Man United face the prospect of WITHOUT European football for the first time in a decade… but here are the lessons Erik ten Hag can take from Mikel Arteta and Arsenal as they bounce back to become title contenders again.
Still facing the possibility of their worst Premier League campaign, there are plenty of problems at Manchester United ahead of Arsenal’s visit today.
Having retained faith in Mikel Arteta after consecutive eighths in the league, the Gunners arrive at Old Trafford today still in the title race with just a few games left in the season.
Arsenal left Europe a few years ago and used it as a reference point to reset and bounce back stronger with a team built entirely in Arteta’s image.
While former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher has dismissed any comparisons between Arteta’s first two seasons and those of Ten Hag, there are certainly lessons to be learned about how Arsenal managed to get back on track.
Sports Mail look at what United can learn from Arsenal after they fell outside of Europe’s elite…
Erik ten Hag (left) has watched Mikel Arteta (right) transform Arsenal in recent seasons
Arsenal arrive at Old Trafford today and are still in the title race with two games remaining
GET A PLAN AND STICK TO IT
If Ratcliffe and Ineos end up deciding that the grass doesn’t look greener in the management market and trust Ten Hag, they really need to consider sticking to their guns.
Ultimately, Ten Hag is not their recruit, their man, like Arteta was on the Arsenal board.
But sticking to their beliefs with the manager is fundamental to changing things at a club as big as Manchester United.
Arteta finished eighth in his first two seasons and while Ten Hag finished third and won a trophy in his inaugural campaign at United, this one proved much trickier and full of insipid performances.
Ten Hag has been ravaged by injuries – 64 separate cases of injury or illness have prevented a first-team player from taking part in a match this season – and he will argue that United are an entirely different entity, capable of playing in their style when they are in shape.
If the new management at Old Trafford, including new CEO Omar Berrada, truly believe this, keeping the faith and trusting the process is of paramount importance.
Ten Hag must be given the opportunity to implement its style if the new board supports it.
If they opt for a candidate like Thomas Tuchel, it is vital that the hierarchy adheres to their principles
DON’T BE AFRAID OF BIG NAME DEPARTURES
This is vital – and something Arsenal were not afraid of under Arteta.
The Spaniard wanted to create a young and exciting team, which was not paralyzed by ego or by players who did not work for the common good.
Despite earning £350,000-a-week at the Emirates Stadium, Mesut Ozil was quickly ostracized by Arteta and soon discovered he would not be part of his plans for the future.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stripped of his captaincy before being thrown out of town, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alexandre Lacazette and David Luiz were other casualties of Arteta’s reign.
Even club record £72million Nicolas Pepe was deemed surplus to requirements.
Ten Hag has previously made ruthless calls to quit United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, stand his ground and run Jadon Sancho out of town after a row.
Arteta made some big calls, including stripping the captaincy from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
It is essential to move on from Casemiro and make the midfield a fitter and younger operation.
But if United are to continue to support Ten Hag, they will need to continue to be ruthless this summer when it comes to trimming the fat from an expensively built squad.
They need to find a new home for Casemiro, while Raphael Varane is set to exit on a free transfer.
Antony was signed for £86m from Ten Hag, but he must have the belief to cut his losses if the Brazilian’s form does not improve.
It says a lot that the three United players declared ‘banned’ this summer are all under 22 – Rasmus Hojlund (21), Alejandro Garnacho (19) and Kobbie Mainoo (19).
MAKE THE BENEFIT OF REST COUNT
This is important if the worst happens and United miss out on European football altogether – which is a real possibility now that Chelsea are finishing the season on a high.
Once the initial disappointment has passed, United should see this as a real opportunity to enjoy some extra rest and in turn respond with a much-improved league campaign in 2024-25.
Injuries have been one of the biggest blemishes of United’s season – take £60million summer signing Mason Mount as an example.
Mount’s stop-start season has been plagued by injury having arrived as Ten Hag’s No.1 recruit in midfield.
Lisandro Martinez, arguably United’s best centre-back, has had to watch from the sidelines for months. The same goes for Luke Shaw, United’s best left-back.
When Arsenal completely missed out on Europe in 2021, former Gunners and Man United striker Robin van Persie made the case.
Ten Hag (left) has been hampered by injury, with Lisandro Martinez (right) out for months
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) and Avram Glazer (left) could see an advantage in continuing Ten Hag
Speaking on BT Sport, Van Persie said: “From a certain point of view you can say maybe it’s better to have extra training sessions to work on tactics, work on fitness , move to another level necessary to actually compete.” at the highest level against the biggest teams.
“So if you ask me, I would say it’s better not to qualify for the Europa League and take part in these extra sessions.”
Ten Hag have been unable to establish a clear playing identity this season and the extra time spent on the training pitch, coupled with a lesser workload in matches, could be rewarded.
BUY FOR THE FIT, NOT FOR THE NAME
When Arsenal shed the big names and went full steam ahead with a rebuild, Arteta did a very good job of buying players to suit his system.
Declan Rice transformed the team at the No.6 position, while Arteta did not hesitate to continually recruit goalkeepers, choosing David Raya.
Glamor signings at United like Casemiro and Antony may have looked good from a marketing perspective, but both are producing net negative results on the pitch.
With Ineos’ ‘marginal gains’ approach and more numbers in the building to help with recruitment, it is paramount that United sign players for their form rather than the number of social media impressions their signing will get.
United have bought a youngster in Rasmus Hojlund (right) and must continue to buy the right pieces
Mainoo, Garnacho and Hojlund are three pieces of the starting XI puzzle to build on, while Andre Onana will remain the club’s number 1.
Shaw and Martinez have the left side of the defense locked down, while Bruno Fernandes will continue as captain in the No.10 role of a 4-2-3-1.
But there remain plenty of question marks at the base of midfield, as well as in central and right defence.
If United can get rid of some of the top earners in the dressing room, recruit intelligently and a little outside the box, the benefit for the common good could be increased tenfold.
