Manchester United are set to face Brentford in their next Premier League fixture following two consecutive setbacks. Their recent 3-2 loss to Galatasaray in the Champions League group stage has placed them at the bottom of the table. Additionally, they faced defeat in their previous match against Crystal Palace, suffering a 1-0 loss at home.
The recent fixtures have been quite disheartening for the United fans, both in the Champions League and the Premier League, where they currently find themselves in the tenth position. The Red Devils are trailing Manchester City, who are the table-toppers, by nine points. According to Daily Mail, Ten Hag insists that there are no justifications but has provided little insight into the abrupt downturn in Manchester United’s performance.
Injury Setbacks
Notable defenders Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez are sidelined with long-term injuries, leaving Ten Hag without the left side of his defensive line. Recent acquisitions Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund have also faced spells on the treatment table alongside Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Sergio Reguilon. The club currently has sevfen players sidelined with injuries which leaves ten Hag which leaves Ten Hag struggling to maintain a stable starting lineup.
Furthermore, in addition to the injury setbacks, Ten Hag has been without three of his top forwards for reasons unrelated to football. Jadon Sancho has been suspended to train alone after being at crossroads with the United boss due to limited playtime, whereas Antony deals with allegations of abuse. Similarly, the Red Devils had to part ways with their generational talent Mason Greenwood due to the criminal investigation regarding attempted rape.
Individual Errors And Underperforming Players
Erik ten Hag finds himself powerless to prevent the costly mistakes made by his players in the recent matches. For instance, Diogo Dalot was easily overpowered by Wilfried Zaha, leading to a goal against Galatasaray. Additionally, Sofyan Amrabat’s careless error, resulting in a giveaway, led to another goal by Mauro Icardi in the same fixture. Furthermore, Andre Onana’s concession of a penalty highlighted his unconvincing performances in recent matches, not to mention another error from the former Inter Milan goalkeeper contributed to United’s 4-3 loss to the German giants, Bayern in a previous UCL fixture.
Adding to these woes, Rashford, who was anticipated to be the linchpin of ten Hag’s attacking lineup, has failed to replicate his exceptional form from last season, where he notched a career-high of thirty goals. Instead, he has appeared as a mere shadow of his former self.
Does The Title Race Look Bleak?
The former Ajax boss has earned himself some breathing room with an impressive debut season, and fans have acknowledged the multitude of challenges he has had to face, which have had an impact at Old Trafford. Nonetheless, the team’s struggles at the beginning of this season can be attributed, in large part, to the squad he has assembled. The responsibility now rests on his shoulders to initiate a comeback.
