Manchester United’s search for a new manager has yielded a surprising record.
His first two seasons were better than those of former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp and current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
“In his first two seasons at Old Trafford (United’s home stadium), Erik van Gaal has won more points per game than Mikel Arteta and Jürgen Klopp, and more matches than both Arsenal and Liverpool in their first two seasons,” the British media outlet Tribuna reported on March 3 (KST).
In his first two seasons, Ten Haag played 86 games and earned 168 points, or 1.95 points per game, according to the publication. Liverpool’s Klopp and Arsenal’s Arteta averaged around 1.8 points per game in their first two seasons.
Based on this record alone, there is no reason to fire Ten Haag. Both Klopp and Arteta have led Liverpool and Arsenal to league title contenders. Both managers got off to poor starts but have since rebounded.
Klopp was appointed as Liverpool’s manager in October 2015. His first season at Liverpool saw the Reds finish eighth in the league. It’s hard to blame Klopp, as Liverpool’s squad wasn’t good and their results were inconsistent.
However, Klopp’s team improved dramatically the following season. The following season, Liverpool got back on track by finishing fourth in the league and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, and it didn’t take long for trophies to follow.
In 2018-19, Klopp’s fourth season in charge, the Reds reached the top of the UEFA Champions League and lifted their first trophy with Liverpool. In the league, they finished a disappointing second, one point behind Manchester City. The league title came the following season. Liverpool won their first league title in 30 years in 2019-20, finishing 18 points clear of City. It was a longtime dream come true for Liverpool fans.
Klopp is leaving the club after this season after nine years at the helm. Despite not winning the league since then, Klopp has turned Liverpool into a team that can challenge for the title at any time.
Arsenal manager Arteta has had a tougher time than Klopp.
The former Arsenal legend took over as Arsenal manager midway through the 2019-20 season. The Gunners had their worst period under Arteta in his first 카지노사이트 two seasons, finishing eighth in the league. There was a lot of fan chatter about whether Arteta should be sacked, much like Van Gaal at Manchester United.
Arsenal’s wait paid off. Arteta began to bring his colors to the Gunners in his third season, and last season and this season, the Gunners battled Man City for the title. In both seasons, they finished a disappointing second, but have shown that a league title is not far away.
The difference between these two managers and Van Gaal is that they are different. While both managers have gotten better as the season has progressed, Van Gaal has had a much worse season this year compared to last.
In his first season in charge of United last season, Van Gaal seemed to bring success to the club, leading them to a third-place finish in the league and winning the Carabao Cup. It looked like he would be the first manager to end United’s managerial drought since Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
However, this season was the worst in United’s history under Van Gaal. Despite winning the 2023-2024 English FA Cup, beating Man City in the final, the club lost 14 games in the league and finished in eighth place, the worst finish in the club’s history. While he won more points per game than either of his first two seasons, there was little improvement from last season.
United are also weighing whether to sack or retain Van Gaal. The Manchester Evening News reported that “United are still reviewing the 2023-24 season before making a decision on Van Gaal’s future as manager,” and that the club will make a decision soon.
