Manchester United’s next ten fixtures could define Erik ten Hag’s season

With the World Cup out the way, top-flight domestic football has returned to action across Europe, with the busy English new year schedule about to commence.

Manchester United‘s season has been a bumpy ride so far, from defeating current league leaders Arsenal to losing 4-0 to mid-table Brentford. Off-field events have also seen the club needing to deal with problems on multiple fronts, from Cristiano Ronaldo’s now infamous interview to news that the Glazer family are ‘exploring options of new investment’ (looking to sell the club).

One thing has become clear in recent months, though: Erik ten Hag is installing a sense of unity and harmony not seen in a Manchester United squad for a long time. Almost all of Ten Hag’s signing have embedded themselves brilliantly in the side, with Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, and Casemiro establishing themselves in the XI and Tyrell Malacia and Antony pushing their competition more every day.

The Christmas and New Year period will see Manchester United play 10 games in around eight weeks across four different competitions, with three of those being knock-out matches.

Speaking about the fixture list, Ten Hag recently commented: “We all know that after a World Cup, the Premier League continues quickly, and everyone has to be ready for that.

“You have to accept it for the managers, the coaching staff, and also the players. We want to have a strong team to battle for the trophies.”

Ten Hag continued: “We have just spoken about the competition for that and be ready for it, but it is not easy. Nothing in top-level football is easy. We have to do it smartly, that is clear, and hopefully, we get the right results and the right performance.”

The Red Devils most recently defeated Burnley 2-0 in the EFL Cup to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition, and on Tuesday will face Nottingham Forest at home as the Premier League fixtures restart.

They will then face two more Premier League fixtures in Wolverhampton Wanderers (away) and Bournemouth (home) before playing back to back domestic cup fixtures against Everton and Charlton Athletic, respectively.

These two fixtures are incredibly important to Erik ten Hag if he wants to do what has not been done since Jose Mourinho in 2017: win a trophy as Manchester United manager. Both the FA Cup and EFL Cup are more than achievable targets, and lifting either (or both) of these trophies will go a long way in helping the Dutchman instil a further sense of unity within the squad.

Both fixtures are at home, and although the Charlton game is only the first of two legs, Ten Hag will no doubt want to all but wrap the tie up before the second fixture, away in London.

After these back-to-back cup games, the side quickly return to Premier League action, facing local rivals Manchester City. United fans will no doubt still have fresh scars from the reverse fixture, where hattricks from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden saw the men in blue cruse to a 6-3 Etihad victory.

The fixture almost feels a slight free-hit for Ten Hag’s squad – but also a chance to regain the lost pride felt during the defeat earlier on in the season. After City, United will have to return to London to play current league leaders, Arsenal.

The aforementioned 3-1 victory is certainly a highlight of the campaign so far, with a Marcus Rashford double and Antony debut finish bringing fond memories – but away at the Emirates will be a whole different test for United, who are looking for top four qualification.

The final three fixtures of the 10-game stretch see United welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford, before travelling to Leeds United either side of an international break.

Finally, United will re-start their Europa League campaign, facing Barcelona in the round of 32. United’s group stage did not quite go to plan, with the club finishing second in a head-to-head against Real Sociedad, and so have to play an extra round against another club who are attempting to rebuild themselves after a series of poor seasons and financial difficulties.

Should Ten Hag and his squad get through this set of fixtures relatively unscathed and still in all four competitions, it would set them up brilliantly as the final stretch of the season begins to take shape. However, if the stretch was not to go to plan, that could spell potential disaster in relation to achieving the season’s goals of Champions League qualification and lifting a trophy.