How Manchester United's season turned from bad to worst in 2021-22

Nine years ago, the club's greatest manager addressed the millions of Manchester United fans during his final match as the 'gaffer'. In his thick Scottish accent, Sir Alex Ferguson plead to the fans to "support the next manager" and reminded us all that it was "our duty."

Everyone nodded and assumed that Manchester United were strong enough to handle themselves should they face any turbulence during the transitional period.

Fast forward to the present time, and the club has seen off four permanent and three interim managers in the space of nine years. Under current interim manager Ralf Rangnick, United have managed to break another infamous record - recording their lowest ever points tally since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.

To put things into perspective, their worst season prior to the current one was the 2013-14 season. That was the season when a certain manager dubbed 'The Chosen One' (David Moyes) was hired and fired as his United side could only muster 64 points.

Ralf's side, on the other hand, could potentially get a maximum of 61 points should they win against Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.

At the start of the 2021-22 season, the fanbase was optimistic that the team could challenge for the title as they built on the runners-up position in the previous season.

With the addition of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was thought to have finally acquired the final pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. When the prodigal son, Cristiano Ronaldo, returned, it was thought that this United side had reached the level of the 2008 side.

That team had Carlos Tevez (younger and faster version ), Cristiano Ronaldo, and Wayne Rooney, and it won the Champions League. As we would all know by now, the so-called lethal strike force this season has failed to make their mark in all competitions, with the exception of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United's persistent problem

Unfortunately, this season's sad story is not a rare occurrence. It is, sadly, a theme that can be used to define the state of the club right now, particularly in the transfer market.

Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill in 2013, the club has spent more than £1.1 billion in the transfer market. Despite spending lavishly on players, United could only muster 614 points out of a possible 1,026.

Their noisy neighbor, Manchester City, on the other hand, has spent £984 million and managed to get 764 points. Liverpool and Chelsea have managed to get 708 and 657 points respectively despite spending much less than Manchester United in the transfer market. It is clear that whoever is (was) in charge of the transfers has been doing a terrible job.

Terrible decisions in the transfer market have contributed to the poor performances that have been plaguing the club in recent years. It's not fair to single out any particular player as most of them has been under-performing for years!

Currently, the only two players who have shown their quality over the season are David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The rest of the players, unfortunately, have been criticized throughout the season by the fans and pundits alike. More recently, even the stand-in captain, Bruno Fernandes, agreed to the chants of 'You're not fit to wear the shirt' by the fans after the 4-0 drubbing by Brighton & Hove Albion.

Fernandes, the Player of the Season for the 2020-21 campaign, has not been performing to the best of his abilities. It looks like he has been trying hard to do everything all over the pitch.

The statistic in the tweet above shows that he has only provided six assists - pale in comparison to his majestic performances last season. The commitment that he has shown, however, is absent among some of the players. Their lack of determination in their play has rubbed salt on the open wounds for the fans.

Off the field, the board's decision in asking Ralf Rangnick to be the interim manager has also been earmarked as one of the main reasons for United's poor season.

It was certainly a strange decision for a football club like Manchester United to rely on a temporary manager that has not been managing for quite some time. More so, when the season could still have been salvaged, in December.

Rangnick's reputation as the 'Grandfather of Gegenpressing' had definitely preceded him. Unfortunately, after his first match against Crystal Palace, he seemed to have decided that Gegenpressing is not suitable for this team.

Ever since then, this team has lost its identity. From a counter-attacking unit, the United side under Rangnick have produced meek performances week after week.

Machester United's future with Erik ten Hag in charge

Once the club identified Erik ten Hag as the next permanent manager, one former United manager had his say on the appointment. Louis van Gaal described Manchester United as 'a commercial club' and advised ten Hag to look for a football club instead.

This is an interesting insight as LVG did not have a great relationship with the board during his tenure at the club. His dismissal despite winning United their first FA Cup in 2015-16 has surely left a sour taste in his mouth. He has every right to feel that way.

Under the departed Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward, Manchester United had been labeled a club that prioritized profits over investments. The money from the various sponsorships that Mr. Woodward managed to find have not been used to invest in the club.

The majority of the fans are grateful that the season is ending soon and the beginning of the next season is around the corner. With positive news that the media has reported on ten Hag, hopefully the doom and gloom over the once-biggest club in England will disappear soon.

Fans can still be optimistic that Manchester United will have better days ahead. As the saying goes, 'Results are temporary; Class is permanent'.