If we’d have scraped top 4 it would’ve papered over the cracks. We’d have signed a couple of players, extended Shaw, Rashford, Fred and Dalot and been in the same boat this time next season. Now that we’ve fully imploded, the players have been exposed for what they are - lazy, uncoachable and incapable of the intensity required to be one of the best European teams. If Ten Hag can’t get them playing his way, there is no chance that you could put it on him now, it would be the second successive manager who’s instructions have been ignored by the players.
Our bloated squad has loads of players, but very few fit the 4231 that we play. Fred and Pogba can only play double pivot with a proper DM and the only one we have is geriatric Matic who can only manage a game a week. The only true right winger we have is about to get banged up so we’ve been playing a LW youth to get a body there. None of our fullbacks can overlap consistently and provide width. No left footed stopper centre-back to go with one of the 5 right footed sweeper types we have. We overplay CR7 because Martial and Cavani checked out. Ralf is the first manager who has exposed and communicated these issues in a way where the fan base, pundits and the media mostly agree, rather than putting the blame on him (see Van Gaal and Mourinho).
We now have no choice but to sign 5-7 players and back the new manager over the (majority of) the players. If we fail to do so, and Ten Hag struggles, then the narrative will be that we’ve failed the manager, rather than him failing us and the cycle of failure continuing. Could Ralf have done better as interim? Absolutely. Personally, I’m quite glad he hasn’t.