Manchester United fans are loving life under Erik ten Hag. The team may not be winning every game nor in the Champions League spots but after years of stopping and starting, things finally seem to be going in the right direction.
However, things could have gone very differently. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired United have had five permanent managers and one interim; David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick, and now Ten Hag.
But after the disappointment of Mourinho, many United fans wanted to double down on appointing a 'proven winner' especially while Solskjaer was just in place as an interim option. Diego Simeone was a name suggested by some fans, but an option that gained a lot of traction within the fanbase due to the fact that he was available was Massimiliano Allegri.
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United would choose to stick with Solskjaer, who went on to manage United until his sacking last season; a 4-1 loss to Watford in the Premier League sealing his fate. Allegri on the other hand would return to his former club Juventus replacing former player Andrea Pirlo.
Some reports in Italy did suggest that United considered Allegri while Solskjaer was still manager, but a move never materialised.
But why did fans want Allegri? Well in his previous spell as Juventus manager he had won five Serie A titles in a row alongside two Coppa Italia titles and a Champions League final.
Most United fans understood however that his defensive and overly pragmatic approach would have made even Mourinho look like an ultra-attacking coach in comparison. And if it didn't provide results then the Old Trafford faithful would quickly turn on the Italian.
And this is exactly what has happened during Allegri's return to the Bianconeri.
Juventus currently sit 8th in the league 10 points off the top spot, having lost to the likes of Monza and drawn to Salernitana. But it is the style of football they were playing that caused the majority of complaints from fans of the club.
This doesn't look like a team that can challenge for the title under Allegri despite it being a squad that is overflowing with talent, and the team looks like they are going in completely the wrong direction as well. However the Italian team are struggling for cash and according to the national media, they are unable to part ways with the manager due to the money it would cost to buy him out of his contract.
But with every match that passes, this is proving more and more like a gamble Juventus need to make. And their 4-3 loss to Benfica has all but confirmed it.
For the first time since 2013-14, Juventus will not progress to the Champions League knockout stages and will drop into the Europa League where they could face United if Ten Hag's are unable to top the group; after they lost to Real Sociedad in the opening game of the group following a dubious penalty decision.
Overall, it seems the right decision that United never were enticed by the trophies and prestige of Allegri and instead of focusing on the past looked forward to the future. Like so many managers before him, it seems like his tactics have become outdated.
United under Ten Hag may not yet be perfect and they may never be, but you can at least see the road ahead and the potential. And for that fans are happy with his appointment.
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