Erik ten Hag could be coaching for his future at Manchester United as we enter the run-in of this season. Despite what Ten Hag may claim, United have fallen far FAR out of the running for a Champions League berth and thus their only hope of any glory at all is the FA Cup, with a semi-final against Championship side Coventry City coming up this weekend.
United look likely to reach the cup final, but they have still been a disaster in the league.
FA Cup Semifinal FYIs
Coventry City vs Manchester United
Kick: Sun. Apr. 21, 3:30 pm, Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Man United Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction Team News
Fun Fact: These two sides have met in this competition on two previous occasions (1984-85, 1986-87), with the winner of the tie going on to win the entire tournament both times.
Ten Hag’s second season at the club could see them potentially fall below the 7th-place mark for the first time in the Premier League era. It’s a massive drop-off from the former Ajax man’s first season at the club, which saw a third-place finish in the league and an end to United’s half-decade silverware drought.
This has been a campaign plagued by a multitude of injuries, tons of off-the-pitch drama, and a disjointed, incoherent side on-the-pitch. For the sake of Ten Hag, his side and the United community at large, it would be nice to finish this term on a high by winning the FA Cup.
However, there is no guarantee that even winning a trophy would be enough to save Ten Hag from the sack. It remains to be seen what Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS will do.
Man United Starting XI Prediction vs Coventry City (FA Cup Semifinals)
Andre Onana; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, Diogo Dalot; Christian Eriksen, Kobbie Mainoo; Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Rasmus Hojlund
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.