![]() They were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League once again and didn’t get very far in either the FA Cup or Carabao Cup, ending the season without a trophy. One league victory in their last seven games condemned United to another season of mediocrity, despite sitting on the cusp of a title after 28 games. Ten Hag was left to rely heavily on impactful contributions from the players we see at United today, and as such the club’s form tailed off in their pursuit of the title. Outside of Sabitzer, who performed well after his arrival in the January window, and Sandro, who was serviceable, the rest failed to shine. Wan-Bissaka was sold to RB Leipzig for a fee of £12.5 million as Ten Hag went all-in on Dalot. So how did United end up in third and some 13 points off the eventual Premier League champions when all was said and done?ĭespite spending more than £100 million on Alex Sandro (£20.5 million), Kingsley Coman (£52 million), Marcel Sabitzer (£34.5 million) and Yusuf Demir (£12.5 million), as well as adding Paulo Dybala and Ivan Perisic on free transfers, the team’s new recruits failed to make a major impression. Just two points separated the two Manchester rivals. Seven games later, Ten Hag’s team were neck and neck with City. With things appearing to be heading in the right direction, how would United progress in season two?Īfter 21 games, Manchester United were top of the league and had eyes on winning their first league title in over a decade. ![]() A problem area for the club was at left-back, where Luke Shaw was serviceable but Alex Telles failed to impress. Jesse Lingard was sold in January, Paul Pogba signed a new contract, Hannibal featured in 39 games in all competitions and Diogo Dalot was relied upon as the club’s first-choice right-back after Aaron Wan-Bissaka picked up a season-ending leg break in October. A 6-4 aggregate victory against Barcelona was offset somewhat by a 6-2 defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals but, all-in-all, it was a decent season.īruno Fernandes was the biggest beneficiary of Ten Hag’s arrival, registering 20 goals and 20 assists in 55 games, with Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the 25-goal mark and Jadon Sancho producing a respectable return of 26 goal involvements across 49 games in all competitions. They also won the Carabao Cup, beating Chelsea on penalties in the final, but crashed out of the FA Cup in the third round against Watford. They had the league’s fourth-best defensive record and registered the fourth-highest number of goals. But his United could also use some more potency up front. Ten Hag stuck with a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout this FM season and established his side as a tough one to beat. They finished second in 2020-21 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but were 12 points behind City and never really posed a genuine title threat. That six-point gap represents the best title pursuit the club has seen since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013. United finished the season in third, six points off eventual winners Manchester City. And in the first season of this simulation on FM22, that’s exactly what he did. If he can build a side that looks like it is heading in the right direction, that might constitute a successful maiden campaign. Both managers are widely regarded as two of the best in world football, despite two contrasting debuts in the English top flight.Įxpectations for Ten Hag at United should be viewed through a pragmatic lens. ![]() With the help of Football Manager, we’ve attempted to answer those questions by simulating three seasons - the length of his contract at United - to bring you the answers…Īntonio Conte won the Premier League at the first time of asking with Chelsea in 2017, while Jurgen Klopp finished eighth during his first season in charge of Liverpool in 2016. ![]()
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