Coventry City manager, ex-Man United man Mark Robins not “fooled” by Erik ten Hag’s men’s current slump | OneFootball

Manchester United taking on a Championship side who don’t even have an absolute home advantage.

What could go wrong? Plenty, if United’s recent performances are any indicator.

Erik ten Hag’s men have won just one of their last seven Premier League games and a game against Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final, for which they would be favourites generally, suddenly looks like a banana skin.

Coventry are managed by Mark Robins, the man famously credited with saving Sir Alex Ferguson’s job at United in 1990 by scoring in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest.

In a funny twist of fate, he might end up being the man who costs the current United manager his job if they topple the Red Devils and end their only chance at a trophy this season.

However, amid the noise, Robins is refusing to get pulled into this narrative, going as far as to say that people “talk in a derisory way” about Manchester United.

He said United retain the power to hurt anybody on their day, referencing the win against Liverpool in the same competition as well as the draw at home against the same opposition.

Robins stressed the gulf in quality between the two teams, saying he will have to consider a “lot of things” coming up against “the biggest club in the world”.

While some of it can be taken as regular manager-speak so the players don’t start believing in their own hype, it is clear to see how much respect Robins holds for his former club.

He has done an impressive job at Coventry City, with the club in the mix for a playoff place to get promoted to the Premier League next season.

However, they have lost three of their last five league games so their form isn’t much better than that of United’s.

Having said that, a giant-killing will concentrate the minds of the underdogs and the chance to topple a Premier League elite at Wembley makes it certain they will come out firing.

It is then up to Erik ten Hag’s men to match that intensity otherwise this failure could be the last one for this group as it is currently standing.

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