Erik ten Hag, Manchester United pressure, Wembley and the lessons of history.
FA Cup final should be about the sport but too often about off-field noise.
When Michael Carrick returned to a raucous Manchester United dressing room at Wembley in 2016, clutching a bottle of champagne after winning the FA Cup, he heard the news that Louis van Gaal was about to be dismissed. The decision was being leaked, tweeted, going viral even as the final whistle was being blown.
Carrick looked at his manager, a proud human being trying to conceal his humiliation. All around the dressing room was celebration over the trophy. Van Gaal put a brave face on his personal heartache. Even though a fortnight earlier Van Gaal matter-of-factly informed Carrick he would not be getting a new contract, the midfielder felt for the Dutchman. Why couldn’t the leaking of the news have waited? Why couldn’t Van Gaal have just been allowed to revel the moment?