On the Ineos compass on display at the company’s Knightsbridge headquarters, about 80 degrees west of “don’t do nonsense”, there’s another thing Sir Jim Ratcliffe doesn’t like which could well apply to Manchester United and boss Erik ten Hag: making the same mistake twice.
Anyone who witnessed United’s stoppage-time capitulations at both Brentford and Chelsea over the past week would recognize the familiar failings of Ten Hag’s team.
At the Gtech Community Stadium last Saturday night, they led in the 99th minute and tied. Five miles later at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, United were 3-2 up in the 100th minute and lost 4-3.
Instead of six points, they got one. For a team looking to catch up in the race for the Champions League places and a manager whose job prospects may well depend on qualifying for Europe’s elite competition, making the same mistake twice could have serious consequences.
Only it’s more than double. Much more. This season has produced a catalog of errors, from the crazy Champions League draws against Galatasaray, Bayern Munich and Copenhagen to the kind of Premier League madness we witnessed in west London last week. Great for neutrals, not so much for United fans.
Manchester United wanted peace of mind this season but it has been chaos for Erik ten Hag’s team
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is unlikely to be impressed by the way United have dropped points after leading.
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How naïve we were to think the drama had peaked in that FA Cup tie three weeks ago, when Amad Diallo’s 121st-minute goal snatched a 4-3 victory over Liverpool in a superb quarter-final. final at Old Trafford.
When Jurgen Klopp’s side return tomorrow looking to take another step towards winning the Premier League title, the mood at United couldn’t be more different.
The form of defeat against Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea must have set Ten Hag back five years to a heartbreaking Champions League semi-final defeat when the two men were in charge of Ajax and Tottenham.
As he surveyed the rubble of his team’s collapse at Stamford Bridge, Ten Hag expressed hope that his players could use their pain as a positive against Liverpool.
“We’ll be angry and angry, and that can take away a lot of energy, and that’s the way we have to do it,” he said. ‘First, I have to deal with this (Chelsea), but we can’t deal with this for that long. We have to recover quickly. We have to change this to be in a good mood and look forward.”
What is unfathomable about Ten Hag’s second season at Old Trafford is that he was destined to bring method to United, not madness. In that sense, he seems to be a perfect fit for Ineos and, who knows, maybe he still is.
Rigor is another of Ratcliffe’s favorite words, which, according to the dictionary, means doing things strictly and thoroughly. When Ten Hag met with United executives for his job interview in Amsterdam two years ago, they were impressed by his attention to detail and the wealth of data he brought with him.
The Dutchman is a student of the game and constantly talks about his players sticking to a process.
United’s capitulation to Chelsea was the latest example of the team’s inconsistency
Ten Hag says United have to win their remaining eight games to be in the top four
However, as the man ultimately responsible for performances and results, he has been doing a passable impersonation of Captain Chaos these past few weeks.
It took him to Wembley again and an FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City. Winning the Cup in 2016 was not enough to save Louis van Gaal, but he could give Ten Hag more time.
However, Champions League qualification has been used as a criterion for United’s managers before, and will again be a key factor. Ten Hag acknowledged that it will be very difficult after being 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, with one game less, and nine behind Tottenham, fifth, with a much lower goal difference than their two rivals.
Asked if United now need to win their remaining eight league games, he said: “I think so, yes.”
‘This week, in added time, we lost five points. It is very expensive. Points are becoming more expensive because the games are ending.
‘(Chelsea and Brentford) were an example of how to play a great game and get three points. We have to step forward and make better decisions.
‘We have to make up ground and now we are many points behind, so it will be difficult.
But we will continue fighting and I am sure that our team has character. “They are resilient and I am sure they will be there on Sunday to fight against Liverpool.”
United looking to make big off-field moves, including Jason Wilcox as manager
Ten Hag is focused on his job despite off-field uncertainty and on-field drama.
The feeling at United is that nothing is defined regarding Ten Hag’s future. He is still involved with Ineos in planning for the summer and next season, and there will certainly be no knee-jerk reaction to the events of last week.
There is an understanding that winning the FA Cup and finishing strong would be a very different scenario to losing to Coventry and going down in the remaining league games.
Then there is the matter of identifying potential successors, with United’s new leadership group unlikely to be in place until this summer at the earliest, following moves to appoint Omar Berrada as chief executive, Dan Ashworth as director of football and Jason Wilcox as technical director.
Amid the uncertainty off the field and the incessant drama on it, Ten Hag must continue to bid for a third season in charge. The 54-year-old is convinced he will be given that opportunity.
“I have no doubt,” he said. ‘I’m just concentrating on my work, focusing on this process, on this project. I really love it here, I’m enjoying it. It is a challenge.
“The results will not always be what we want, but I am confident that we are heading in the right direction and we will get to where we want to be.”