With the Europa League so far under way in a different manner, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are set to meet on Sunday in the Manchester powerhouse of Old Trafford.
The expectations are growing higher for Erik ten Hag manager after the match ended in a 1-1 draw with FC Twente while 10 man Spurs winning over Qarabag with 3-0 on Thursday night.
Manchester United’s attack-minded midfielder, Christian Eriksen, kicked off his side’s European campaign in front of goal, scoring a sensational twenty-yard drive just before half-time in the Red Devils’ opening Europa League fixture against Twente But, on the field, the Dane said the Owls ‘wanted it’ more than the Red Devils, in what should be a frightening realization for Ten Hag.
Eriksen’s shot came two minutes after the break, just before Sam Lammers levelled the score, with Manchester United scoring their second less-than-exciting draw in a row after their goalless match in the previous weekend against Crystal Palace More so, while all the Man United players may have tried their best in the game, Henderson and Onana stood out as the best players on the pitch.
Whether the INEOS regime come back with the answer in the next few weeks and sack Ten Hag or not only time will tell, but the Dutchman has not done the enough to warrant Sir Jim Ratcliffe to hang on to his man rather than cut him lose at the end of the previous summer, as the team is currently languishing in the relegation zone after five games.
It is not all doom and gloom in Manchester as the 1-1 with Twente did see the Red Devils continue an unbeaten run to four games but only Southampton has been more profligate this season than Ten Hag’s side in relation to their xG.
However, Man United have scored five goals from an xG of 9.6, which is the third highest in the top tier, and after Ange Postecoglou’s side saw their attacking prowess return, Ten Hag’s men could learn a lot from Spurs.
Just a few weeks ago, Spurs were terribly lacking in creativity. However, Postecoglou's team has turned back into itself in the closing third, scoring eight goals in their previous three games, including three goals against Brentford and Qarabag in the Premier League and Europa League.
Following in the footsteps of Manchester City against Brentford, where they overcame a 30-second deficit to win, Tottenham's opening continental match against Qarabag had the potential to be a barnstormer due to Radu Dragusin's early dismissal; however, the Azerbaijani team missed numerous golden opportunities.
With goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr, and Dominic Solanke, Spurs punished their opponents for being wasteful during the delayed kickoff, launching their European campaign off to a great start. Postecoglou's rejuvenated team also won three games in a row with this three-goal triumph.
Though their team has only won two of the last twelve Premier League away games and lost four of the previous six, the Tottenham supporters could be forgiven for hating away days. During that miserable run, the team has only managed to defeat relegated Sheffield United.
Manchester United and Tottenham began the 2024–25 season with the primary goal of qualifying for the Champions League, having failed to do so the previous season. But after five games, no team has distinguished itself as the one to beat in the hunt for a top-four spot.
Prior to Matchday 6, United and Spurs are tied for tenth place in the early season rankings with just seven points between them.
Ange Postecoglou and Erik ten Hag have both previously faced criticism this season, and if either loses on Sunday, the criticism will only get worse.
