Erik ten Hag looks more Van Gaal than Fergie despite FA Cup heroics
Manchester United’s slim hopes of a happy ending to a miserable season remain alive after their late, late win at Nottingham Forest. It was a game Erik ten Hag simply had to win. Could an FA Cup triumph keep him in a job? Or would it even matter to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co?
Before, during and after the game, much was made of United’s most famous win at the City Ground back in 1990. As you almost certainly know by now, Mark Robins’ goal saw United beat Brian Clough’s side in the third round and, as the story goes, kept Sir Alex Ferguson in a job.
Casemiro played the Robins role last night, his stooping header in the 89th minute proving the difference in a tie low on quality. The goal has been described elsewhere as a ‘bizarre fluke’ but that’s nonsense.
If the story repeats and United lift the famous trophy at Wembley in May, it will be a different scenario to 34 years ago, at least partly because of the diminished status of football’s oldest cup competition.
In the pre-top four era and, certainly in the pre-Premier League era, the FA Cup was on a near-level standing with the league title itself, such was the gravitas attached to it. The full-day TV coverage, the walk out at Wembley, climbing the stairs to lift the trophy.
It was also largely due to the fact that only the league champions entered the old European Cup, and only three teams qualified for Europe – second went into the UEFA Cup, while the FA Cup winners went into the lamentably-now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.
It is a world away from the current state of play, where up to eight, and even nine, teams could qualify for Europe next season. It isn’t really the ‘Champions League’ if anyone bar the league winners can enter, let alone a fifth-placed side.
The former status of the trophy kept Fergie in a job in spite of a 13th-placed finish in Division One. To add to the wholly harrowing nature of United’s league campaign, Liverpool won the title (their 18th and last for 30 years) and United suffered the ignominy of a 5-1 loss at Manchester City.
It sounds slightly familiar, as does the goal difference in the respective seasons: -1 in 1989-90 has been ‘bettered’ by a neutral 0 in the current campaign.
Of course, that 1990 FA Cup win would be the launchpad for the greatest era of success in United’s history, but just as when some said David Moyes should get time because Fergie, not every manager or situation should be compared to arguably the greatest of all time.
A comparison with Louis van Gaal feels more appropriate, with the similarities between him and Ten Hag numerous, and that’s after we get the fact that they are both Dutch out of the way.
Like Van Gaal, who came fourth in the first post-Moyes season, Ten Hag enjoyed a strong debut campaign, with a third-placed finish, two cup finals and a first trophy in six years for the club.
Both managers then stumbled in their second seasons after some questionable transfers, with United’s haphazard policies apparent in both cases – Anthony Martial was bought by Van Gaal and will be waved goodbye by Ten Hag, which is a testament to that and other issues.
Champions League group exits came in each season, with Van Gaal, at least, coming third, although the memories of bringing on Nick Powell to rescue a result in Wolfsburg will live long in the memory of United fans.
READ: New leader as Man Utd Champions League campaigns post-Fergie ranked for wretchedness
Van Gaal’s football was far, far less entertaining than his press conferences, with United regularly failing to score and, when they did, it would come late on – they failed to score in the opening half of over 20 games in the 2015/16 season.
A similar barb could be thrown at Ten Hag. United might play like a basketball side, with end-to-end football and a ‘Donut’ formation in midfield, but they do not score anywhere near enough goals. Rasmus Hojlund’s hot streak papered over some of those cracks, and his injury has exposed a lack of cutting edge once again.
Both former Ajax gaffers appeared in big trouble at the turn of the year in their second seasons but survived – Van Gaal because the Glazers only cared for top four and that was still achievable, Ten Hag due to the takeover impasse, which has now been resolved.
That resolution has put him under the spotlight with the next few months being a second audition for his job. He will not be simply trying to keep his job; he will need to earn it.
Van Gaal found some respite in the FA Cup, as well as by blooding youngsters (again, it sounds a bit familiar), but it mattered little when he missed out on Champions League qualification.
Winning the famous trophy, and one with whom United have a storied history, could not compensate for the money lost by coming fifth. Van Gaal was unceremoniously and disgracefully dumped almost as soon as he lifted the Cup, with social media leaks and briefs aplenty by the time he climbed down the stairs.
One would hope Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team would not stoop to such lows, but like in 2016, an FA Cup triumph on its own is unlikely to see the Dutch manager remain in situ.
In his opening interview post-minority share confirmation, the INEOS chief talked about wanting to return United to their former glory, knocking certain teams off perches and only looking for “10 out of 10s” in every department.
It didn’t sound like a man content with scraping by, which is what United have been – at a maximum – doing this season.
To avoid the increasingly likely fate of his countryman nine years ago, Ten Hag will not only need to lead United to, at least, a Cup final, he will need to secure Champions League football with a top-five finish (yes, it sounds ridiculous).
Most importantly, though, he has to show he is the man to take the club forward with far better performances on the pitch – let’s hope he saw the facts in Jamie Carragher’s analysis, and was looking to instil a siege mentality, as opposed to being fully blind to what is front of him.
As luck would have it, he has Manchester City this Sunday in the league and Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals in two weeks’ time.
A decision on his future might have already been made, but what better way for Ten Hag to state his case than by beating (or least properly competing with) the sides Ratcliffe wants to topple in the coming years?