We asked that at the press conference: what is better to have a great scorer or a great coach…? “A great marksman,” was the general reply. We respectfully disagree: we prefer a great coach. This one will make the other one score goals. And that the whole team works efficiently based on that. The most tangible proof is Erik ten Hag, the famous Dutch strategist. In July last year, he took over Manchester United. Amidst the flames caused by defeats, fatigue from years of leanness and excessive costs in contracts, the main focus of the fire: Cristiano Ronaldo, that mountain of ego. And at 37 years old. He refused to do the preseason and tried to command the locker room. And that the whole team worked on his behalf, not assuming that he wasn’t even there to be the starter. And since the former coach of Ajax is committed to the team. All individualities for the benefit of the whole. Manchester had to choose between a coach or a scorer. He decided on the former.

Ten Hag armed himself with tolerance, handled the confrontation as he knew how, endured the Portuguese’s rudeness, until together with the club’s management, he decided to terminate Cristiano’s contract. There the pressure eased and United became a winning machine. With the departure of ‘7’, another side effect occurred, Marcus Rashford exploded, scoring 25 goals and 7 assists in just over half a season. And the million-dollar news: Alejandro Garnacho, 18, the jewel of the club, an unbalanced striker, confrontational, fast, superfrontal, ambitious and a goal, appeared in the foreground. Two fighter planes. “There are not as many players as Garnacho,” said Ten Hag after the last victory (3-1 against West Ham), trying not to glorify too much the boy born in Spain, but who plays for the Argentine team.

On August 7, the season began for United and Ten Hag. For the Premier, they lost 2-1 to Brighton at home. The following day, total humiliation: a 4-0 defeat by lowly Brentford. At the press conference that followed, Erik was dismissed without anesthesia: “I asked them to play convincingly and responsibly, they didn’t… We need new players, quality players. Only if we stick together will we get through this.” He also noted, “There is too much work ahead of us.”

He got to work, they signed Antony (95 million euros), Casemiro (71 million euros), Weghorst (loan), Austrian Marcelo Sabitzer (loan), as well as Lisandro Martínez (57 million euros), who arrived a few months before. And on the basis of work and preaching, the gears worked. In just seven months, they achieved a miracle. Firstly, Ten Hag became the fastest Mancunian DT to reach the record 20 wins with the club, achieving it in 27 games. He placed the team in third place in the Premier League, with a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League. They have just knocked out FC Barcelona in the European League, where they are already in the round of 16 with great chances; they reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and have just won the League Cup, beating Newcastle 2-0 at Wembley. The cup they lifted after 6 wins, 6 wins, 16 for and 2 against.

Expectations have grown so much that now fans are impatiently stringing together the treble by adding the Europa League and the FA Cup. Seven months after that disastrous start, United are reeling. Self-confidence has flooded the dressing room and all those who acted today are seen as figures. Ten Hag brought back players like Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Wan-Bissaka, Jadon Sancho, Fredo, Christian Eriksen, who until recently were on the starting ramp. United shows a remarkable mental and physical change: everyone plays and leaves their soul, the team exerts enormous pressure on the opponent, continued the aggressiveness of Ferguson’s time and is very effective in the front, hits hard. Rashford has 25 goals, Sancho 6, Antony 6, Martial 6, Garnacho 4: 47 among the five. But the midfielders also hit the net: Bruno Fernandes 7, Fred 6, Casemiro 5. And, just as relevant as the attack, is the defense, which was an effort. It looks solid, with Lisandro Martínez as the flag.

In this year 2023, Manchester United played 15 games, and lost only one, no less than against Arsenal, the super-rich of the Premier League, and in London. Bald Erik has already won 30 games in these seven months and is on course to achieve what no one in Manchester United history has managed: bring four titles to his display case in his first year at Old Trafford. Matt Busby, Alex Ferguson, Mourinho, and Van Gaal couldn’t do that. And starting with such an unfavorable environment. Success pampers Erik: in the last four years in the Netherlands, he won three leagues with Ajax, and the fourth was definitely canceled due to the pandemic when he shared the leadership with AZ Alkmaar.

The fans quickly forgot about Cristiano Ronaldo and are already giving a standing ovation for the Dutch captain who could mark an era. There is dancing in the offices: Ten Hag has revalued the entire team. Players who should have been transferred for coins or released have their value back. And some – like Rashford or Garnach – can become world stars in the short term. Maybe the Dutch DT earned the American Glazer family 400 or 500 million euros in these seven months, but above all, peace. (OR)