Manchester United’s next three games resemble that of a team embarking on a nervy Championship promotion run-in.
They will play Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final on April 21 before hosting Burnley and Sheffield United at Old Trafford the following week.
Picture this future: the final whistle has been blown against Burnley on April 27, United have just won their third match in a row and are looking forward to an FA Cup final, quite possibly a repeat of last year’s game between United and Manchester City.
There may even be a sniff of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Optimism will fill the Manchester air and even Erik ten Hag may be tempted to break into a smile.
Erik ten Hag, delighted with what he can see on the pitch (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Even though they are dysfunctional on the pitch and have multiple injuries to key players, the next three matches may bring false hope; United may even win back-to-back league games for the first time since February. Stranger things have happened.
But that shouldn’t be enough to change the narrative of what has been a season littered with low moments, silly mistakes, and the odd implosion.
After their 2-2 away to Bournemouth on Saturday, Ten Hag was asked about the possibility of United finishing below seventh this season, which would be their lowest-ever finish in the Premier League. He responded by walking out and saying he does not need to respond to such a question.
Context is important, and the club’s director of media relations and public affairs had signalled that no further questions could be asked, but the Dutchman, who had been sat down for just over five minutes, started listening to one, weighed up a response and headed back towards the relative comfort of the away dressing room.
It may be a stretch too far to say it was indicative of a manager under pressure, but that is what it looked like — and it is worth remembering that moment if everything is looking rosy again in a couple of weeks.
It would be too easy to forget it would be the same team that has won only one of their last seven Premier League games and conceded 17.9 shots per Premier League match this season, which is more than any other side. Sheffield United have allowed 17.8 shots per match, while Manchester City have the best record of 8.0.
This United team has experienced several false dawns this season, most recently at home to Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final, which saw Amad Diallo net a winner at the end of extra time.
That was the moment many hoped would spur the club on to string together Premier League wins and qualify for the Champions League. But they followed it by throwing away the lead against Brentford and conceding two stoppage-time goals to lose 4-3 away to Chelsea.
Those results served as a reminder of where this injury-ravaged United team has been for large parts of the season; close, but not near enough. It was the same story at Bournemouth, where they were outplayed for large parts of the match and were lucky to escape with a point.
And that is what needs to be remembered if there is to be another false dawn before this season ends.
Casemiro, who has failed to replicate the levels he reached last season, was compared by Jamie Redknapp to a player in Soccer Aid, an annual charity match, citing how far off the pace he has been. That is a damning indictment that won’t easily be forgotten.
“It looks like he’s in Soccer Aid”
Jamie Redknapp’s honest opinion on Casemiro 😬 pic.twitter.com/tSw1by3uIq
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 13, 2024
What also needs to be remembered from the south coast is the second goal they conceded: Justin Kluivert was given the time and space to wander into the penalty area off the left, pick his spot, and strike it past Andre Onana. Alejandro Garnacho and Diogo Dalot were nowhere to be seen.
Justin Kluivert restores Bournemouth’s lead! 🍒 pic.twitter.com/S6ycQEGhgv
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 13, 2024
Just like it needs to be remembered that their impressive draw against Liverpool saw them concede 15 shots in the first half alone. On another day, how many of those do this season’s title contenders convert?
Or the capitulation in the final seconds against Chelsea earlier this month, where they had already conceded in injury time to make the game 3-3 before failing to close the game out and leave with a point, instead choosing chaos and paying the price.
There was also the low moment of being dumped out of the Champions League, finishing bottom of a group that contained Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Copenhagen.
Ten Hag will understandably point to injuries as the reason for this season’s struggles, and it is a justifiable argument. “We know our demand, but that tells the story,” Ten Hag said on Saturday.
But there are so many low moments that cannot be forgotten should the narrative change again over the next three matches. They have brought false hope to their fans countless times this season and, even if the mood turns from negative to positive before May, will it really be any different?
(Top photo: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Read the full article here