Year-end exams don’t come much tougher than the one facing Erik ten Hag and Manchester United.
The Dutch manager was hired to return the storied club to
its former glories after a decade of decline. Against Manchester City in the FA
Cup final he will get the chance to show how far United has come in his first
season in charge.
While a one-off match cannot judge an entire campaign, the
contrast in emotions for United’s fans will be stark depending on the outcome.
A win on June 3 would not only secure a second trophy for
Ten Hag — beside the League Cup — but also serve as a statement of intent that
he is building a team ready to go head-to-head with City, perhaps as soon as
next season.
Defeat wouldn’t necessarily alter that, but it would be
painful confirmation of Guardiola’s ongoing dominance of English soccer.
The potential that City could also be in contention for a
treble of trophies — the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League — provides
added spice to the occasion.
United remains the only English team to have won those three
major trophies in one season, in 1999. The chance to block City’s attempt to
emulate that feat will likely be an extra incentive.
“I understand, of course, the feelings from the Man United
fans about it,” Ten Hag said Sunday.
United beat Brighton 7-6 on penalty kicks after the FA Cup
semifinal at Wembley ended 0-0 through extra time.
On Saturday, City made light work of second-division
Sheffield United in a 3-0 win, also at the national stadium.
This will be the first time the Manchester rivals have
played each other in the FA Cup final, but there are parallels to be drawn from
their semifinal in the same competition in 2011.
After three years under the ownership of Abu Dhabi’s ruling
family, City had lavished money on superstar signings like Yaya Toure, David
Silva and Carlos Tevez, but the club was still waiting for a first major trophy
since 1976.
Former United manager Alex Ferguson dismissed the rival as
“noisy neighbors” following the influx of money from its new owners.
But Toure provided a sign of the changing landscape of
English soccer by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win in the semifinals. City
went on to lift the FA Cup, with Toure the match-winner again in the final
against Stoke.
City has dominated ever since, winning 13 more trophies,
including six Premier Leagues.
United, meanwhile, has suffered one setback after another
after Ferguson retired in 2013 and went through four different permanent
managers before hiring Ten Hag last year.
While the former Ajax coach has had his own difficulties in
his first season at Old Trafford, he has sparked hope that the good times could
be on their way back. United is on course to qualify for the Champions League
and also is in contention for a second cup.
“We are on the right track. One trophy, another final and
fighting for the top four,” goalkeeper David de Gea said. “It’s not enough but
it’s a big step from last season.”
After losing to City 6-3 in Ten Hag’s first Manchester derby
in October, United won 2-1 in January in what the manager described as the
“perfect game.”
It is likely to take close to perfection to beat City in the
final, with Guardiola’s team in relentless form as the season enters the final
stages.
The win against Sheffield extended its unbeaten run to 16
games in all competitions.
“The momentum is key, it doesn’t matter if you play every
three or four days if you are winning, winning,” Guardiola said.
While Guardiola has assembled possibly the strongest squad
in club soccer — star striker Erling Haaland has 48 goals so far this season —
Ten Hag is still in the process of building a team in his own image at United.
United could not compete with City to sign Haaland last
summer, but the improvements over the season could boost Ten Hag’s chances of
convincing an elite striker — the caliber of Harry Kane, for example — that he
could win the biggest prizes at Old Trafford.
Win or lose, progress has undoubtedly been made under Ten
Hag, even if City’s 11-point lead over United is evidence of the gap between
the rivals.
Victory in the final, however, would be a symbolic statement
that may suggest the power balance in Manchester and English soccer could be
about to shift again.