From the first treble in the Premier League to the down-and-out giants, what did Manchester United do wrong?

Trend News Client reporter Ying Luyang

In the league last weekend, Manchester United lost the Manchester City Derby 0-3. With 4 league rounds and 4 points, Manchester United ushered in its worst start since the 1992/93 season.

Faced with another defeat, Manchester United fans were numb - similar mistakes and tragedies were repeated, and it was difficult to spit out new ideas if they were spit out. Seeing the ranking of 14th in the standings, it was difficult to feel turbulent again. As legendary Gary Neville said: "Sometimes I feel angry and frustrated when I see Manchester United lose such a game, and this time I feel nothing, which is even worse."

In 2013, Ferguson's retirement took away a glorious era that belonged to Manchester United. More than a decade have passed, and the "Dream Theater" in Old Trafford has long faded. From Moyes to Tenhach, eight coaches came and went like a revolving lantern, but never led the Red Devils back to the top. The huge investment in each transfer window has resulted in repeated disappointing results. How did Manchester United, the former King of Kings and the first Premier League team to achieve a triple-championship, decline step by step?

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Since the acquisition of Manchester United in 2005, the Glazer family has been controversial. Although the Glazer family has brought considerable income to the club by enhancing brand value and goodwill, their acquisition method has forced Manchester United to bear huge debt burdens, and management's professional judgment in football affairs is often questioned by the outside world.

After Ferguson's departure, Manchester United lacked a clear strategic direction for a long time. The frequent changes in coaches have led to the normal return of the team's tactical style and team building ideas. The introduced players may match one coach’s tactics, but they may not be suitable for the next one.

Manchester United has invested heavily in the transfer market, but many sky-high signings failed to meet expectations. Players such as Anthony, Sancho, Hoylen, etc. left the team this summer, and Manchester United lost nearly 200 million pounds to clean up these players. Among them, Anthony was labeled as the most expensive parallel product in the club's history with a transfer fee of 100 million, which also clearly reflects the club's poor recruitment policy in recent years. No matter how big a star is, if it does not conform to the head coach's tactics and team system, its value will be greatly reduced.

In addition to the chaos in management and the frequent changes in coaches over the years, the tactical system has been continuously pushed back and forth, what makes Manchester United most sad is the demise of its spiritual attributes.

Once upon a time, because they often defeated their opponents in the last moment of injury time, British media and fans created the exclusive term "Ferguson Time" for this phenomenon, and "Red Devils" has also become synonymous with tenacity. The spirit of not being afraid of difficulties and failure is the reason why many people are deeply obsessed with Manchester United.

Now, this European giant family that is deeply trapped in the quagmire has lost the spiritual attribute of never giving up in the Ferguson era. If the complete defeat in the Manchester City derby is a comprehensive backwardness from the layout and adjustment to the player's personal abilities, then there seems to be no other excuse to be eliminated by the English League Two team through a penalty shootout in the second round of the British League Cup.

Former Manchester United coach Moyes was asked about his feelings when he first walked into the Manchester United locker room in an interview this year that it was an elite locker room. "They just experienced the great era of Ferguson. The mentality, motivation and desire to win are something I have never seen before. I also have a group of excellent players in Everton, but there is a stronger thing in Manchester United players, which is closely linked to victory, and even with the point of proving who we are."

And today, Manchester United has not only lost its former spiritual attributes, but has even become listless. Luke Shaw, the first team player who played for the longest, admitted in an interview with reporters this summer: "I have been extremely negative here in the past few years. The environment here may be 'toxic' and not healthy at all." In his opinion, after experiencing the turmoil of the past decade, Amorin's only chance of success lies in changing the atmosphere of the club.

Manchester United's dilemma is not caused by a single reason, but by the interweaving of many factors such as management decision-making, team building and club culture. Manchester United still has a deep foundation and global influence, but the road to revival is destined to require time, patience and the right direction.