Louis van Gaal’s Man Utd were miles off the Premier League title – 10 years on and Ten Hag’s side are just as far away
IT is a decade since Louis van Gaal brought Manchester United out here to Los Angeles.
It was during that pre-season tour of 2014 that, over lunch with colleagues in Santa Monica, the opinion was expressed that the club was in danger of not winning the title for years.
And this was despite Van Gaal’s first game in charge ending in a 7-0 win over LA Galaxy.
Not everyone agreed and nobody at the club would countenance such talk.
Sadly, it was that arrogance and apathy that United would simply go on, covering the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s era and the beginning of the next one, which still has ramifications to this day.
It remains an object lesson to all clubs who believe their dominance will continue no matter what.
You could see back then, even 12 months post-Fergie that the wheels had not only come off but could not even be found.
The warning signs should have been seen in Sir Alex’s final season.
It was not a great Red Devils team that won that 2012-13 title.
They were coming to the end and you could not see signs of anyone coming through.
What had been a seamless transition season-on-season was not happening this time.
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Meanwhile without his iron fist the club began to do things off the field, most notably commercially that seemed to take the focus off the pitch.
Indeed, it was only the day after Sir Alex announced his retirement that United flagged up ‘exciting news’.
It was the fact they were going on Twitter.
Boss David Moyes was pulled from pillar to post to glad-hand sponsors and was generally dealt a terrible hand when he arrived.
There was no database or anything left behind to explain how the club would stay on top of English football because it was all in Sir Alex’s head.
Manchester City in the meantime were planning for a succession a few years hence, United didn’t know what they would do next week.
Around that time I remember asking former chairman Martin Edwards if he had any fears the club could go decades without the title.
“Oh no that won’t happen with Manchester United” was effectively the response.
Why not? And a decade on, here they are and that title is not coming back any time soon, believe me.
Fans will feel confident that their club is finally getting itself into some sort of order with the changes made to the football structure — but it is all going to take time to bed in.
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The problem is Manchester City are still there. The threat from them was ignored as the club got itself in order.
They are over here in the US too going about their business.
Their manager, Pep Guardiola, has a year left on his contract, and before the new season kicks off, the club is hoping to get him to commit to another 12 months on top of that.
What that effectively means is that everyone else can pretty much forget it for another couple of years. He is that good and City are that good.
Their behind-the-scenes set-up with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano keeps the well-oiled machine ticking along.
Take a look at Guardiola’s stats in his eight years at City. He’s won 15 trophies, including six titles and the Champions League and last season’s Prem crown was a record fourth in a row.
In his first season, he got his feet under the table and started establishing the style of play he knew would bring success. Since then, only Liverpool, once, has prised the title away.
They and Arsenal have tried and pushed them on other occasions.
As for United, they panicked in trying to find the horse when it had already long bolted.
There was no cohesive strategy, cash was constantly chucked at the problem while they walked on sand.
They are now on their third permanent manager in the time Pep has been at City and in that time have acquired 549 points to their neighbours 716.
That is some gap.
City’s detractors will point to the issue of the 115 charges they are facing for breaking financial rules. But for their fans nothing can take away the memories of what they have achieved.
Some say it is boring to watch, it’s not, it’s magical the way they weave the ball around the pitch.
The only boring part is that lack of jeopardy every time you got to the Etihad because you know a lamb is coming to the slaughter.
It was the same going to Old Trafford in Sir Alex’s most dominant years.
Now you don’t know what is going to happen. In a bizarre way it can make the atmosphere better compared to when they were just swatting everyone to one side.
Something they haven’t done for some time.
A decade after that pre-season under Van Gaal and United are back here in LA and still at square one.
Nine managers Man Utd considered before keeping Erik ten Hag
ERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman edged dangerously close to the sack.
Here are nine managers Red Devils chiefs are reported to have considered for the job and what allegedly happened with each.
Gareth Southgate
Enjoys plenty of support among Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chiefs but made clear he wouldn’t talk to any clubs until after Euro 2024. There is yet to be any suggestion that contact was made with the England boss.
Kieran McKenna
Talks were opened with McKenna’s representatives before the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd coach opted to sign a new deal with Ipswich after Ten Hag’s Wembley win.
Roberto De Zerbi
Allegedly sounded out before the FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos chiefs concluded ex-Brighton boss was not the right fit for the project.
Thomas Frank
Brentford boss met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.
Marco Silva
Fulham boss reportedly met Man Utd representatives face-to-face two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.
Mauricio Pochettino
Fell out of Man Utd’s thinking in the first week of June, despite being a favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Thomas Tuchel
Made a very strong impression and came across well during a Monaco meeting. Personal terms were discussed before the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss decided to step back from the process.
Ruben Amorim
Sporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but did not make the final reckoning.
Roberto Martinez
Portugal manager was considered in the early stages.
Golf is in LIV or die crisis
AS a golf traditionalist, I have pretty much ignored the Saudi-backed LIV tour.
Like many others I believed it was a gimmick that would come and go and everything would return to normal.
But sitting in the bar of my hotel in LA I noticed it was on a mainstream TV channel and watched the action from the wonderful JCB course in Staffordshire.
There were Major winners everywhere.
And there were many of the most popular names in the game like current US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson.
There was a good crowd, good atmosphere as well as good and exciting golf.
The players love the format and the way they are looked after on this tour.
Sure, the cash obviously helps as well.
But as Ian Poulter indicated recently, he also has important extra time with his family while others on the PGA and DP World Tour go here, there and everywhere every week.
It is a real danger to the established order have no doubt… a real danger.
England Lion low
PRE-SEASON games are always a tough watch.
But just wait because after only three matches of the new Premier League campaign, England will be back in action.
For those who don’t know — and that will be the majority — they play the Republic of Ireland in Dublin to kick off their Nations League campaign on Saturday, September 7.
Then it’s Finland at home three days later.
After this summer, when we fell short in another final and saw a pained Gareth Southgate walk, can you imagine greater apathy towards a couple of Three Lions games?
No matter who the new manager is, it really feels like a time has come and gone and all the air has leaked out the balloon.