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Manchester United must not copy Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel mistakes with Erik ten Hag

It is less than four weeks since Manchester United were the Premier League side in crisis. Fast forward four matches and now they are a team on the rise, having gathered momentum and self-belief under manager Erik ten Hag.

The table is hardly worth looking at at such an early stage in the season, given that one win can drastically alter the position a side is in. But it is worth noting that United are now performing as one of the top five teams in the division despite a disastrous start.

After humiliating losses to Brighton and Brentford, changes were made on the pitch, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire dropped to the bench, but most importantly, the club realised further significant investment was needed in the summer window.

Huge fees were paid to sign Casemiro and Antony, while Ten Hag also got his wish of another back-up goalkeeper with the arrival of Martin Dubravka on deadline day. In his time of need, United stood by the manager they had appointed in the summer and kept their promise to back him where he deemed necessary. The reward has been instant. The same can’t be said for Chelsea.

The Blues are only two points worse off than United this season but have taken the decision to sack manager Thomas Tuchel after a chaotic summer at the club.

Chelsea had backed the 49-year-old with a number of big decisions, approving his decision to get rid of Romelu Lukaku and to eventually replace him with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But there was discontent from the manager at the way things had changed.

He loved his role purely as a manager when Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia focused on the transfer dealings above him, but since they left, the hierarchy became a mess and Tuchel was tasked with a semi-sporting director role of recruitment as well.

Even if it was all-but decided before the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, the decision to sack him feels like an impulsive one influenced by the poor performances to start the season — further evidence of the lack of forward planning in place. His exit from Chelsea highlights the importance of structure at a football club, even more so given Brighton boss Graham Potter is a leading candidate to takeover at Stamford Bridge, a manager who has excelled thanks in part to a clear football hierarchy above him.