There is an unwanted parallel with Manchester United's last Dutch manager: the current United has scored as many Premier League goals as the pitiful 49 they scraped in Louis van Gaal's second season.
It is easy to forget when researching United's impotence this term how soporific the 2015-16 season was for the Old Trafford denizens. Between Juan Mata's penalty against Wolfsburg on September 30 and Jesse Lingard's header against Stoke on February 2, the Scoreboard End - the goal United traditionally attack in the first half - did not witness a single goal.
In 11 successive home matches, the interval scoreline read: 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0.
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Supporters voted with their feet to oppose Van Gaal's stultifying style. There were swathes of empty seats for the midweek visit of Crystal Palace in April and thousands of season-ticket holders informed the club they would not renew if Van Gaal stayed on. He was officially sacked two days after the FA Cup final that United won.
Time is a great healer and some United fans speak wistfully about Van Gaal now. So do some players. Wayne Rooney's revisionism in a foreword to Van Gaal's book and his appearance in the enlightening documentary about the Dutchman jars. Few United players were more (privately) scathing about Van Gaal than Rooney.
The incumbent Dutchman in charge of United has more favourable approval ratings among supporters. Yet, like with Van Gaal, the Erik ten Hag brochure is not what was promised. United have tallied a dismal 10 goals in their 11 games since the March internationals.
Ten Hag's choice of Wout Weghorst as a mid-season addition is cause alone for the football leadership coterie at United to query any future recommendations honed in the Eredivisie. Weghorst's two tap-ins in 27 games is at least a better record than Diego Forlan but worse than Garry Birtles and Radamel Falcao. United do not plan on signing Weghorst permanently.
Marcus Rashford has nearly three times as many goals as United's next-highest scorer, Bruno Fernandes. Antony, on eight goals, will be scrutinised more harshly if United's run-in is unsuccessful and his namesake Martial is a number nine whose number is up.
United's goalscoring ills are so acute Fred is joint-fifth in the charts. Rashford is the only United player in the top 36 scorers in the Premier League. Players from Everton, Southampton, Bournemouth, two from Leicester and two from Crystal Palace have been more prolific than Fernandes, Antony, Martial, Fred et al.
Harry Kane or Victor Osimhen would not necessarily be panacea. United have a surfeit of flaky wingers and there would be logic in shifting one to accommodate the attainable James Maddison, scorer of 22 league goals this season and last in a declining Leicester team sinking into the Championship.
Christian Eriksen, the true technician in United's midfield, tends to last an hour in games. Casemiro had his work cut out defending more than attacking last week and there is an overreliance on the indefatigable Fernandes, influential more than ever in a season he has been relocated to the flank time and again.
A younger and dynamic midfielder is almost as urgent a need as a stellar striker to provide another creative foil. Ten Hag would not be averse to another attempt at wooing Frenkie de Jong but the chances of a reunion still feel remote.
Antony is a work in progress and there have were glimpses of the full package in April. United and Ten Hag badly need that overpriced investment to pay off.
Amad has enjoyed an auspicious season with Sunderland in the Championship and a Paul Smith suit has been reserved in his measurements for the FA Cup final. United's frontline has not been completely balanced with one left-footed forward and they have one now ready for his Premier League trial.
Alejandro Garnacho has developed at a rate beyond the expectations of those who have trained him on a daily basis at Carrington. United have to continue to manage the 18-year-old attentively to ensure he follows the path of Rashford rather than Adnan Januzaj.
"I think he could have been a superstar if he’d had the mentality of Ryan," Nicky Butt said of Januzaj, referring to Giggs. Januzaj later told me he would still be at United if he had "the right coaches".
He was also not a fan of Van Gaal.
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