Both Manchester United and Chelsea continue to suffer badly in the Premier League this season. While United are eighth with 15 points from 10 matches after their humiliating and demoralizing 0-3 loss to Manchester City, Chelsea dropped to 11th with 12 points from 10 matches after their 0-1 loss at home to Brentford.
Manchester United have lost five of their 10 league matches so far and Chelsea have lost four of theirs. Those are not the kind of performances the supporters expect from a big club, even considering the fact that both are going through rebuilding phases.
A decade of frustration for Manchester United:
Manchester United have not won the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as the manager after winning it in 2013. The likes of David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have come and gone after underwhelming stints at the club.
There have been a few disappointing signings like those of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Eric Bailly, Henrik Mkhitaryan, Matteo Darmian, Ander Herrera and Mason Mount, all of whom failed to fulfil the expectations pinned on them by the supporters and management.
Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup and finished third in the league in the 2022-23 season, which was a big success, given the fact that it was his maiden season at the club. However, the club has gone downwards this season, with neither their playing style nor their performance being befitting for their stature as a club.
There have been issues with regard to change in ownership in the club, but they cannot explain the ineptness shown on the pitch by the Manchester United players.
A graveyard for managers at Chelsea:
Embed from Getty ImagesAntonio Conte won the league title in 2016-17 with Chelsea, but that seems to be a distant memory now. The Blues won a UEFA Champions League title in between, but even that failed to reverse their fortune as a club overall.
None of Thomas Tuchel, Frank Lampard and Graham Potter fulfilled the expectations as the Chelsea manager and now Mauricio Pochettino is also feeling the heat with an indifferent start to the season.
The fact that Pochettino is in his debut season at the club might give him some immunity, but it cannot be said with conviction at this moment that he is going to last out the season should the downward slide continue.
Even tougher times might be awaiting them
Embed from Getty ImagesManchester United are playing in the Champions League this season, but risk going out in the group stage itself with two defeats in three matches already. Exiting early in the Champions League might even be a blessing in disguise for them, as it will enable them to focus on salvaging the season as far as the Premier League is concerned.
However, that is by no means an acceptable logic for the United faithful, as a club of their stature is supposed to perform well in Europe as well. As for Chelsea, they have a number of challenging fixtures coming up in November, which might decide the fate of them this season.