Manchester United haven’t had the greatest start to their season but Roberto de Zerbi is at least showing that they have fixed a major mistake.
The jury is still out on Michael Carrick, and considering the discourse around Man Utd at the best of times, it will remain so.
However, there is one thing that can be definitively said about this Man Utd squad which hammers home the fact that Ineos have fixed a mistake this club used to make repeatedly.
If it wasn’t clear already, Roberto de Zerbi has shown that United have turned over a new leaf.
Roberto de Zerbi’s Spurs are the new “Glazers’ Man Utd”
“Winners” of the transfer window, blank cheques offered to players to sign, spending freely to “show ambition”, and ending up with a disastrous start to the season.
The manager is already questioning the mentality of the players, who look disinterested themselves, and the fans can’t believe what’s happening.
The two statements above can be said for Glazer-era Man Utd, as well as Roberto de Zerbi’s Spurs.
Having drawn without scoring against Everton, it’s now four games into the season that Spurs haven’t scored.
This is after a rebuilt team to the tune of nearly £400m, which, in comparison, is nearly thrice the net spend of Man Utd this summer.
Man Utd fans would know better than anybody that spending the most money and winning the transfer window is no guarantee of success, and Spurs are now learning it the hard way.
To make it even more poetic, De Zerbi was touted as one of the managers for Man Utd, but the club went in a different direction.
Therein lies the difference between Ineos’ approach at United and what the Glazers did.
Ineos have pivoted away from Glazers’ route
Ineos could be forgiven for looking at what’s happening at Spurs right now and crack a wry smile, especially due to the narratives at play here.
There was interest in Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes as well, who are Spurs’ marquee midfield signings.
Both players chose the blank cheque offered by Spurs, and neither has any role clarity now, and the manager who convinced them to join is already in self-destruction mode.
This head coach-driven transfer philosophy had been the bane of Man Utd’s existence, because the coaches changed, and key players for one became scrap heap for another.
Tools would get downed, and the club would be on the hook for millions in wages of players who no longer were committed to the club.
Ineos have pivoted away from this exact approach, maybe sometimes too much, but you would rather be too careful than completely careless.
Spurs are learning it the hard way.
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