What’s going wrong at Manchester United?

National World - LocalTV

A lot to look at.

Transcript

00:00 Michael, just on Manchester United, obviously we've touched on it,

00:04 the start to the season has seemingly got progressively worse and worse.

00:08 What do you put it down to?

00:09 What do the fans put it down to?

00:11 Because there's something clearly not right there.

00:13 Yeah, there are a lot of factors why the season has started so badly.

00:21 I think it started in our career, that opening night against Wolves,

00:25 and it has snowballed into where we're at now.

00:29 I think Saturday's win against Brentford might have slightly masked

00:34 some of the ongoing issues at United because it was not a good performance.

00:38 United played really badly and managed to, quite fortuitously in my eyes,

00:44 come away with three points.

00:45 But I think the big thing with United, to always say,

00:48 is that it is the outside factors.

00:50 The takeover, which provides so much uncertainty just around the running of the club,

00:55 is one obvious factor.

00:57 I think that when you think about all the other things that are going on

01:00 with the club away from the football pitch,

01:04 I mean, Mason Greenwood, Anthony, Jadon Sancho, there is a lot going on there.

01:09 I don't think that's certainly helped the atmosphere and the mood around the club.

01:13 But keeping it specifically, what's happened on the pitch,

01:17 I think injuries are an obvious thing to say.

01:19 And for all the issues that I don't think Ten Hag's been always brilliant

01:23 in the first couple of months of this season, but the injuries aren't his fault.

01:27 I think they've had 14 players who have missed games through injuries this season.

01:31 You've also had Anthony and Jadon Sancho,

01:34 so that brings the squad to various stages.

01:36 16 players have been absent.

01:38 There was 12 absent for the Bayern Munich game, for instance,

01:40 as just one game as an example.

01:42 So, yeah, that's a big factor.

01:43 I think individual form of certain players has been really disappointing.

01:46 Casemiro is the big one.

01:47 He is just nowhere near the levels he was playing at last year.

01:50 I'd say the same for Raphael Varane.

01:52 I would certainly say the same for Marcus Rashford.

01:54 I do not know what has happened to Rashford's form,

01:56 although it's not the first time United fans have seen him.

02:00 He can be a streaky player in terms of form.

02:03 I think that defensively, they are just far too easy to play against Manchester United.

02:08 Bringing back that first game against Wolves,

02:10 how easy was it for Wolves to repeatedly break through the middle of them?

02:13 It was the same against Brighton.

02:15 Brighton managed to put a 30-pass sequence together.

02:19 Bayern Munich managed to just attack through the middle.

02:22 Look how easy it was for Galatasaray to score the other week.

02:24 They go on and on and on, just far too easy.

02:27 And I think that also does tie back to Casemiro's form.

02:29 I think on the ball, they've not done enough.

02:31 I think they're too ponderous in possession.

02:33 I think they're too slow.

02:34 I don't think they create enough chances.

02:35 The game against Palace, where the loss was just awful,

02:38 they just pass, pass, pass.

02:39 They're aimless, without creating enough chances.

02:42 And I think an over-reliance on Rashford, as I mentioned.

02:44 He has scored one goal in 11 games this season.

02:47 Not good enough.

02:49 Simply not good enough for a player of his standards.

02:51 They were too reliant on Rashford last season for goals.

02:53 That has impacted the start of this season.

02:56 So that's a factor as well.

02:57 I mean, their xG, in terms of the chances they've created,

02:59 I think they should, based on xG,

03:02 they should have scored 13 goals in the Premier League this season.

03:05 They've only scored nine.

03:06 Now, that's a factor as well.

03:08 And I think the big thing that always comes back to is United as well.

03:10 In the last couple of years, it's just a lack of character.

03:13 When things get difficult, when their backs are up against the wall,

03:16 they do not respond well.

03:17 They don't offer enough fight.

03:18 They don't show enough personality, I suppose.

03:22 Even games last season, when last season was good,

03:24 but you think of the 7-0 to Liverpool,

03:27 you think of that 4-0 defeat to Brentford,

03:29 the horrendous performances, for instance,

03:32 against West Ham and against Sevilla.

03:34 You know, that issue was there a little bit last season.

03:38 So, in short, there are a lot of problems with Manchester United at the moment,

03:42 both on and off the pitch, that Ten Hag,

03:44 well, certainly on the pitch, that Ten Hag has to try and deal with.

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