Mark Langdon: Erik ten Hag's short-term ideas has seen the Old Trafford roof fall in

The leaking Old Trafford roof is not the only thing that seems to have caved in as far as Manchester United are concerned and Erik ten Hag will do well to last another ten games with the knives out for the under-fire Dutchman after a shocking week.

It is possible to lose - and in the case of the derby lose heavily - at home to Manchester City and Newcastle, but the performances have been dreadful and even when United have won this season there has normally been a strong whiff of fortune associated with the victories.

Wolves should have had a penalty, ten-man Nottingham Forest were furious that United were awarded a penalty and let's not forget were 2-0 up at Old Trafford after four minutes, the Red Devils had 38 per cent possession at Burnley, fewer shots on target than Sheffield United, needed two goals from the 90th-minute onwards to turn defeat into victory against Brentford and a last-gasp spot-kick save to see off Copenhagen in a mess of a campaign.

The ownership is a problem, but it was staggering to hear how much emphasis in the Sky Sports studio was being put on who the captain was after the City stroll. There was no alternative even given to who should replace Bruno Fernandes (probably because there are no obvious candidates), but ultimately who does the pre-game coin toss isn't that big a deal, with my humble prediction being that United would still have 15 points if somebody else had been named as skipper.

The pundits ducked a much bigger decision Ten Hag got horribly wrong with reports widely suggesting he was happy to bring Mason Greenwood back into the fold, but even if that topic was deemed too hot for discussion, those of a United persuasion steered clear of the decision to select Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans above Raphael Varane for tactical reasons and stopped short of slamming the style of play.

“We will never play the football we played at Ajax here,” Ten Hag said after the City defeat. 

"I can’t play the same way here. That is not in the DNA of Manchester United at all. The football at Ajax is very typical, here we will play much more directly. We also have the players for that, especially at the front.”

That is not what he said when he was appointed. Ahead of United's tour in July 2022 Ten Hag said: "We want to play a proactive style of football - on and off the ball.

"Trying to do that has to be our intention. We are brave and willing to have the ball, to give each other options. But also off the ball, to get the pressing style is what we’re working for." 

Two proper games later and Ten Hag compromised his beliefs following the defeats to Brighton and Brentford and has never felt comfortable enough to put a vision ahead of short-term results which is no way for a top coach to operate.

Look at the managers above United in the table. Ange Postecoglou, Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Unai Emery, Eddie Howe and Roberto De Zerbi all have clearly defined styles and that unwavering philosophy is perhaps more important than whether you call heads or tails to see who kicks off. 

Premier League predictions

Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa BTTS 4-6

Aston Villa's one away clean sheet came at ten-man Chelsea, but they have scored in all of their Premier League trips bar that Liverpool game. Both teams have also scored in all of Forest's home league games.

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