After an unprecedented season, Manchester United finished third in the Premier League. Erik Ten Hag’s team lifted the EFL Cup in February with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United. They lost the FA Cup final and crashed out of the Europa League in the quarter-finals against Sevilla.
With that being said, we have to ask whether it was a good season for The Red Devils, or did they underachieve?
Last Season
We can judge a team based on their last season and last season wasn’t good for Manchester United. It was statistically their worst Premier League season, amassing just 58 points. With 16 wins, 10 draws and 12 losses and a goal difference at a pathetic, 0, United were glad to see the end of the 2021/2022 season.
Not only did they have a disappointing points total, but their football wasn’t attractive to watch which was arguably why they got rid of manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
April 21st last season marked the date that Erik Ten Hag would be announced as the next Manchester United manager, filling fans with confidence and hope that better times were to come.
Transfers
Hindsight is 20/20, however, there were three key signings that transformed the way that Manchester United played and performed. Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez, Real Madrid’s Casemiro and Brentford's Christian Eriksen all were vital assets to the team in positions where United were in desperate need of refreshments.
Casemiro in particular has allowed United to play with far more freedom this season and he’s an out-and-out, reliable, proven defensive midfielder who can happily take the ball off the defenders and play a forward pass. He shields the defence and when Manchester United have been without him this season, there is a clear drop off in form.
Tyrell Malacia and Antony both also came in in the summer, however, they haven’t made the impact that the other three signings have. Malacia is a solid, reliable backup to Luke Shaw at left back and, although he regularly starts and is one of the preferred options on the wing, Antony hasn’t quite lived up to his price tag. It’s too early to regard him a ‘flop’, however, his impact hasn’t been what many thought that it could be when he signed for the club.
The loan signings of reserve goalkeepers Martin Dubravka and Jack Butland have had little to no impact. Ultimately, it’s disappointing that #1 keeper, David de Gea, hasn’t had any competition all season regardless of form. He knows that he will start and play every game as there hasn't been a single keeper that can challenge his place.
Wout Weghourst came in as a necessity after the Cristiano Ronald debacle, however, it has to be concluded that it simply didn’t work. He isn’t at the level required and didn’t suit the style of play that Ten Hag wanted to play. It was clear early on that, although no one could ever question Weghourst’s effort levels, he was far from what United needed.
After injuries to Donny Van de Beek and Eriksen and a drop in form from Fred and Scott McTominay, Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer was bought in on loan in January. The loan offered something different for United, a player that could play in multiple positions and provide something different to Eriksen and Fred, however, it’s unclear if he provided the impact Ten Hag hoped that he would.
Overall, we can mark United's 2022/2023 transfers at a 6/10. Decent, necessary but far from the high level that is required.
Cup Competitions
If United fans were offered a EFL Cup victory, a Europa League quarter-final, an FA Cup final and a third-place finish in the league, most would have taken it, especially after a disappointing season last year. However, when the competitions themselves are broken down in more detail, fans have to be slightly disappointed. The EFL Cup is a success, there’s no question about it. Similarly, getting to the FA Cup final is a success, however, their performance in the FA Cup final was massively disappointing.
Capturing the EFL Cup was massive for United. It's the first time they won silverware since 2017. They were lucky that they were drawn at home three times, however, they still had to win those games and did so with ease.
Late-season form wasn’t great for United in the league, especially after a run of form that included just two losses in 17 games, many expected better. Then came the Liverpool game at Anfield. A 7-0 embarrassment saw United suffer a horrendous result. Back-to-back losses to Brighton and West Ham later on in the season put pressure on the team, however, they still finished third. Finishing in the top four was always the aim for Ten Hag's reds and they achieved that.
The Europa League campaign was up and down for United. Being in the competition was a disappointment for a team that has such a rich history with the Champions League, however, kicking off the 2022/2023 campaign in the Europa League saw United lose their opening game at home to Real Sociedad. They then went undefeated, winning all their remaining group games, however, finished second in the group on goal difference.
This mean that they had to play a team that was eliminated from the Champions League. This came in the form of former foes, Barcelona. After finishing third in their group, Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League and clashed with United for a place in the round of 16.
The first leg saw the teams draw 2-2 in a highly competitive game, however, the second leg saw United run out 2-1 winners at Old Trafford. It’s worth noting that Barcelona ran away with La Liga this year, only losing six league games all season. Next came a relatively easy fixture against Real Betis. United won the home leg 4-1 with goals from Rashford, Antony, Fernandes and Weghorst and overcame Betis away with a 1-0 victory.
They were let again drawn against a Spanish team, this time old rivals Sevilla. The first leg began and within the first 21 minutes, United were cruising. 2-0 up with both goals coming from loanee Sabitzer, they were seemingly on auto-pilot and would be entering the second leg with a convincing lead. Unfortunately for Ten Hag’s side, they capitulated in the second half, conceding two own goals on their way to a 2-2 draw. The second leg was one to forget for sure in Seville. United were battered 3-0 and crashed out of the competition with a 5-2 aggregate loss.
