Addressing the divide that injuries have cultivated around the United fanbase
A common trend throughout a tumultuous campaign for Erik ten Hag and his Manchester United squad has been a conveyor belt of rotation in the starting XI resulting from weekly injuries.
Such is the nature of these wounds that it has become a daily debate across numerous platforms regarding the suitability of squad selection as a credible form of reprieve for the manager.
For many, the Old Trafford outfit should contain a squad capable of dealing with any form of adversity – but this is not a team cultivated by Sir Alex Ferguson; it is a group created by a boardroom of individuals who favoured the game of Rugby.
The Dutchman has been denied sympathy during the 2023/24 campaign, with a contingent of frustrated supporters convinced that an alternative leader would cement change within the ranks of this squad.
But, plenty acknowledges the turmoil endured, with a perspective of granting a season underneath proper footballing hierarchy.
When we stop and attempt to analyze the root cause of the endless physio appointments, I feel it is necessary to cast our minds back to the previous season, and from here, we may appreciate where it has all gone wrong.
The fallout from fixture congestion, fatigue and injuries at United
The anomaly of the Winter World Cup affected multiple teams across the globe, but the fixture schedule recorded a unique level of congestion for Manchester United.
From January 3, 2023, to the defeat against West Ham on May 7, the club lined out 33 times over 125 days, or one every 3.8 days.
Following this unprecedented level of professional competition, the forever-glorious hierarchy at Old Trafford opted to pack the squad into a plane and fly off to the USA for a pre-season tour – this was the first time the Reds had made the journey since 2018.
The BBC conducted a fascinating report in November 2023 that addressed the unusually high level of absenteeism in the league.
Their findings concluded a 15% increase compared to the same period throughout the previous four campaigns.
Ten Hag’s side was atop the injury table alongside Newcastle, with 14 accumulated by November 19.
At what point do obvious issues become acceptable excuses?
Winning has a tremendous outcome on the morale of a dressing room. It targets the performances of individuals and the general sense of well-being around the club – from the boardroom to supporters in the stands.
However, as beneficial as victory is, defeat can be twice as detrimental and will often unravel the tightest of squad unity.
Players thrive off positivity – and the alarming deterioration following a loss has cost many a manager their position.
Is it absurd to believe that issues we see today can be connected to the break in play for Qatar and the inevitable physical demands that followed?
While I don’t believe it is entirely responsible, I think it holds more answers than anything else.
For the 20-time champions of England, there were 26 variations of back four in 38 Premier League fixtures throughout the season.
Three of these quartets lined out together on three separate occasions – none of which included Lisandro Martinez.
Additionally, there were 15 different centre-back partnerships throughout the campaign, with 36-year-old Jonny Evans partnering 32-year-old central midfielder Casemiro three times – with the Brazilian lining out for six fixtures at the heart of the defence.
As you can see from the above tweet, a combined total of 1829 days & 349 matches have been missed throughout the squad with injuries this season.
While these factors do not fully relinquish this staff of blame, refusing to acknowledge them is absurd and agenda-orientated.
Tag Hag appears confident when asked about his future, insisting that any decision to remove him from his role – without adequate consideration for the mitigating factors – would show a lack of “common sense”.
I would tend to agree, and I believe he deserves a fair crack of the whip with an adequate pre-season under a new football hierarchy.
If – come Christmas – we are discussing a similar level of discontent with playing style and results, that is an entirely separate conversation.
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