WIGAN, England — In the debate over the importance of the FA Cup, Erik ten Hag may leave the chat.
Stumbling through the Premier League and out of Europe before Christmas, the Manchester United manager needs a trophy to prove to new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he is the right man to lead a new era at Old Trafford. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp may argue they have higher priorities, but Ten Hag has no choice but to get serious about the FA Cup.
As he struggles to impress Ratcliffe and Ineos sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, the Dutchman can only hope the Cup has lost none of its former magic. If there are more bad results in a season littered with them, he might need something closer to a miracle.
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United avoided what would have been an embarrassing slip-up against League One Wigan Athletic to win 2-0 on Monday night and set up a fourth-round tie with either Newport County or Eastleigh before the end of January. Guardiola and Klopp will be asked if they are tempted to rotate ahead of their fourth-round ties, but Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, on duty at the DW Stadium, will return to action against League Two Newport or Eastleigh of the National. League.
“It’s a huge competition that everyone wants to win,” Ten Hag said after the match. “All coaches want to win, we take it seriously.
“We have a lot of injuries and illnesses, but we still made a strong team. We had a good team, so before we were confident, we must win this match. You never underestimate any opponent, definitely not this team, you know they will.” fight for his life because it is the game of his life, we take it very well.
Winning the FA Cup in 1990 saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job. Ten Hag, a finalist last year, could use a similar boost at the end of his second season at the helm.
The credit in the bank generated by a relatively successful first campaign has been steadily eroded by a series of calamitous defeats, the latest at Nottingham Forest just over a week ago, to the point where there are legitimate doubts over whether Ratcliffe should bring his own man. However, nothing can happen until the investment is ratified in early February, giving Ten Hag time to steady the ship.
As Ratcliffe and Brailsford, in the Wigan stands alongside Ineos Sport chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc, begin to make decisions of real impact, Ten Hag could do with a blossoming cup run to mark it.
United did their job against Wigan and, for just the third time in 29 attempts this season, won a game by more than one goal. Nothing is coming easy at the moment, and if further evidence was needed that United exist in a near-constant state of vulnerability, then Wigan provided it in three minutes.
The team, who are 18th in League One, two divisions below the Premier League, pounced on a misplaced pass in midfield before passing the ball to Thelo Aasgaard inside the penalty area. Only a good save by André Onana prevented the shot and prevented Wigan from taking the lead.
Despite the freezing January night, United brought 7,506 fans to Wigan, filling the East Stand, and their nerves were finally calmed when Diogo Dalot’s curling shot from the edge of the area found the bottom corner.
Rashford, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Højlund missed good opportunities to seal the tie. Alejandro Garnacho hit the crossbar. It was not until Fernandes scored from a penalty with 17 minutes remaining that United were confident of their place in the next round. Only then did the traveling supporters feel comfortable enough to sing “We are the famous Man United and we are going to Wembley.”
“It’s about winning,” Ten Hag said. “The first half, the way we played, the performance, how we worked the ball, how we made our runs, the investment in the final third, we created a lot of chances and it was nice to see. I think we should have scored.” more, but the good thing is that we create opportunities.
As the FA Cup fights for its place on the English football calendar, there can be no doubt about its importance for Ten Hag and United this season. The Dutchman prepared for the trip to Wigan by holding his first meetings with Ratcliffe and the Ineos team, but after a miserable campaign so far, there are still doubts over whether he will have the opportunity, in the long term, to lead the new project.
As they look to provide answers between now and the end of the season, winning the FA Cup will become an even bigger priority. His team has overcome the first obstacle.
