When Manchester United had their pants pulled down at Brentford last season, Erik ten Hag sent his stars on a punishment run the next day to make up for their lack of effort. If only it was that easy this time.
Ten Hag was new then. It was his second game in charge and a 4-0 defeat felt like nothing worse than a nasty wake-up call.
The Dutchman was the progressive manager hired to sort out a shambolic dressing room. It was all part of the process and Ten Hag even joined his players on the run that Sunday in August 2022 to emphasise the sense of shared responsibility.
United recovered from their embarrassment at the Gtech Community Stadium to finish third in the League, win the Carabao Cup and reach the FA Cup final. So how has it come to this? Why, 19 months longer in the job, were United outplayed and outfought by a team who had lost 15 of their last 20 games?
Because make no mistake, this crazy 1-1 draw was every bit as one-sided as Ten Hag’s last visit to Brentford and posed even more serious questions given the ramifications it could have for United’s hopes of Champions League qualification and Ten Hag’s chances of keeping his job beyond the summer.
‘That’s the sort of performance that gets the manager the sack because there was a lack of effort,’ said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp.
After nearly two full seasons in charge and £400million spent on signings, Ten Hag still can’t get the basics out of his players. He was good enough to admit that Brentford showed more ‘passion and desire’, even if his claim that this point might prove to be crucial smacked of desperation.
United look like a team lacking identity or a plan; one who are happy to let opponents pepper their goal (Brentford had a staggering 31 attempts here) and strike on the break, like a boxer playing rope-a-dope. A team who fly by the seat of their pants, relying on individual brilliance and last-gasp heroics rather than a discernible style of play.
When United beat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford in October, they needed two stoppage-time goals from Scott McTominay. When they knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup, it was Amad Diallo scoring in added time of extra time.
On a strange night in west London on Saturday, Mason Mount almost did it again when his first goal for United in the 96th minute threatened to inflict a cruel defeat on Thomas Frank’s side who had bossed the game, hit the woodwork three times and had a goal by Ivan Toney ruled out for a marginal offside.
Frank said he was just about to turn his back on the football gods when Toney set up a 99th-minute equaliser for Kristoffer Ajer.
Once again the Bees had swarmed all over United and once again Ten Hag had no answer. After all the talk of beating Liverpool being an opportunity to finish the season in style, this was another step back. It’s been the story of Ten Hag’s second season.
United are now 11 points behind Aston Villa and eight behind Tottenham in the race for Champions League places. The next two are away to Chelsea on Thursday and at home to Liverpool on Sunday. With respect, Brentford was meant to be the easy one.
Champions League qualification may prove the yardstick by which Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos judge the manager in the summer. Beyond that, they may look at the trajectory of this team and where they seem to be heading. None of which is good news for Ten Hag.
