Two results changed the future of Ten Hag’s Man Utd, now time for a third

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A pivotal fixture awaits Manchester United this weekend. The outcome could set a direction for this Football Club.

Manchester United v Liverpool matches are special. Sure, the last one did not feel great from our perspective, a historic game for the wrong reasons, but there is nothing like the two biggest clubs in England going head to head.

This weekend’s match is the one Manchester United have been waiting for. Or dreading. But it’s time to embrace it.

Last season Manchester United was dealt a horrific defeat at Anfield, losing 7-0, the club’s worst-ever Premier League loss. It is a result the team simply have not recovered from.

7-0 changed Manchester United’s course

What made the match at Anfield such a shock result last season was that it came out of nowhere.

United had won the Carabao Cup a week earlier, beaten Barcelona in the Europa League, and looked to be flying. Liverpool meanwhile were having a difficult season and looked there for the taking.

At Anfield, United hit the wall. Fatigue struck the players, who were unable to recover from sucker punch goals right before and right after half-time. Liverpool were ravenous and ruthless.

The defeat sucked all the positively away from Manchester United. Honestly, it’s not been the same since.

The loss underlined concerns about the team’s worrying away for against top sides, which has still not been fixed.

United’s season ended with a whimper after that. The team meekly lost the FA Cup final 2-1 to City, and crashed out of the Europa League with a dispiriting away loss at Sevilla.

This season has been even more of a mess. Erik ten Hag has gone high-risk with his tactics, and United have lost games at an alarming rate.

Gone is the control of games that existed pre-Anfield, and certain players have lost the form they had going into the match. But it is not all doom and gloom.

2-1 win sparked Manchester United revival

If you want an optimistic view, imagine what a victory away at Liverpool could do for Manchester United this weekend.

Last season United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford, bouncing back from a 2-1 loss to Brighton and a shocking 4-0 defeat at Brentford.

This win over Jurgen Klopp’s side set Manchester United on a path for a very successful six months under Erik ten Hag which culminated in the Carabao Cup final win.

Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford scored Manchester United’s goals, and this early season win sent Liverpool in the opposite direction, where they finished below Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils in the league, despite their late season fightback.

It was a win which showed Manchester United’s players had bought into Erik ten Hag’s methods. It came after his infamous 13-kilometre run with the squad after the Brentford loss.

Manchester United need a bit of team spirit this weekend to stand a chance. If they don’t play as a team, it could be a disaster.

What happens next may decide Ten Hag future

A victory this weekend may seem improbable, but there is a huge motivation for the Red Devils to make up for last season’s total disaster.

A win won’t erase last season’s result from the history books, but for the players, for the manager, it will wipe the slate clean and let them start again.

Winning at Anfield would be the ultimate place to end the team’s woeful away record against top sides, with Ten Hag’s United failing to win on the road against any ‘top nine’ Premier League team.

A draw would seem like some kind of moral victory for United. Heck, even a 1-0 or 2-0 loss would seem like United have got off easy after last year, but we aspire for more than that.

There is a potentially dark way this plays out, however. Manchester United enter this game in a worse state than last season, with injuries, suspensions, and mental scars, and Liverpool will smell blood.

If United conceded early, this game could become a very long 90 minutes for the players, and the manager.

The media are baying for Erik ten Hag after a poor start to the season, and another disgraceful result could be the beginning of the end.

Just ask Jose Mourinho, who was fired after a 3-1 defeat at Anfield which took place exactly five years to the day this weekend’s fixture takes place.

The first two Manchester United v Liverpool matches had a profound effect on the direction of Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils side. This weekend could follow the same trend, the only question is which way.