Erik ten Hag Bags His First Premier League Win as Manchester United Beat Liverpool Plus EPL Gameweek 3 Results

New Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag bagged his first Premier League win as Manchester United beat Liverpool in what was a surprising 2-1 win. United’s goals were scored by Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. Mohammed Salah, on the other hand, scored Liverpool’s only reply. United have now picked themselves off of the bottom of EPL Standings, with Liverpool trailing them having drawn two and lost one of their three opening games this season. Manchester United are currently 14th on the league table with 3 points and Liverpool are 16th with 2 points.

First Victory for United in EPL 22/23

Man United’s 2-1 win is their first victory for EPL 22/23 and was a beautiful display of what Man United can become if they just composed themselves.

No Ronaldo, No Problem

For the second time in 3 matches, Cristiano Ronaldo was benched for the game as was captain Harry Maguire. The two players, who are arguably the most important, were benched after their poor results since last season and during this season’s first two games. Ronaldo had particularly been benched once before this season following an incident where he walked off the pitch and off the stadium in an apparent show of rebellion against new manager Erik ten Hag.

Fans Want the Glazers Out and Why ten Hag is their Best Choice in a Long Time

Manchester United club owners the Glazer family, or the Glazers, have long failed to invest in the club and its facilities. Chief among their failure is the deterioration of the club’s performance as well as its home stadium, Old Trafford. Fans today protested outside the stadium, calling for the outing of the Glazers. For this to happen, however, the family would have to sell the club and since it’s one of the most valuable in the world, there are few willing and able buyers. The family also has a tight grip on the club and has refused to let its ownership and management go.

Why Erik ten Hag is the Glazers’ Best Choice in a Long Time

The Glazers watched as Man United slumped into near demise under their then-appointed manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. United are a huge team even legacy-wise, and giving a veteran player a chance to take on the actual management of the team was a huge mistake by the family and one that United is still paying for today. Even so, the Glazers may have just redeemed themselves by their appointment of former Ajax coach Erik ten Hag as Man United’s manager. ten Hag is lightyears ahead of Solksjaer in his coaching prowess and has been known to be strict with his players.

The Erik ten Hag Formula

The Erik ten Hag formula entails a no-nonsense approach to player management, including in decisions of who to play and who to be benched; as seen in Monday’s game and consequent victory. ten Hag didn’t hesitate to bench Ronaldo for a second time and team captain Harry Maguire. Erik ten Hag is also very keen to bring in capable talent to fortify positions that are usually unmarked or poorly reinforced such as the defense for Man United. This is precisely why Man United have signed former Real Madrid defender Casemiro.

Casemiro was reportedly signed for 70 million Euros and is set to fortify United’s defense and defensive midfield; a position that has been time and again let down by Maguire. Even more, the ten Hag formula entails composure and ensuring that the players play out of their hearts and minds, and not necessarily out of their emotions.

Will Erik ten Hag take Manchester United Back to their Glory Days?

Definitely yes. I feel that ten Hag is very capable of bringing United back to its glory days. He’s a wonderful coach, astute, and has been known to do what it takes to get a team winning again and build a culture of success. In Man United’s case, that may even mean transferring out non-performing players such as Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo; despite their star and stature in the game and club.

Is Cristiano Ronaldo Leaving Manchester United?

It is very likely so. Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed intent to leave and it seems his inability to do so has worn down his morale and performance on the pitch. Cristiano tried leaving Man United several times after the end of the EPL 21/22 season but was unwanted by many of the big teams citing the huge fees to purchase him and also his slumping performance.

Even more, most teams felt that he would disrupt the leadership structures of the teams and unintentionally make other players feel small, and their positions of leadership, such as captaincy, challenged. A transfer, furthermore, has proved futile for CR7 despite talks to try to convince him to stay and his insistence on leaving. CR7 is feeling like Man United is not a team on his level and wants to leave, instead of staying and building it up to be.

What is Wrong with Liverpool?

Former EPL champions Liverpool have had a very poor start to the Premier League this season. Liverpool have drawn in two games and lost one in their three games so far this season.

A Morale Deflated Liverpool

It appears that not all is well in Anfield and Jurgen Klopp’s men may be undergoing a low morale tide. Players like Virgil van Dijk were apparently bored at Monday’s game with United, sometimes even getting into arguments with teammates. Others like Mohammed Salah, who scored Liverpool’s only goal, were seemingly easy to agitate. For instance, Salah scuffled with Bruno Fernandes over who would take the ball after he scored.

What’s the Solution for Liverpool’s Current Poor Performance?

The solution for Liverpool’s current poor performance is to sharpen their skills, especially regarding composure on the pitch and communication. Even more, the team should stop relying heavily on key players. For example, Liverpool have been on a downward turn since Sadio Mane left for Bayern Munich. Monday’s loss was also a result of Darwin Nunez being sent off with a red card in their last game, and Liverpool missing other key players. As such, Liverpool should build a strong team all around and not just emphasize or overly depend on a few players. Nunez has since apologized for his foul saying “I am aware of the ugly attitude I had”.

Other EPL Gameweek 3 Results

In other games played in EPL Gameweek 3, Newcastle drew Manchester City 3-3, a shocking result for Man City who are the current title defenders. Gameweek 3 was even worse for Chelsea who were shockingly beaten 3-0 by Leeds United. It seems that Chelsea are on edge and even collected a red card for Koulibaly. Brighton beat West Ham 2-0 in EPL Gameweek 3, as Arsenal continued a fantastic season start with a 3-0 win over Bournemouth.

Crystal Palace beat Aston Villa 3-1, a beautiful display of morale while Brentford slumped with a 2-3 loss against Fulham. Southampton beat a struggling Leicester City 2-1, as Everton drew Nottingham Forest 1-1. Tottenham also beat Wolves 1-0, a performance that was highly below expectations. Stay tuned for more in-depth EPL Football News.

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