Manchester United need to avoid doing something they have not done in 50 years vs Wolves
Manchester United will be determined to hit the ground running when they face Wolves in their Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Monday evening.
United are going to be expected to push on following an impressive first year under Erik ten Hag. Last season was littered with success and there is optimism around the club that the Reds will make further progress under Ten Hag.
The Dutchman transformed United’s fortunes last season, meaning the damage that was done during the 2021/22 campaign was quickly forgotten about. Ten Hag restored standards, gave the club an identity again and rebuilt the relationship between players and fans.
It was not without its challenges, though. Ten Hag inherited a sinking ship at the time of taking charge and faced no shortage of big decisions throughout his first season at the helm, ranging from Cristiano Ronaldo’s bombshell interview to the David de Gea conundrum.
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Good results at the start of the season did not come naturally. After a positive pre-season tour in Thailand and Australia, United came back down to earth with a bump at the beginning of the campaign, losing 2-1 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion and then 4-0 to Brentford in Ten Hag’s first two competitive games in charge.
The humbling at Brentford left United bottom of the Premier League table after their first two matches and pressure was on Ten Hag to get a result against Liverpool, something he achieved, guiding the Reds to an impressive 2-1 victory. That was the night United’s resurrection began.
That also marked the beginning of a long unbeaten home run in the Premier League for the Reds, which is something that they will want to preserve for as long as possible. United are unbeaten in their last 18 league home games, last tasting defeat in M16 against Brighton on the opening day of last term.
United will be determined to keep that record going against Wolves. However, to throw an added element of intrigue into the pre-match build-up, Wolves will be embarking on a new era after Gary O’Neil was appointed as Julen Lopetegui’s successor on Wednesday.
The transfer window is in full swing and United have got their hands on three players well in advance of the September 1 deadline, with Rasmus Hojlund joining Mason Mount and Andre Onana at Old Trafford.
A goalkeeper, a midfielder and a striker were Erik ten Hag’s priorities heading into the summer window, but that doesn’t mean their business ends here, with a move for Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat also on the cards, as well as plenty of possible departures, including Harry Maguire to West Ham.
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Should Wolves spring an opening day surprise and make a winning start to the O’Neil era, it would leave United to reflect on an opening day defeat for the second season in a row. The Reds have not lost successive opening-day fixtures since all the way back in 1973, a whopping 50 years ago.
United lost 3-0 to Arsenal away from home on the opening day of the 1973/74 campaign, just 12 months after being edged out 2-1 at home to Ipswich Town on the opening day of the 1972/73 season. Denis Law was on target for the Reds that day.
As a side note, Wolves will be looking to avoid an unwanted opening-day record themselves. After being beaten 1-0 by Leicester City at the start of the 2021/22 campaign and going down 2-1 to Leeds United on the opening day of last season, they will want to avoid a third successive opening-day defeat for the first time since 1990/91.
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