Erik ten Hag has steered Manchester United to their worst-ever points tally after seven games, beating a record set all the way back in… last season under him.
The patience is wearing thin among fans and with no injury nightmare at Man Utd like 2023/24 as a mitigating factor, Erik ten Hag is running out of time to turn things around.
With Brentford at home up next after the international break, he will be matched up against Jose Mourinho in more ways than one.
A win against Brentford would see Manchester United go to 11 points after eight games and it would be a welcome result.
However, context is important and so cleverly have the expectations of the fans been managed that it would still be shown up by Mourinho’s record-setting pace set nearly a decade ago.
Jose Mourinho’s record-setting 2017/18 at Man Utd
If “Third Season Mourinho” invites chaos, crash, and burn, then the “Second Season Mourinho” is the best version of the Portuguese.
It is when he has had time to shape the team in his image, get the siege mentality going, and tighten up the loose ends in defence.
That is what Man Utd fans were witness to in the 2017/18 season when the team raced out of the blocks and had the fans dreaming of a first title challenge post-Sir Alex Ferguson.
They started the season with a statement 4-0 win vs West Ham United and new signing Romelu Lukaku was off the mark on his debut.
It was followed up by another 4-0 win at Swansea City and the Mourinho Machine was on song. After eight games, United were on 20 points, their eighth game being a 0-0 draw at Liverpool on this day (October 14) in 2017.
That tally remains United’s best-ever after eight games, equalled only in 2011/12 and 1999/00. Of course, United would go on to lose their ninth game, away at Huddersfield to puncture their title charge but a second-place finish has since only been matched by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Jose Mourinho vs Erik ten Hag at Man Utd
For all the talk of Ten Hag’s “process” and “long-term project”, it is interesting to see that the Dutchman uses the same crutch to defend his tenure as Mourinho did.
The Portuguese won two trophies in his debut season (he would argue three, counting the Community Shield), and Ten Hag has won two in two seasons.
However, taking a step back, it is clear to see that Mourinho could never build upon the foundation and he was also let down by the board, although Ten Hag would, however, disagree with Jose.
Unlike Ten Hag, he chose to embrace the chaos and left United in a state of scorched earth, the pieces of which were picked up by Solskjaer.
Ten Hag has spoken about his Manchester United future and has taken a more long-term view of things. He’s urged patience as a young team builds towards competing but has failed to provide signs of something actually being built.
Under Mourinho, United eventually crashed and burned but the playing style was clear, as divisive as it was, and the club knew what they were getting with him.
Under Ten Hag, United still don’t have a clear philosophy and the man they thought they were hiring, who performed miracles at Ajax with an exhilarating brand of football, has disappeared.
Comparing Mourinho at his best in 2017/18 to Ten Hag in 24/25 is pertinent for that same reason. The Dutchman is being beaten by the man who was considered to be his antithesis. That’s worrying.
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