Manchester United sealed a point against Chelsea at a time when Cristiano Ronaldo can usually be seen sashaying down a tunnel. Casemiro’s 94th minute equaliser was a clear demonstration of the togetherness Erik ten Hag has built in his time as manager. It’s won him few friends on the weird, obsessive side of social media, but has earned plenty of plaudits from genuine United fans who can see what he’s building.
Of course, three points are better than one. A game the Red Devils started well was taken away from them by a Chelsea midfield reshuffle. Graham Potter spotted the flaws in his 5-2-3 shape and brought Mateo Kovacic on for Marc Cucurella just after the half hour mark. There was another Chelsea manager who loved a first half substitution, one Jose Mourinho. He did alright for himself.
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Potter’s men came on stronger and their diligence was rewarded when Scott McTominay conceded a penalty. Jorginho stuck it home in the 87th minute to put Chelsea on the brink of victory. But this latest iteration of Manchester United did what some of their finest predecessors have done before them. They kept going. They fought and they found the breakthrough when Casemiro’s manful header rescued a point.
It is this fighting spirit that Ten Hag tasked himself with instilling in a side that looked forlorn during the late-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer period and positively neurotic under Ralf Rangnick. It is a fighting spirit that Ronaldo once embodied. But the great forward has no stomach to fight for his place, at least not at United. His sights are on maintaining his Champions League goals record. Nothing else matters.
It is that fact that has made all the “greatest United player ever” hullabaloo, led by pied piper of man-children Piers Morgan, ring hollow. A true club legend would surely contribute to the team in any way he could? He would fight for his place rather than relying on his glittering name to get him selected despite his below average form?
This is the crux of Ten Hag’s approach. From the start he has been clear that the name on the back of the shirt matters less than the performance of the one wearing it. This was clear when five-time Champions League winner Casemiro spent his first few games on the bench due to the fine form of McTominay. United’s Dutch head coach is not worried about reputations.
The Chelsea performance was proof that the approach is working. It wasn’t a win but it was a battle. United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years have folded too often during emotionally testing moments. A late goal to break the deadlock against them has too often turned into a late winner. But Ten Hag held firm in his beliefs and his team bought in. They now have 10 points from a possible 15 against their fellow “big six” rivals. Only champions Manchester City have beaten them from that group.
The Ronaldo debate will rage on. Even on the television coverage of the Chelsea game, Roy Keane was decrying the perceived mistreatment of his former teammate. It seems unlikely Keane would view Ronaldo’s refusal to come on against Tottenham Hotspur so positively if it had happened when he played alongside the Portugal international. But Ten Hag has nailed his colours to the mast. While Ronaldo is causing his acolytes to fight with match-going fans on social media, the manager has his squad fighting for him on the pitch.
The door is open for Ronaldo now. Ten Hag has asked for an apology from his wantaway forward. If the 37-year-old apologises to United’s staff and his teammates, he will be allowed back. Any return is likely to be a marriage of convenience, despite the manager saying he wants Ronaldo around. But it would be a far more dignified end to a near-two decade relationship with Manchester United than what we saw from him against Tottenham Hotspur.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
