Manchester United’s start in the Premier League is as dismal as the 2013/2014 season, when David Moyes was sacked.
The Red Devils have won two, drawn one and lost three of their league matches this season – exactly the start Moyes embarked on after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson.
United were knocked out 3-0 by Tottenham in front of a roaring Old Trafford crowd on Sunday in a performance that Gary Neville called ‘disgusting’ and ‘pub football’.
Erik ten Hag has insisted he is not afraid of the sacking and that the whole club is moving in the same direction, but after the fate suffered by Moyes, he will know he needs a quick turnaround.
After a stuttering start, Moyes won eight of his next 13 Premier League games until New Year, losing just two – the kind of response Ten Hag wants to see from his players.
Erik ten Hag has equaled David Moyes’ start to the 2013/14 season at Manchester United
Moyes won two, drew one and lost three of his first six games – exactly what Ten Hag has done
Encouragingly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had seven points after six games in 2020/21 but ultimately guided them to second place that season
He can take encouragement from the fact that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also scored seven points at the same stage of the 2020/21 season before leading United to second place.
United were behind within three minutes against Tottenham when Micky van de Ven burst through half the United team to set up Brennan Johnson.
Things got worse minutes before half-time when captain Bruno Fernandes was shown a straight red card for a high tackle on James Maddison – a decision that has sparked controversy.
Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke put the nails in the coffin with their second-half goals and in truth, Spurs could have had more after bombarding Andre Onana’s goal with 24 shots.
United have dropped to twelfth in the Premier League and have found the net just five times in six games.
Gary Neville told Sky Sports: ‘The Man United fans are cheering the referee but that’s not even half the story. The big story was that first half. They chose to put in their worst performance.
“It was a disgusting performance in terms of effort and quality, and there were a lot of questions to be answered by that group over the next week.
‘It’s one of the worst performances I’ve seen under Ten Hag – and that’s saying something. Awful, gruesome, disgusting, it was all stuff in the first half.
United were behind within three minutes when Micky van de Ven burst through half the United team to set up Brennan Johnson
Former United captain Gary Neville called United’s performance ‘disgusting’
United – who had captain Bruno Fernandes sent off – have suffered back-to-back 3-0 defeats at home to Spurs and Liverpool in the Premier League
Johnson found Dejan Kulusevski in the area who crossed past Onana to double the lead
Dominic Solanke continued his rich run of form as he hit the nail in the coffin on Sunday
‘The pressure will be on this week, it will be brutal. It was a bad day for Ten Hag, very bad.’
Fellow expert Jamie Redknapp added: ‘I’ve seen many performances where managers suddenly lose their jobs and that’s the kind of performance that kills the manager.
‘If your club is actively looking for another manager you are in a hugely untenable position because the players know you are not the right man. You cannot keep the manager after searching for other managers. They play like they’re lost.’