There was plenty of optimism at Old Trafford heading into the new season after Manchester United ended their trophy drought last term. Just one month into the campaign, that has quickly evaporated.
Manchester United’s 3-1 humbling on their own turf at the hands of Brighton on Saturday was their third defeat in five league games, and the atmosphere at the club is starting to turn sour. Defeat was then followed by a 4-3 reverse at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
There were boos for Erik ten Hag at the weekend as he took off summer signing Rasmus Hojlund in the second half, but the majority of the frustration from the fans has been targeted elsewhere – namely, the Glazers.
Having owned the club for 18 years, the Glazer family have overseen a significant decline in the team’s fortunes over the past decade.
From winning 13 of the first 21 Premier League titles on offer under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils have not come close to adding to their tally since 2013.
Gary Neville has voiced his anger at the plight of his former club over the past decade
Neville lays the blame for United’s demise at the hands of the Glazer family
United legend Gary Neville has placed the blame for United’s shortcomings squarely at the feet of the Glazers and has repeatedly called for them to sell the club.
He has hit out at the club’s recruitment strategy under the Glazers and their refusal to redevelop Old Trafford as concerns grow about the iconic stadium slowly falling apart.
Cristiano Ronaldo also complained about the training facilities when he returned for his second spell two years ago, claiming they had not been improved since he had first been at the club over a decade earlier.
Yet 10 months after putting the club up for sale, the American owners remain in charge, and it appears to be affecting the team on the pitch.
But what about United’s rivals? How have they got things so right while United have made mistake after mistake?
Mail Sport takes a look at the infrastructure of some of England’s most successful clubs, as United continue to play catch-up on and off the pitch.
Manchester City
There’s only one place to start, and that’s with United’s ‘noisy neighbours’.
That’s how Ferguson referred to Manchester City as he tried to hold off their rise towards the end of his tenure, but there has been no stopping Pep Guardiola’s men in recent years.
They have won five of the last six Premier League titles and completed a historic Treble last season.
Having a genius in the dugout and a seemingly bottomless pot of money to spend clearly helps, but City’s success can also be traced back to the appointment of Txiki Begiristain as their director of football.
Begiristain and Guardiola played together at Barcelona, and then worked closely at the same club between 2008 and 2010, with Guardiola on the touchline and Begiristain behind the scenes.
Begiristain moved to City in 2012, and Guardiola followed him four years later. That period allowed the former to get his feet under the table in the Premier League, giving Guardiola the chance to quickly adapt once he arrived in England.
The first year was still a challenge for Guardiola, with City only finishing third, but his partnership with Begiristain has flourished since.
Guardiola and Begiristain appear to be aligned on everything when it comes to City’s transfer policy.
Pep Guardiola (right) has a strong relationship with director of football Txiki Begiristain (left) at Man City
City have targeted adaptable players that can fulfill multiple roles to allow the team to play in different ways.
Bernardo Silva can play anywhere across the midfield or on the wing, while John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji are all comfortable in any role across the back four.
The alignment between Guardiola and Begiristain has given City a clear philosophy, while the same cannot be said at United.
They appointed John Murtough as their football director in 2021, over a year before Ten Hag arrived.
Murtough’s impact has been questioned, with United staff raising concerns that Ten Hag’s agent Kees Vos has had too much of an influence on transfers after playing a key role in signing Rasmus Hojlund and Sofyan Amrabat this summer.
Key figures do not seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet behind the scenes at Old Trafford and that could go some way to explaining United’s disappointing start to the season, while City continue to fly high.
Liverpool
City’s main challengers over the last five years have been Liverpool. Once again, their rise can be attributed to having a stable structure in place off the pitch.
Liverpool’s transfer guru for 11 years between 2011 and 2022 was Michael Edwards. When Jurgen Klopp joined the club in 2015, the pair started to get to work on building a title-winning squad.
The key period to look back on is 2016-18. During these two years, Liverpool signed Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Alisson and Andy Robertson – the core of their most successful team of the Premier League era.
And how did they afford all these players? By offloading Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for £145m.
That sale helped set the team up for the next five years, and they would go on to win every possible trophy available. United could learn a thing or two from their bitter rivals when it comes to selling players.
They received offers for Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay this summer, but both remain at the club as bit-part players.
Selling these fringe players could have allowed United to reinvest in their squad, but instead they had to rely on loan signings at the end of the window.
United can also learn from Liverpool’s struggles over the last 12 months. Edwards left the Reds last year, and there has since been some uncertainty around the director of football position at Anfield.
