Manchester United have had a disastrous start to the 2024/25 campaign. The Red Devils have been disappointing so far this term, and have won just two Premier League games, with one draw and three losses, meaning they sit in 13th place on seven points after six games.
Their victories so far have come against Fulham on the opening day, a 1-0 win at Old Trafford, and a 3-0 away win against struggling Southampton. They also beat Barnsley 7-0 in the Carabao Cup at home.
The poor start to the new season has resulted in Erik ten Hag’s future coming under question. Given the underlying numbers, it is perhaps no surprise United are considering a change.
United’s stats from the 2024/25 season
Ten Hag kept his job last campaign after an FA Cup victory against Manchester City convinced new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his recently-appointed INEOS regime that he was the right man for the job.
Since then, the Dutchman has experienced some devastating results. A late defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex, and 3-0 losses to both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford have not helped his case. The Red Devils dropped points in their first Europa League game, drawing 1-1 at home to FC Twente, and put in a generally poor performance, which has been cause for concern.
It is fair to say that United’s numbers are not exactly a compliment to the manager. Whilst some things are simply not his fault, like the side missing 2.8 big chances per game, according to Sofascore, there are stats which suggest he is not getting the best out of his squad.
Whilst the 13-time Premier League champions have created 10.81xG, as per Understat, they are massively underachieving on their expected goals total, having found the back of the net just five times. They are struggling at home, too, having earned just three points and scored one goal, the joint lowest alongside Southampton.
Stat
Home
Away
Games
3
3
Wins
1
1
Draws
0
1
Losses
2
1
Goals scored
1
4
Goals conceded
6
2
Ratcliffe may well decide that, soon enough, it is time for him to pull the plug on a disastrous start to the campaign, sack Ten Hag and look to salvage the season. In terms of the Dutchman’s replacement, one potential option is Massimiliano Allegri.
Would Allegri be a good replacement?
As he did when he retired in 2013 with David Moyes, Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to have recommended former Juventus boss Allegri to Ratcliffe as a replacement for Ten Hag. That is according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, who claim the legendary manager views the Italian as his ‘preferred choice’.
Allegri’s most recent role was at Juventus, his second spell at the Turin giants, having previously managed them between 2014 and 2019. He left the Allianz Stadium for the second time at the end of last season, after guiding them to victory in the Coppa Italia final.
Described as a “defence first” coach by football analyst Ben Mattinson, the Italian prefers to set up his side in five at the back formation, with wing-backs, or a back three with wide midfielders, depending on which way it is interpreted.
Systems like this are not all just defensive systems, something that is a common footballing myth; that has been dispelled by Simone Inzgahi’s Inter side and Thomas Tuchel’s Champions League-winning Chelsea side.
However, Allegri does tend to set up his side in a defensive way, looking to not concede goals as a primary objective, rather than score goals. As per Sofascore, his Juve side scored 54 goals and conceded just 31 in Serie A last term, keeping 17 clean sheets in total.
This is certainly a set-up from which United could benefit. Last term, they conceded 58 goals and an average of 1.5 per game. They also conceded a whooping 550 shots, as per Statmuse.
This more defensive approach from the Italian has led to comparisons to former United boss Jose Mourinho. The legendary Portuguese manager is also renowned for his pragmatic football and is famed for his Chelsea side winning the Premier League in 2004/05, conceding just 15 goals all season.
It was certainly a comparison that the manager appreciated back in March 2023. When discussing the fact the two have been compared, Allegri said “if I associate myself with him, I’m very happy”.
Whether or not this approach is what United needs at the moment remains to be seen. However, given the fast-paced, counter-attacking football the Red Devils faithful became accustomed to during Ferguson’s reign, it may not go down too well with the crowd.
With that being said, the judgement of their legendary manager may well be considered by Ratcliffe, as he looks to find the perfect man to lead the Red Devils.
It may not have worked out too well for Mourinho at United – as he lasted just over two years – yet the current Fenerbahce boss did still claim two major trophies, with the hope that Allegri could achieve similar results in the Old Trafford dugout.
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