Great post. The fact that people are claiming we could finish 3rd and win the FA Cup and this thread will look stupid are missing the point. The question of whether ETH is the man stood even after we beat Barca ( at least for me) and is not knee jerk. Our recent down turn in form is not shocking but something you could see coming because we just don't control games.
I see people happily ignoring this fact and blaming it on fatigue or lack of #9 but this issue has always been there and you don't need a world class #9 to be controlling games. There are massive questions going into next season, irrespective of how this season ends. Probably a large section will be placated getting top 4 but I think there are a lot of red flags that need to be addressed.
I believe alot of fans have been reduced to ' having a good season' narrative and not the 'best team in the country' narrative. In that when we win a cup competition and masks the manager from any criticism. Yet even in demanding clubs, a cup competition win is not a insulation to scrutiny but league wins & being involved in a title race is more accepted as genuine effort.
It does seems because of 10 years of being in the wilderness, United fans and to some degree the board/owners of the club just need to have a good season. A cup competition + top4 is a very good season to United ecosystem now.
This can be said is what's happening/happened to Arsenal in the last 19 years or so. They do have some season which they are good season but never have they been the best club in the country ( bar this season if you discredit City).
You can see the difference in how Chelsea (before last year) or Real or Barca have operate in those 15 years and see for them they usually want to be the best in the country on top of having a good season.
In 19 years of Abramovich era, Chelsea won 21 trophies. The most in that period in England. In that period Arsenal won I think 5 trophies. Arguments about the best club in London have grown in voice, because of Chelsea European wins, and 1992 - Premier League wins. What Abramovich was able to do is to know when to pull the plug both ways, either to sign or fire.
Yes we can blame sugar daddy or more money but United of Pre 2013 was not the biggest spenders but we would win 7 titles on the bounce if not for 1 point and goal difference in two seasons. Yet the United of post 2013 is one of the biggest spenders/biggest wage bill yet we have never been involved in a title race leave alone winning it.
Same as City Post 2008, before Pep City were winning one odd title in 3 years while they would outspend everyone. But when Pep arrived it has now changed to you will win the league when City have a off season.
So it shows two things,
First management have to have the desire to be the top club in the country. This desire should be replicated in signing of managers/scouts/DoF/Players etc.
Then Secondly, in choosing the best/right manager you place the direction of the football team on the pitch/ off the pitch to be in the hands of the best manager in the country.
In your honest opinion, would Ole compete with Pep or Klopp? Managers who have been involved in multiple Champions League Finals and title races? In one off games he might but in the grand scheme of things you will know you won League titles and who relegated a club in top leagues.
Now for ETH, if he wants to succeed in Man United he needs to know he competes with the absolute best in Pep and Klopp. This is first and foremost to him as a Coach. In that he needs to be tactically better or at par with Klopp and Pep in how a Premier League Season goes about. This is an individual battle. Not squad players, system, injuries, fatigue etc. This is an individual capabilities battle.
Klopp & Pep have done it severally, and shown they can conjure a team to amass 90 + points in sustained period of time. So individually you can say they are at par level. Now, things like money, squad players comes into play but individually they are 2 best.
As an example... Same as Halland vs Martial. We can say Halland plays in a better system that's why he's better etc but at the end of the day Halland is a better striker than Martial. Individually. There is no single day, Martial even placed as City no9 can be better than Halland.
So Ten Hag has to learn quickly how to control and win 30 games in a season that will place him at par with Pep, Klopp and now Arteta in fighting for who is the best coach/team that season.
Arteta did learn massively, and it has paid off in progress even if they don't win the title this season.
So we should cross our fingers that ETH learns, changes the system/structure of the team to enable us be competitive in around 30 -33 games in a Premier League Season. (Wins + draw games).
Margin of error is losing 4-5 games in a season & Being competitive in the rest 33 games.