Manchester United kicked off 2022 in dismal fashion against Wolverhampton Wanderers, falling to a 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford after a late goal from Joao Moutinho.
On that occasion, Wolves were the dominant force against a passive United side, managing 10 more shots - 19 compared to only nine from United. And this was by no means a side renowned for being attack-minded; Bruno Lage's side ended the season as the lowest-scoring side to stay in the division.
It was a wretched start to the year for United and, not for the first time in recent memory, the 12 months that ensued were tumultuous.
But, now at the turn of the year, there is a sense that, under Erik ten Hag, stability is starting to return. The football is improving, and a disjointed, disgruntled squad is back in check.
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It was fitting that United closed out 2022 on New Years' Eve with a trip to Molineux to face Wolves - the same opponent that they lost out to in their first match of the year. It could be interpreted as a form of marker for judging their progress across the last 12 months.
United won 1-0, which is a relatively uninspiring scoreline on the face of things. But the two sides hadn't played out a single match with a margin above a single goal in the 12 prior meetings in all competitions since Wolves' promotion back to the Premier League, with three goals on three occasions the highest-scoring encounter and United only winning four times.
The fact of the matter is that it is always attritional against Wolves, so United coming out on top in such a match - which they may not have done in recent years - indicates development.
Just look back to last January. In terms of the outcome, the meeting at Old Trafford to commence affairs for 2022 was tight (as has become the norm against Wolves). But the game swung Wolves' way. This time, however, United were the controlling force.
Frankly, a lack of authority - whether on the pitch or from certain personnel - was the story of the first half of this year with Ralf Rangnick in interim charge.
Rangnick was undoubtedly innovative, but there was often a sense that the German and his coaching staff were subservient presences that struggled to deal with the players at their disposal. Control quickly spiralled away in the dressing room, and performances wavered to significant extents on the pitch.
United only won eight times in 25 matches between the start of 2022 and the climax of the 2021/22 campaign, and Ten Hag - a flexible tactician and known disciplinarian - taking over in the summer couldn't come soon enough.
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Realisation of the task at hand came in stark fashion for Ten Hag at the beginning of his maiden campaign at the helm, with defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion and annihilation against Brentford eliciting familiar, numb feelings.
But, where there was no bounce-back ability earlier in the year under Rangnick's reign, resilience came to the fore and a turnaround was orchestrated by Ten Hag, who has been a key figure in rebuilding an elite mentality at the club.
Since the campaign's torrid start, wins at home against Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have shown an ability to go toe-to-toe with England's elite; Old Trafford is in the preliminary stages of being built back into a fortress again.
A growing sense of authority has been clear since Ten Hag took over. For instance, United's maligned transfer strategy wasn't as fragmented with a new face at the helm in the summer. Ten Hag was clear with his desires, and he has ended up with some highly-impactful new additions.
Christian Eriksen's acquisition did come with a sense of opportunism, but Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro - two profiles of player desired by Ten Hag - have been revelations so far this term. Antony needs more time to adapt before he can be judged amid teething problems, but even he has scored on three occasions. Tyrell Malacia has also proven to be a good option.
This sense of Ten Hag being a ruling figure also stems to his dealings with youth, accelerating but at the same time effectively managing the development of the likes of Alejandro Garnacho.
It has come to light that Ten Hag has taken charge of the reserve team, making key decisions such as team selection as well as players' minutes and roles. This was viewed a necessity in negotiations upon joining United, which reflects well on Ten Hag being intact with the club's values of establishing a clear pathway between the academy and senior team.
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Man-management and player development is a valuable strength of Ten Hag's, but this does constitute tough love at times.
Marcus Rashford is now a perfect example of this. In the summer, his future at United looked in some doubt. But he is now arguably in the form of his life, which is not only credit to his own mentality but the work of Ten Hag. Benni McCarthy - an attacking coach shrewdly appointed by Ten Hag - also deserves a mention for his work behind the scenes.
However, despite Rashford's present spell, Ten Hag was by no means discouraged from dropping such a standout player from the starting side due to a disciplinary breach ahead of his side's meeting with Wolves to end 2023.
Rashford confirmed he was late to a team meeting having accidentally overslept but admitted that he was completely understanding of the decision from Ten Hag to name him on the bench. "It's the team rules," Rashford said.
It was clearly an unintentional offence, but Ten Hag's stand was still necessary (even if strict) to remain consistent with his values. At the end of the day, small offences should be punished to ensure they don't amount to anything greater over time.
