da 888casino： The Dutchman could yet end this harrowing season on a high, but an unlikely win over Manchester City will not mask the team's dire state

da bet7： The FA Cup's history is steeped in shock results, but the last real upset in a final came in 2013 when Manchester City were stunned by soon-to-be-relegated Wigan Athletic. If City are beaten by Machester United in Saturday's showpiece at Wembley, it will be the greatest final shock to take place since then.

Both sides have just recorded historic seasons, but for very different reasons. City became the first team in 135 years of English football to win four consecutive league titles. United, meanwhile, have just posted their lowest finish in the Premier League while also ending with a negative goal difference.

The Red Devils also lost 14 matches, another unwanted club record in the Premier League era. In all competitions, they have lost 19. By way of contrast, City lost just four, excluding penalty shootouts. They last tasted defeat more than five months ago on December 6. And with Rodri in their side, as he will be at Wembley, they have not been beaten since February 2023.

The difference between the two teams, which Erik ten Hag had the cheek to describe as "small margins" after the last Manchester derby, is colossal. City finished with 31 more points than United while scoring an extra 39 goals and conceding 24 goals fewer.

GettyVictory unlikely but not impossible

While United are ravaged by injuries, sweating on the fitness of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw before Saturday, City have a clean bill of health aside from the injured Ederson, who would have played back-up to Stefan Ortega regardless.

Many United fans will be dreading a bloodbath at Wembley, a repeat of the 6-1 hammering City dished out to them in 2011 at Old Trafford or the 6-3 thrashing at the Etihad Stadium early last season. But finals are often tight and nerves always set in. A United win, while unlikely, is not entirely out of the question.

Ten Hag's side were unbeaten in all three of their games with Liverpool this season, toppling them in the unforgettable FA Cup quarter-final. They could frustrate City, Erling Haaland could miss a few sitters, and United have match-winners in Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford who could snatch victory.

But even if United can pull off the seemingly impossible and lift the FA Cup at City's expense, it should not be Ten Hag's golden ticket to another season in the dugout.

AdvertisementGetty Too many false dawns

While a hypothetical victory over City would be one of Ten Hag's greatest feats as United manager, it would be the exception that proves the rule. Anyone who thinks it could be a turning point for him, a platform from which his side could achieve great things, has not been paying much attention this season.

United fans have heard the words 'turning point' quite a few times this season after the occasional big win. But more often than not, those few enjoyable moments have been mere false dawns. Ten Hag first used the dreaded phrase after Scott McTominay's late show against Brentford. “It has to be a turning point and also a restart. These games give fuel to the dressing room," he said.

United did indeed win their next two matches against the 'giants' of Sheffield United and Copenhagen, both by small margins. But then they were embarrassed by City, losing 3-0 at Old Trafford, before being destroyed by a hugely inexperienced Newcastle team in the Carabao Cup.

GettyNo turning point after all

The manager talked in the same terms after the cup win over Liverpool. He said: "This could be the moment that gives the team energy and the belief that they can do amazing things. When you can beat Liverpool like this you can beat any opponent."

Yet in their next five games after stunning Jurgen Klopp's side, United failed to win once, shipping 12 goals in the process. Their next win, the hard-fought victory at home to basement club Sheffield United, was also no turning point, preceding the draw against Burnley, humiliation at Crystal Palace and defeat at home to Arsenal.

The same is true of the other big wins United have enjoyed. The 3-0 success at Everton, their joint-biggest victory of the campaign, was followed by the mad 3-3 draw at Galatasaray and then a grim 1-0 defeat at Newcastle. The 2-1 victory over Chelsea in December was followed by the shock 3-0 thrashing at home to Bournemouth. And the thrilling comeback from two goals down against Aston Villa on Boxing Day was followed by defeat at Nottingham Forest.

It is naive to expect that anything different would happen in the unlikely event the FA Cup is draped in red white and black ribbons on Saturday.

GettyExcuses, not solutions

The only spell of the season in which United showed any real consistency came between January and February, when the team strung together four Premier League wins, five in all competitions. Their second-longest winning streak was three games.

Ten Hag has often hid behind United's injury record and, in fairness to him, that five-game streak came when he had the majority of his best players available. But once Rasmus Hojlund got injured in late February and Fernandes had to play up front against Fulham, everything fell apart again.

Injuries are a reality of modern football and it is unrealistic to expect your best players to always be available. The top coaches find solutions amid player shortages. Too often, however, Ten Hag has reached for excuses. The manager has not taken any responsibility for the litany of injury setbacks his team have suffered either.

Ten Hag has also cursed the team's luck on the pitch, repeatedly bringing up the defeat at Arsenal in September as a sliding doors moment, pointing to a penalty that never was given to Hojlund and Garnacho's marginally-offside disallowed goal.