Pre-Season Expectations vs. End-of-Season Eventualities
Following United’s worst-ever Premier League season, the expectations weren’t exactly lofty for the Red Devils. Fans wanted a better, more attractive style of attacking football. A more structured transfer plan, which had somewhat been lost under previous managers and wanted to, at very least finish in the top four and therefore qualify for next season’s Champions League. As far as cup competitions were concerned, United just had to be competitive.
Ten Hag’s style of football focuses on possession, plenty of shots and a high defensive line. Fluid football is a must under the Dutchman and it was a necessity that United at least showed some shift towards this style.
There has undoubtedly been a shift. Granted, playing a higher line is more straight forwards when Ten Hag has two players with pace to play that style. Martinez and Varane allow the team to play higher up the pitch and the introduction of Casemiro has given the wing-backs more freedom to roam forwards and not worry about working back as he can do the defensive work necessary. Casemiro is also willing to take the ball off the centre-backs and force the team further up the pitch.
They play more attacking under Ten Hag, however, do often rely on quick, wide players to hit the opposition on the break after soaking up pressure. The manager would, without a doubt prefer to concede far fewer goals. In the league, United let in 43 goals, far too many for a team who have future league title aspirations. For context, Manchester City conceded 10 fewer goals in the league. Despite this, David de Gea won the golden glove, keeping 17 clean sheets across the season.
The biggest issue thus far under Ten Hag has been the number of goals scored. The team only notched 58 goals in the Premier League this season, one more than last season. Injuries to Antony Martial and Cristiano Ronaldo famously leaving mid-season saw the goal threat dry up considerably. Although Ronaldo had only scored a single league goal this season for United, he still offered a big threat. Likewise with Martial, prior to January, he’d only recorded three goals, not exactly the threat he potentially could be.
Wout Weghorst came in as a January loanee after a reasonable World Cup campaign with the Netherlands, however, he was and still is, simply too slow for the Premier League and the way United want to play. He was unable to make any impact when wearing a United shirt and the biggest headline he grabbed was when he touched the famous ‘This is Anfield’ sign when United played away at Liverpool.
If Marcus Rashford hadn’t hit 30 season goals, United would have been in deep trouble as their next highest scorer was Bruno Fernandes, who put the ball in the back of the net 14 times.
Looking Ahead
It’s hard to deny that Ten Hag is building something. There’s a clear style of play that the Dutchman wants the team to adhere to and he appears relentless in the pursuit of achieving this. He’s dropped regulars from last season in Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay and Fred, straying away from giving multiple youth players a chance, preferring to only use a select few players from the youth system in his teams, the standout being Alejandro Garnacho.
We expect multiple players to be released this summer due to being surplus to requirements for Ten Hag. The difficult thing is for Ten Hag is that he, along with the rest of the United playing staff don’t know who is going to own the club next season. This is having a massive impact on the transfer window as they don’t know how much money there is to spend. Regardless of how much is available, we know a few things for sure.
United are looking for an out-and-out striker. Martial is too unreliable to be the key striker next season. Rashford’s best position is out on the left wing and using him up from isn’t getting the best from him. Harry Kane will likely be the #1 target for United, but it could be expensive. Daniel Levy is difficult to deal with and will be looking to get the most out of the deal as possible. Other interests include Victor Oshimen, Rasmus Hojlund and Randal Kolo Muani.
A centre midfielder is also needed as Christian Eriksen had a bad second half to the season. Mason Mount appears to be on his way to Old Trafford which would work, however, United are also in need of a back-up for Casemiro. A young defensive midfielder would make sense, to work alongside the Brazillian and be positioned to take over from him when he leaves the club. It doesn’t seem like United are looking at younger options in the middle of the park, however. Expect Frankie de Jong to still be on Ten Hag’s wishlist, alongside Declan Rice and potentially Adrien Rabiot. More logical options include Fulham’s Joao Palhinha or Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.
A goalkeeper is vital for United, however, it’s the question of whether United look to sign a #1 goalkeeper to replace David de Gea or a second choice to work under the Spaniard ahead of his inevitable departure within a few years. First-choice goalkeeper options include Diogo Costa or Yann Sommer. Younger profile goalkeepers could be names such as Girogi Mamardashvili or Bart Verbruggen, however, as of yet, we are unsure as to whether de Gea will renew his contract at Old Trafford. After Andre Onana's performance in the Champions League final, United should go all out in their pursuit of bringing him in. He's worked under Ten Hag before at Ajax and plays the way the Dutchman wants his goalkeepers to. This is highly unlikely, however.
If the right owners come in, United could have a great next season and work towards regaining their forgotten form in both league and European competitions. Let's see how the sale plays out. We can, however, conclude that it was a good season for Manchester United. Top four, a cup win, a cup final and a quarter final can't be ignored.
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