Only in the 1930/1931 season did the Red Devils lose more matches by Christmas, namely 16. Also in this year, they finally fell out of the English top flight. They are definitely not doing so badly now, they are currently in eighth place and at least the battle for the European Cup is open.
But on the other hand, United finished last in the basic group of the Champions League and will not play in Europe in the spring, nor will they defend the trophy in the League Cup after losing to Newcastle. That leaves the FA Cup and the domestic competition.
“In 2023 we won the cup, played in the FA Cup final, finished third in the league. There have been bright moments, but at the moment we are underperforming. There are reasons for this, including a lot of injuries. The team will be better if the absent players return. We have to stay calm, stick together, stick to the plan and work together,” said the Hag after the defeat.
He’s right that United’s mess is really extensive. For example, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf, Lisandro Martínez and Raphael Varane were missing from the stoppers on Saturday. In addition, important players in the reserve or offensive, such as Mason Mount, Casemiro or Anthony Martial. It is clear that such an absence must manifest itself.
Among other things, United lack creativity in the final phase, which is also documented by the fact that for the first time since 1992 the Red Devils have not scored in four consecutive competitive duels, although the 0-0 draw with Liverpool counts in a way.
“Manchester United look terribly dull and unattractive. There’s nothing about the team right now to inspire you. Haga has a lot of work ahead of him,” ex-manager of Brentford, Nottingham Forest and QPR Mark Warburton told the BBC.
While in the Czech Republic the teams have several weeks to heal their wounds, regenerate and prepare for the spring, in England they do not. Greater downtime awaits United only between January 14 and February 1. Moreover, it cannot be expected that many reinforcements would arrive at Old Trafford.
The Hag must therefore hope, for example, in the awakening of the pre-season reinforcement from Atalanta, Rasmus Höjlund. The 20-year-old Danish striker has played in 14 league matches so far, playing almost 950 minutes, but without a goal or an assist. At the same time, he scored five times in six matches in the Champions League.
“We are not at the top at the moment, but with Liverpool we saw that we can measure up to them. The basis is to defend well for 90 minutes, that must be our standard,” says the Dutch coach. “It’s hard to stay positive, but it’s our job. This is Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world. We know that and we have to look into our conscience, look in the mirror, question ourselves and move on,” adds full-back Luke Shaw.
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2023-12-23 19:00:15
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