Erik ten Hag is a man under pressure, as he has been since day 1 at Old Trafford.
His United side have been very inconsistent and underwhelming in their 10 matches so far this season causing many to (rightly) criticize him and his team.
United are 14th in the Premier League and 21st in the Europa League resulting in all this scrutiny. The side's lack of a clear identity, the manager's poor in-game management, unpredictability and confusing substitutions have left many to wonder,
WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!
There has been some improvement this season but as it is his third season, 'steady progress' is simply not good enough. ten Hag has had new signings and is in the best position he's been in to be successful at the club.
Yet he has massively and disappointingly underperformed.
The last seven matches before this international break saw his side play some good, average and shite football where we had good, average and shite results.
United picked up just the two wins in those seven, with just the one loss (although it was one of the worst performances we've ever seen against Spurs), and four poor to decent draws.
We only have 8 points in the league making it our worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign. United have also only scored just 5 in the PL which is the second-lowest with Southampton being the worst.
The two draws in the Europa League mean United have six more opportunities to make it through the league phase and straight into the RO16 although the next game is a tough one.
The only true shining light of this last period was the 7-0 thrashing of Barnsley resulting in United progressing to the round of 16 in the Carabao Cup.
But here is my predictions for the next 7 before the November internationals.
Brentford (PL)
I feel we will somehow get the win. I know, sounds stupid but at home, I do back us but really, at this point, who knows what could happen.
This is a tough test for ten Hag and United to begin the next period of the season and we won't have Scotty to save our arse s this time.
Fenerbahce (A)
We then go to Turkey to face some familiar faces not least ex-manager Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce in match 3 of the Europa League.
This match is kind of a must-win or at least must not lose.
I think we will lose 😐.
At a hostile atmosphere against a good side and a top coach like Jose, forget about it with this team. Our mentality is weak, we crumble under the slightest pressure and in a cauldron in Istanbul, I can see us falling apart quick, fast and in a hurry.
This would mean 2 points from three Europa League games. A pathetic start in a tournament where many would've pipped us to be the favorites.
Would a win and loss be good enough for ten Hag to remain manager beyond these next two matches?
We know the reports say that these two games are super important in deciding his fate. In fact, they say that it is game-to-game that will decide his fate which isn't where we all want to be.
Assuming he stays, this is what I believe will happen in the next five.
West Ham (A)
This has draw written all over it.
We don't perform too well at the London Stadium and with West Ham's quality and being away from home, I fear that we won't get the win that we will need.
However, the Hammers themselves haven't been too great this season so far despite their good business which is why I've gone for a draw.
Leicester (H) (EFL Cup)
United do usually perform well in the knockout competitions. Under ten Hag, we more often that not reach the latter stages of the cups although in this round last season, we were dumped out at home 3-0 to Newcastle who got their revenge over United for beating them in the final the previous season.
I don't think that will happen this time round as we will get the win and progress to the quarter finals.
Chelsea (H)
The Blues don't have the best of records at Old Trafford as the last time they won there was in 2013.
This is what's giving me hope that we can get the win although the way Chelsea are playing at the moment and our inconsistency, I wouldn't be surprised if Enzo Maresca's team walked away with something.
PAOK (H)
This here really should be a formality with all due respect.
Then again, it's what I said for our game against Twente and we ended up drawing that which was also at Old Trafford.
Considering that we will desperately be needing a win in that competition, that should give us added motivation to get the 3 points, hopefully.
Leicester (H) (PL)
The Foxes return to Old Trafford in the Premier League in the final game before the November international break.
This will be harder than the Carabao Cup because I believe more teams tend to take the league more seriously than the domestic tournaments.
However, for some reason, I still think we will get over the line and pick up the 3 points.
Final Thoughts
I know, I know. Where all of this optimism is coming from, I cannot say but I think because we have a lot of games at home (5) and that the international break has caused me to sort of forget about how poor we actually are, there's a positivity to me that I haven't felt since, since?
Can't actually remember but it was there.
This would mean five wins, a draw and a loss in these seven games. That isn't too bad and I would take it.
If my predictions are correct, United would progress in the Carabao Cup, we'd finally get a win in the Europa League which would make us feel a lot more confident of qualifying outright in the top 8 of that competition, and we would have 10 more points in the league giving us 18 after these four PL matches.
I believe that much like the previous seven, these games have a blend of easy, tough and difficult fixtures that will once against test the resolve of United and ten Hag.
Speaking of the manager, do I believe he will be here come the end of this period?
Yes, yes I do.
While there are definitely going to be games where it looks like this is the end, there will also be ones that cause him to live another day.
Like I said, if he does win and lose the next two, I think they will keep him despite all the talk about it being the two to decide his fate. But that was said of our last two against Porto and Villa yet, he's still here.
But will this inconsistent form be good enough to keep Erik ten Hag at United again? I don't think so because I don't think we can be having these inconsistencies again because we need to start showing signs that we are improving instead of the usual one step forward, one step back, and sometimes two steps back.
With all this being said, I don't think it would make sense to sack him regardless of what happens in the next seven. If INEOS are going to let him go, it either would've been done already or they would wait until the next internationals.
There is always the chance that things could go completely to shit in which case he will most likely be gone sooner rather than later. Given the injuries United have as well, that doesn't make things any easier.
What do you think is going to happen in the next seven? Do you think Erik ten Hag will be here by November?
Background Image: Erik ten Hag watching on as Man Utd draw 3-3 to Porto | Creator: Octavio Passos | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2024 Getty Images via Goal