Rashford took the punishment well, evidencing a clear sense of respect for the values being instilled by Ten Hag. He didn't publicly sulk about the incident, instead producing a wry smile as he fronted up about his misfortune when conducting post-match interviews.
Ten Hag isn't one to hold grudges either - he makes his point and moves on. He introduced Rashford at half-time at the Molineux with United's attack faltering somewhat, which was a decision vindicated by Rashford scoring the decisive goal.
It was an exceptional piece of persistence from Rashford to score - a piece of play that certainly would not have happened if he was in the same vein of form as last season. There was an intricate one-two with Bruno Fernandes, with intelligent movement seeing Rashford receive the ball in the box before using his strength to hold off defenders and almost barge his way through to score ruthlessly.
Ten Hag greeted this with a smile and fist pump in celebration.
Rashford was later unlucky not to have a second goal after a show of similar persistence and strength saw the ball eventually ricochet past Jose Sa off Rashford, only for VAR to deem Rashford to have committed a handball. Still, his game-changing performance earned a warm embrace from Ten Hag.
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Ten Hag's disciplinarian nature has been a crucial attribute that has allowed him to steady the sinking ship that he took over.
"People can't do whatever they want," Luke Shaw told BT Sport after the win over Wolves. "Maybe that has been the problem in the past - people getting away with silly little things."
There is no doubt that Ten Hag exudes a dominant presence in the dressing room, which is unquestionably a big part of why the players are so onside. If you don't co-operate, you will suffer the consequences: that seems to be the mantra.
This has been evident from as early as pre-season, when Ten Hag enforced a number of rules, including surrounding lateness. It hasn't been the most straightforward of starts to life in the job as United manager, but he has contended with difficulties astutely.
The whole Cristiano Ronaldo saga could weigh on some managers, but Ten Hag navigated the situation with little fuss and was decisive as he opted to once banish Ronaldo from the squad for three days before his contract was eventually terminated. He now won't even entertain questions about Ronaldo. Again: point made, move on.
He is by no means afraid to make a stand, regardless of the stature of the player or the form they are in. It is crucial that players are shown where errors are made, and failure to learn rightly puts you in deep water. Ten Hag has been keen to show he is above his players and has no favourites, which is just how it should be.
In any case, no big deal is made of any issues. He was concise and wouldn't be drawn on the issue surrounding Rashford aside from stating "internal disciplinary" reasons were the cause of his omission against Wolves.
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On the footballing side of things, United's performance was still imperfect against Wolves. But, with Ten Hag's stint at the club still young, intention can be just as important as execution when initially assessing progress.
It is massively positive that Ten Hag's players are co-operating as he tries to apply his principles. But - an excellent coach as well as manager - Ten Hag has struck a good balance whereby he gradually phases new things in, avoiding overloading players with fresh information.
Against Wolves, there was a commitment to getting into a firm defensive shape as soon as possession was relinquished. There were occasions where this set-up was breached, but there is definite improvement in the structure on display - something also evident in possession where interchanges between players are not uncommon with the system fluid.
Much of this progress is down to a larger sense of collaboration within the squad. The players appear on the same page again and are playing for one another, which has been invaluable to the forging of cohesion.
Ten Hag demands a high work ethic, and his squad now work collectively to deliver on his demands. There is a more evident impetus on intensity, whether through pressing high to force turnovers and pounce on errors, or via quick passing when attacking.
Of course, none of this is executed pristinely at present. Giveaways are not uncommon and wastefulness remains an issue; both Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony Martial squandered clear-cut chances in the first half against Wolves. But, looking at the other side of the coin, it is a plus point that creation is to such an extent that there are chances to go begging.
Ten Hag will need backing in the transfer market to continue his rebuild, starting with signing a potent striker.
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Even with work still to be done, United's current upward trajectory is something to behold when you look back to the manner in which they started 2022.
Ten Hag is starting to rebuild an identity, which was evidenced in part by United's victory over Wolves on Saturday afternoon as they showed grit to overcome an obstacle that would previously have been unbreachable to them. Despite their defence being makeshift once again, with Luke Shaw at centre-back, they pulled together to keep a clean sheet too.
United head into the new year on the back of five consecutive victories in all competitions, including three wins with clean sheets since the World Cup. They have only lost two league matches since the concerning start to the domestic campaign.
As a result of this continuing renaissance, United are back in the top four - ahead of Spurs with a game in hand after their defeat to Aston Villa. They are only four points adrift of Manchester City in second and trail Newcastle by a mere two points with a game in hand.
Ten Hag hasn't only steadied the ship, but he has steered it well and truly back in the right direction heading into 2023.
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