punishment for the weekend disgrace in London was too embarrassing for the Red Devils players, who responded with an emphatic 2-1 win over Liverpool in their next Premier League game to start off the beginning of something new under Erik Ten Hag.
Although they haven't completely mastered the "Ten Hag's Ball," as it is called, they have continuously shown how much progress they are making under the Dutch tactician.
Manchester United's fans will have Tottenham Hotspur's chair Daniel Levy to thank for his hasty decision of rejecting Erik Ten Hag after his audition for the post of Spurs manager due to his lack of English. Well, currently, it seems language isn't a major ingredient in the preparation and delivery of a smooth transitional football style. Daniel Levy's most preferred candidate, Nuno Santo got sacked five months later.
While Manchester United fans were forced to choose between ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain coaches Mauricio Pochettino and Erik Ten Hag, a larger section wanted the Argentine at Old Trafford as a permanent manager, citing his experience with the Premier League, his work at Tottenham Hotspur, and his authority as major reasons. However, Manchester United's board still had the likes of Brendan Rodgers on their wishlist.
Ten months into Erik Ten Hag's appointment as manager at the helm of affairs at Old Trafford, the team's fans have already envisioned what the future could be like under the former Ajax boss.
He has already proven he has tactical nous and knows the right time to tweak his formations to get results from games on several occasions; he did it against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, against Leeds United, and made life tough for at least 60 minutes during his side's encounter with Barcelona in the Europa League. He did it again on Sunday as the Red Devils eventually cruised past Leicester City.
He showed he is connected to his players with how he handled Jadon Sancho's case. It takes a manager with no fear and the ability to read a player to make such a wonderful decision about the England international, which is slowly paying off for the manager, the fans, and the player.
His brilliance when it comes to transfer targets has also been splendid for the Red Devils who have wasted so much on transfers over the last 9 years but hasn't gotten the desirable results. Erik Ten Hag spent £200 million during his first transfer window as manager at Old Trafford, and we can all agree these signings aren't just some average player with a transfer agent looking to milk and take advantage of the Red Devils. The majority of his signings have been very influential in the team's progress.
The manager has drilled a different mentality into his team, and it shows in the level of resilience they portray on the pitch.
Erik Ten Hag's ability to stamp his authority on the team was doubted; even Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly chose Mauricio Pochettino over him in that aspect.
However, it takes a lot of aura to take off your most informed and one of your regular players from the team's starting lineup as punishment for breaking team rules; well, Erik Ten Hag was also guilty of the same thing weeks later...but not because he overslept.
MEN wrote in their column last week that appointing Erik Ten Hag as manager was the best decision Manchester United has made in the last ten years, and if his side lifts the Carabao Cup this weekend, there is no debating that notion.
Erik Ten Hag has the team brewing with confidence, and he has the fans already behind the players and anticipating another win with each match that comes by. You should have seen fans' reactions across the internet after the team's disappointing draw at Crystal Palace last month; a fan stated it felt like a loss.
Even if Erik Ten Hag's side fails to land a trophy at the end of the season, which is reasonably doubtful given the team's spirit, the role that he has played and how the Dutch tactician has handled the team's affairs since he was appointed prove that he is like a chef who knows just the right ingredients for a dish, which makes him a complete cook.
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