Manchester United would want to consider what lies after their inspiring victory over FC Copenhagen before they get carried away in their celebration of “turning a corner.” Even if the atmosphere and emotion at Old Trafford were fantastic on Tuesday when Harry Maguire and Andre Onana reversed their Champions League fortunes, Manchester City will not be taking any prisoners in the derby on Sunday.
The true test of whether the culture at United has changed permanently is still to come after the team’s first three straight victories this season against Brentford, Sheffield United, and now Copenhagen. Regarding the matches against Sheffield United and Copenhagen, Erik ten Hag has voiced his displeasure at the bad starts.
He described the opening half against the Danes as “no good,” while in South Yorkshire he called it “not a good game for our side – poor.” They might be destroyed before their halftime orange if they have a similarly sluggish and disjointed start against City. And all the goodwill that has grown may be equally destroyed by a poor derby loss.
While he considers the ideal lineup to accomplish that, Ten Hag will spend the week pressuring his players to be focused from the beginning on Sunday. However, he can take solace in the fact that Maguire has recovered from a difficult year, especially since he moved back to the left side of defense to cover for the injured Lisandro Martinez.
The example set by his former captain, who has bravely fought back against a wave of unjust criticism with true resilience while others in the side have remained silent, is all Ten Hag needs to turn to if he wants to see strength of character. The 30-year-old Sheffield native appeared to be heading out of the team in the summer as West Ham and United discussed a potential trade.
However, he has taken advantage of his chance to start three straight games for Ten Hag for the first time since the Dutchman joined the team, after saying he would rather stay and battle. He has done a manager who had doubted him a great favor by turning in back-to-back man of the match performances against the Blades and Copenhagen. Maguire appears to be the ideal choice to captain the back line against Haaland on Sunday.
Ten Hag would also be inclined to start with Christian Eriksen, who had a clear and beneficial effect in the second half against Copenhagen and Sheffield United.
He will also be looking for more from Rasmus Hojlund, who has three goals in five Premier League starts after his £72 million arrival in the summer, and Marcus Rashford, whose 12 starts have yielded only one goal.
Onana’s celebrations after his penalty save deep into extra time on Tuesday were reasonable, and they carried on loudly and even into the dressing room following the game. Ten Hag needs that to be the turning point for a signing who was seemingly a bust at £47 million; he needs to settle into the position.
The Cameroonian international, who was acquired from Inter as a replacement for David De Gea, has not been particularly impressive when the ball is at his feet. Additionally, his high-profile hand mistakes this season have added to United’s list of poor points.
Apart from that, who knows what a struggling Onana thought of the images that went viral last week showing De Gea getting cozy over coffee in Hale with former teammates like Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane, Tom Heaton, and club captain Bruno Fernandes?
The former United keeper is still without a club, so maybe it was just a casual get-together with old pals, but it was pointless to publish on social media at a time when his replacement is having trouble.
Football, however, moves quickly. If he can shut out City for the entire 90 minutes on Sunday and replicate his performance against them for more than an hour in the Champions League final, debate about De Gea will become less relevant and talk of a corner that has unquestionably been turned can start with more convincing evidence.