Watching the team that Manchester United have become under Erik ten Hag, it brings to mind the optimism of his appointment. His success at Ajax was not just measured in silverware but the manner in which it was delivered through a distinct style of play.
Speaking to players and coaches who had worked with him in his native land, a picture was painted. "He always had the best tactical thoughts," Boudewijn Pahlplatz told Sky Sports. "It has been step by step, developing his own philosophy and his own way of playing."
Pahlplatz had been a team-mate. Sjoerd Overgoor was a player of Ten Hag's at FC Twente and then Go Ahead Eagles. "Every time, we would start with the goalkeeper and he would talk us through the patterns of how we could attack," Overgoor told Sky Sports.
There was no ambiguity to the approach. His style was stamped all over those sides. "After a couple of months of the season, there were matches where we knew what we had to do and everyone was seeing it the same way. It was really clear and it was working."
This is all history but it feels pertinent given the nature of the criticism. Ten Hag has had to navigate stormy waters at Old Trafford. There is an appreciation that off-field events have disrupted his tenure. An understanding that the structures have failed him.
Where there is less sympathy for his struggles is on the pitch itself. Regardless of the errors in recruitment or any of the debate around man-management mistakes, it is the performances - even more than the results - that continue to undermine confidence in him.
"We need to see a style of play develop in the next few months," Gary Neville told Sky Sports after January's 2-2 draw with Tottenham. "What I see is a collection of single passes where a player
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