Who would think Manchester United would be dreaming about a possible quandriple at the start of the season, but now it's about attempting to make it a reality. For a club that has played their worst type of football and gotten the worse results under manager, the Red Devils weren't just a team you can bank on.
But then Erik Ten Hag happened. The Dutch manager came in and didn't just start getting results on the pitch; he started off by fixing the team off the pitch. Team unity, a new mentality, how things should be done on the playing field, his connection being the staff, e.t.c., the biggest surprise is how quickly the 53-year-old was able to get his demands across and how they were assimilated by the club.
Earlier at the start of the season, videos emerged from Manchester United's training ground as he was setting players through their paces and making them go through passing drills. He added a few new faces to the squad, which has helped boost the team's confidence.
Already hinting he would want to stay for a long time at Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag appears to have finally arrived at the club where he would want to build his legacy as a manager.
He might have started that with the best foundation laid down by breaking the club's trophy jinx. Six years without a trophy is no longer the topic at Carrington Training Center; you can bet it's about how to covet the Europa League and the FA Cup. Erik Ten Hag has already stated that the Premier League winner will be decided in April.
It shows how much has given the club and the fans to dream about, they have direction and purpose and everyone knows their role on the pitch, meanwhile, Erik Ten Hag is also flexing his tactical tweaks on the sidelines to get the best out of his players.
Wout Weghorst hasn't been able to perform in the role he was recruited for by the club but has however given the manager another option on the pitch and Erik Ten Hag has utilized him perfectly. He is frustrated with not scoring, but Man United fans have come to accept the fact that he allows others to shine around him.
That verifies former Utrecht player Bart Vriend's comments about the 53-year-old's ability to change his tactical formation to adapt to his players' styles rather than enforcing his own philosophy blindly. Vriends played under the Dutch tactician back then at Utrecht and could attest to the progress made while he was in charge of the Eredivisie side.
"I think he just adapts to the players that he has," Vriends told Sky Sports in an interview.
"We had wingers on the sides and played an attacking, dominant, passing game." At Utrecht, he changed formation to suit the players that he had. "He did not really stick to this Dutch style of football."
Erik Ten Hag's knack for finding young talents has been on display at Old Trafford; he is slowly bringing Kobbie Mainoo into the first team, and his gestures towards the 17-year-old at full time after they clinched the Carabao Cup at Wembley on Sunday speak volumes. Manchester United are known to have a passion for harnessing and developing young potential prospects into future talents, and Erik Ten Hag is just the man who would handle this affair better. He is already doing wonders with Alejandro Gernacho.
The way Erik Ten Hag handled Jadon Sancho's situation this season is also a proof of how he is ready to back his players and get them at their very best. Statistics show Jadon Sancho is currently enjoying his best goalscoring form under the Dutch manager since his arrival at Old Trafford, but it required the sacrifice of sending the England international away from the team for some months.
Everything wasn't really making sense before the World Cup break, but fans appear to vividly grasp the direction in which Erik Ten Hag is taking the club as the stats appear to demand serious attention. A 72% winning rate is the highest by any club across Europe this season, while Old Trafford is beginning to become the Theatre of Nightmares for opponents. They have lost just twice in the whole of this season at Old Trafford and are yet to lose in their last 18 home games.
An Open letter sent to the fans on Monday after the Carabao Cup's success is also a proof of how much he wants to succeed at the club and what plans he has in store.
Nine months and forty games later, Man United are talking about adding more silverware to their trophy cabinet, and Erik Ten Hag has his vision of what he wants for the club and the fans. Ending the club's six-year trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup is the most solid foundation he can lay for whatever he wants to build.
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