Ecstatic about this. Next few years will probably my shape up like this if everything goes according to plan;
Year 1: Utter confusion. Starting XI at the beginning of the season likely very different from final match day starting XI as ETH explores who works and fits and works to impose his system (likely a 4-2-1-3 before shifting to his preferred 4-3-3). You’ll see wonky losses and things won’t often look fluid. Inconsistency will be common but there will be a plan, and the players will not look like they just don’t care. ETH will play with different tactics as he adjusts to the EPL. In a low stakes season, ETH’s experimentation will be welcome although many will think he’s out of his depth for going out on a limb with little on the line.
Year 2: Things start to make sense. There’s an established identity and ETH has quite a few players he really likes. The team has a defined playing style and they begin to accumulate results. They’re not world-beaters, but respectable on any given day. The team could go on a run for EFL or FA Cup, and the focus is top 4 football. ETH has mostly adapted his routine and his tactics to the EPL and this confidence is shared by a team that improves weekly.
Year 3: ETH has his team. The plan is in place, formations are drilled, and years of roster building have given him his ideal XI. The team competes as it should and challenges for the league or Champions League. However, United at this point are likely a team built around a strong XI and a super sub or two. The team can play, but the question is how far they go with whatever depth they have. Tactics are not so much the issue as filling in the edges to compete with the super teams (Madrid, Barca, Bayern, Liverpool, City). ETH likely drops a player everyone loves while simultaneously making a stunning signing that makes everyone clap and say ‘Yup that’s why we picked ‘em!’
Year 4-Forever: ETH has his men, a filled out bench, and the ability to rotate properly. Everything is on the table and United are competing for every bit of silverware. They combine a mixture of strong veterans in ETH’s system with youth who have come up being prepped to fit in and now United are in the proper business of flipping older players for cash and investing in promising youth to create a cycle of success. These are golden days
OR
It all comes crashing down after a year or so and we all head down to the pub for a pint and watch Liverpool/City win yet another league title while we wonder whether it’s worth living on this good earth any longer