Has Erik ten Hag turned Manchester United into title contenders?

After a tricky start to the 2022/23 season, Manchester United have rediscovered their form following a string of impressive results, but can they now be considered as genuine title contenders?

Not many would have thought we’d be mulling over that question back in August. Ten Hag’s reign as Man Utd’s new manager got off to the worst possible start. The Dutchman was supposed to be ushering in a new era at the club, but a 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on the seasons opening weekend felt all-to familiar for supporters. United then travelled to Brentford the following week and were humiliated. A 4-0 thrashing led to unrest among the fan-base, with some even calling for ten Hag to be sacked with Man Utd sitting bottom of the table after two games.

However, the former Ajax boss got the doubters back onside quickly as he oversaw a vital 2-1 win over Liverpool before picking up further wins over Southampton and Leicester City. Man Utd also beat leaders Arsenal 3-1 at Old Trafford – which is still their own defeat of the season so far – and they were moving in the right direction.

A humbling 6-3 loss to Manchester City was a set-back but United came through a tough run in October against Newcastle United, Tottenham and Chelsea unbeaten. They also booked their placed in the next phase of the Europa League where they’ll face Barcelona in the round of 32, are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup and have a Carabao Cup semi-final to look forward to.

Winning run

But it’s Manchester United’s excellent Premier League form that has fans really excited again, as the club are now on a long unbeaten run that stretches back to a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa back on November 6th 2022. Since then, United have won five straight league games which included wins over Fulham, Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth.

However, Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City was then the statement win that ten Hag needed to show his team are really back and ready to be a force again. It looked like it was going to be a frustrating afternoon for United when Jack Grealish opened the scoring for City midway through the second half. But Bruno Fernandes’s controversial equaliser levelled things up in the 78th minute before Marcus Rashford won it for Man Utd minutes later to secure a memorable, and important, win.

That victory at Old Trafford has cemented Manchester United’s position in the top four as they are now five points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand following the Londoners defeat at Arsenal on Sunday. United fans will now be confident of qualifying for the Champions League next season, but perhaps they can now start to look ahead of them instead of worrying about those behind?

United are level on points with Newcastle and just one point behind Man City so second place is certainly up for grabs. Arsenal’s stunning season continued with a win in the North London Derby at White Hart Lane and they now hold an eight point lead over City with United nine adrift of the leaders.

While that’s a healthy lead for Mikel Arteta’s men, there are still 20 games left to play so more than enough time for the chasing pack to close the gap. Arteta himself has acknowledged his squad is too thin and he needs to strengthen if the Gunners are to maintain their title charge but they missed out on key target Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea. Even if Arsenal do bring in reinforcements this month, many still think they’ll eventually hit a bad run of form which could see their lead quickly evaporate. And many could argue that Manchester United are best placed to take advantage of any slip ups from the Gunners.

Title contenders?

The Red Devils are one of the form teams in Europe right now and there is a real buzz about the club again. Supporters are right behind the team and the manager, so it’s no surprise that buying Manchester United tickets has become extremely difficult. Old Trafford is always sold out so fans are being forced to use reputable ticket reselling sites to get the chance to see their team in the flesh this season.

Arsenal are now the bookies favourites to win the title but with so many games left, United will be quietly confident they can mount a charge over the coming months. They travel to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night and victory would see them climb up to second and move within just six points of the Gunners. It would then set things up nicely for a huge top-of-the-table clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Should United manage to replicate their win at Old Trafford from earlier in the season and beat the Gunners this weekend, suddenly they’d be just three points behind and it would blow the title race wide open again. It shows how quickly things can change in football so you’d be foolish to write Man Utd off just yet. Yes, if Arsenal win on Sunday they’d be at least nine points ahead of United with a game in hand, and even more if ten Hag’s men fail to beat Palace in midweek. However, there is still a long way to go in the season and 60 points are still to be played for.

There is little doubt ten Hag has got Man Utd far more organised. He made a big call by dropping captain Harry Maguire but it’s worked out and the England international is now fighting for his future at the club. Raphael Varane is back to his best and Luke Shaw has been in terrific form all season. In midfield, Casemiro is proving why United paid so much to lure him away from Real Madrid as the Brazilian has been outstanding in recent months. He dominates games in the middle of the park and is now the heartbeat of this Man Utd team.

Huge decisions

However, another huge decision that ten Hag appears to have got right is his handling of Cristiano Ronaldo. As soon as it became apparent that the Portuguese superstar had become a problem in the dressing room, ten Hag dropped him and eventually forced him out the door back in November. It was a huge call, but certainly the right one from the Dutch coach.

The player who looks to have benefited the most from Ronaldo’s exit is Rashford as he’s been reborn since the former Real Madrid man left the club. Rashford continued his goal-scoring form with another winner at the weekend making it 7 goals in 7 games. He’s playing with a lot more freedom and it’s obvious he’s enjoying playing without the shadow of Ronaldo casting over him.

If Manchester United can keep up their excellent form over the coming weeks, and get a positive result against Arsenal at the weekend, then we will be talking about them as genuine title contenders again. It’s been a long wait for United fans, but finally ten Hag has them heading in the right direction.