Anfield hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Man Utd in recent years, and another heavy loss there could prove the final straw for fans who are – for now – still showing Erik ten Hag patience. There are quite a few reasons Manchester United fans could cite to justify turning on Erik ten Hag.
After a defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday that sent United out of Europe, without even the consolation of the Europa League, the list of damning statistics is striking. Only three teams in Europe’s top five leagues have lost more games in all competitions this season than United (12), and only one side in the Premier League – relegation-threatened Burnley.
Those 12 defeats mean United have already, inside 24 games in 2023-24, matched their total losses from 62 games in 2022-23 . They have finished bottom of their Champions League group for just the second time, previously doing so in 2005-06. Having also lost to Galatasaray this year, 2023-24 is just the second time that United have lost two home games in the Champions League group stage, previously doing so back in 1996-97, when they lost to Fenerbahçe and Juventus.
United conceded 15 goals in their six group stage games – the most ever by a Premier League side in a single group stage in the Champions League. Their total of 0.25 expected goals against Bayern was the fourth-lowest by any team in a Champions League game so far this season, and the lowest by a distance among home teams (ahead of Young Boys’ 0.47 vs Manchester City).
Their five total shots was the second-lowest by any team playing at home (ahead of RB Leipzig’s three vs Manchester City), and their one shot from inside the penalty area was the fourth-fewest by any team this season, and the joint-fewest by a team at home (also alongside Leipzig vs City). Man Utd 0-1 Bayern Munich statsIt’s no secret that United have fallen a long way since the Alex Ferguson years, but it was still stark just how little trouble the hosts caused Bayern, even if Thomas Tuchel’s team are patently the far better team and came into the game as huge favourites. United were the ones who needed something from the game, but in truth, never looked like scoring. And yet, the Old Trafford fanbase still haven’t really turned on their under-fire manager.
Despite United crashing out of Europe in miserable fashion and showing little sign that their league performances will improve enough for them to qualify for next season’s Champions League or win the FA Cup – the only competition they retain a chance of winning – the fans are not blaming Ten Hag. Those in charge of the club and underperforming individuals are attracting far more of the fans’ wrath than the Dutchman.
That in itself will have helped Ten Hag’s cause significantly; it may be why Old Trafford hasn’t yet become as toxic a place as it had under previous managers, something that would only harm the players’ hopes of turning a corner. The most bizarre aspect about Ten Hag’s situation is that he won the Premier League Manager of the Month award for November after three wins from three without conceding a single goal. Before Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, United had won six of their last eight Premier League games – only failing to beat City at home and Newcastle away – to haul themselves back into contention for Champions League qualification. Before the weekend, they were level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham and, remarkably, only three points off City.
But nobody would have called their recent run of form convincing, not least because interspersed in that run were the results that ripped their Champions League hopes apart and an insipid 3-0 defeat in the EFL Cup at home to Newcastle’s second string. There was also the fact that the run of positive results included single-goal victories over Premier League strugglers Sheffield United and Luton, the latest comeback victory in their Premier League history against Brentford, and a stuttering performance before a last-gasp Bruno Fernandes winner over Fulham.
These circumstances are why United’s season – and Ten Hag’s position – feels so precarious. Even when they were on an award-winning run of form, they were still only a few games away from the brink of a full-blown crisis. The general consensus is that Ten Hag is safe for the time being, in part because of the ownership situation and the fact that they currently have an interim CEO in Patrick Stewart, who will not want to make a huge decision like changing manager only a month into his temporary job. But this weekend, Ten Hag faces arguably the worst possible opponent.
United travel to Anfield to face a Liverpool side who are top of the league and gunning for the title. Liverpool have a perfect record at home in the Premier League this season, with seven wins from seven, 21 goals scored and only five conceded. United have a decent away record, with four wins from seven, but they have lost all three of their games away to teams that finished in last season’s top nine.
Going back further, they have failed to win any of their last 13 Premier League away games against teams starting the day in the top eight of the table, losing 10 of those 13 games.