Liverpool went on to have their worst season in years last term, in a year when their owners also revealed they were open to investment from outside parties.
The owners have since announced their intention to remain at the helm, and Liverpool are getting back towards their best at the start of this season. This highlights how having matters in hand off the pitch is vital in developing a strong team on it.
Michael Edwards (left) helped Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool pull off some key signings during his time at the club
Edwards brought in Mohamed Salah (left) and Virgil van Dijk (right) as Liverpool enjoyed their most successful period in the Premier League era
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta inherited a club in crisis when he returned to Arsenal as manager in December 2019.
The team were floundering in mid-table, and fans had run out of patience with owner Stan Kroenke. He had a major task on his hands, but with the aid of technical director Edu he has turned the Gunners into title contenders.
There have been some obstacles along the way, but Arteta has shown his authority by getting rid of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when he deemed them surplus to requirements.
United have been accused of holding on to players for too long over the past decade as they run down their contracts, but the same cannot be said about Arteta at Arsenal.
The Spaniard has also been backed in the transfer market, bringing in a group of young players hungry to take the club to the next level.
Arsenal were followed by Amazon Prime for a fly-on-the-wall documentary during the 2021-22 season, and it provided evidence of the close relationships that have been developed behind the scenes.
Arteta and Edu were regularly seen talking about transfers as Arsenal brought in the likes of Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale, while Josh Kroenke, Stan’s son, was often on hand to show his support from an ownership level.
The players, manager, sporting director and owner all seem to be pulling in the same direction, making it no surprise that they are now one of the best teams in the country again.
Mikel Arteta (left) and Edu (right) have teamed up to turn Arsenal into title contenders
Newcastle
Having said Arteta took over a team in crisis, it was a picnic compared to the club Eddie Howe arrived at when he took charge of Newcastle in November 2021.
The Magpies had not won any of their opening 11 matches of the 2021-22 season and were stuck in a relegation battle, but they had been recently taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
There must have been the temptation for Newcastle to splash the cash in the January transfer window, and they did spend upwards of £90m, but Howe was smart with the players he brought in.
Rather than going after big names who may have only been interested in the money involved, Howe signed reliable professionals such as Kieran Trippier and Blyth-born Dan Burn. They made just one glamorous addition to their squad, as they enticed Bruno Guimaraes away from Lyon.
This built a camaraderie within the squad that remains to this day. Newcastle went on to avoid relegation with something to spare in 2021-22 and had a stunning campaign last year to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League.
Their dazzling form on the pitch has not been by sheer luck, as they have also worked hard to get a settled structure in place.
Following his fine work at Brighton, Newcastle went after Dan Ashworth for their sporting director role and got their man. He has since worked with Howe to bring in Sven Botman, Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali among others.
Newcastle have also significantly developed their training ground, providing their players with the facilities to compete against the best.
Two years ago, Newcastle looked doomed for relegation and their fans had little to no hope for a bright future. They have turned things around completely, and that may offer United supporters hope that they can experience something similar if they can get everything in order behind the scenes, with the Glazers selling the club being at the top of their wishlist.
Newcastle have spent wisely since their takeover, signing reliable pros while adding stardust to their squad in the shape of Bruno Guimaraes (right) and Alexander Isak (second right)
Brighton
We finish with the side that taught United a lesson in front of their own fans on Saturday.
Brighton do not have the money to compete with the country’s biggest clubs, but their outstanding recruitment has enabled them to close the gap.
The Seagulls are owned by sports betting entrepreneur Tony Bloom, whose company, Starlizard, help whittle down transfer targets from across the globe with their world-class scouting network.
Bloom’s traffic-light system for his database is a simple one to understand, with players given a green light if they are the ideal fit for the club, amber if they are borderline and red if they require further monitoring.
This process has been key to getting hidden gems through the door for small fees. A year ago, very few had heard of Evan Ferguson or Julio Enciso. Now, they have become Premier League stars.
Brighton are also adept at selling their best players on their own terms. Ben White, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo have all left in successive summers, but only once Brighton’s asking price was met.
When you add in that Brighton have acquired one of the brightest young managers on the planet in Roberto De Zerbi, it is not hard to see why they are challenging the Premier League’s elite.
Bloom clearly has complete faith in De Zerbi, as evidenced by multiple interviews he has done over the past 12 months, and this has created a positive environment at the Amex Stadium.
The same relationship does not exist between Ten Hag and the Glazers, as United continue to fall further and further behind their rivals.
Brighton owner Tony Bloom has relied on a world-class scouting network to help the club compete with the Premier League’s elite
