My favorite Benjamin Disraeli anecdote—amidst a plethora of mostly apocryphal tales—comes from a dinner party he attended as Prime Minister in the late 1870s. The Balkans were in turmoil, and with public sentiment strongly favoring British intervention, the atmosphere at the gathering was understandably strained. Finally, one guest, unable to endure the awkward silence any longer, exclaimed: “Mr. Disraeli, what are you waiting for?”
“At this moment, madam,” Disraeli replied, “the potatoes.”
I found myself reflecting on this story during the 0-0 draw at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, which pretty much sums up the essence of a game characterized—to an unusual extent—by waiting. Waiting for United to take a goal kick to André Onana. Waiting for Onana to decide what to do with the ball. Waiting for the ball to descend after another high clearance. Waiting for corners, free-kicks, and substitutions. Waiting for the final five minutes as referee Robert Jones adjusted his VAR radio. Waiting for something—anything—to happen, the divine intervention that would somehow justify all the waiting. Of course, it never did. This is the beauty of football, especially league football: it offers no guarantees. Hard work often goes unrewarded. You don’t always get what you deserve. Most shots miss, most attacks fizzle out, most corners yield nothing, most cup runs end in failure, and statistically, this probably isn’t “your year.”
By now, Manchester United’s hierarchy is aware that this isn’t their year either, though they didn’t need to endure 97 minutes of Midlands malaise to realize it. Last week, Chief Executive Omar Berrada claimed with a straight face that United’s goal was the 2027-28 Premier League title, an objective that feels both wildly ambitious and wildly unambitious simultaneously. Coach Erik ten Hag echoed this sentiment in his press conference, addressing United’s lack of potency and cohesion with a promise that “one day it will click.” Currently, United seems like a club in a holding pattern, offering comforting visions of the future as a remedy to the present’s misrule.
Waiting for things to click. Waiting because, on some level, it believes that waiting has its own intrinsic value. Waiting because Alex Ferguson was given time, and so all United managers must be given time. Waiting because these are serious men, and serious men do not rush.
In the meantime, a club languishing in the bottom half of the table must approach these games with humility. A point at Aston Villa, under the circumstances, is an excellent result. Does it reveal much about Ten Hag’s team? Not really. Villa, perhaps understandably after the adrenaline rush of Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, were pretty poor: sluggish in buildup, not creative enough in the United half, and often woeful with the final pass.
Moreover, we must acknowledge that this was a United team primarily focused on not losing. In defense, Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire were reunited in a surprising homage to Leicester City’s 2018-19 backline. On the flanks, Marcus Rashford and later Antony were almost auxiliary full-backs at times, more concerned with Lucas Digne’s threat than with what they could create themselves. Ten Hag’s pride in a fourth clean sheet of the season was a good indicator of his priorities.
This is not criticism but merely observation. Slow, painstaking, often fitful improvement is the only way this troubled ship will right itself. Sometimes it will work, sometimes you’ll grind out 0-0 draws away from home, sometimes Rasmus Højlund will spend the entire game running away from the ball like a scared cat, and sometimes it will be all three. Patience is an admirable trait. But let’s not pretend it earns you anything on its own.
United have an executive board meeting scheduled in London for Tuesday, which the media will undoubtedly describe as a “crunch meeting,” a “crisis summit,” “Ten Hag sack talks,” and so on. Perhaps if Ten Hag is replaced, there may be scrutiny of the decision to offer him a new contract in July, after spending much of the summer undermining what remained of his authority.
The most likely outcome, however, is more waiting. More commitment to the process. More standing firm, maintaining focus, sticking to the plan, even if that plan has so far yielded five goals in seven games, 14th in the table, and a center-back pairing out of an ITV2 detective drama. What are they waiting for? At this moment, it’s not entirely clear.
