Manchester United are in the seventh position in the Premier League table with 31 points from 20 matches. They lost 1-2 to Nottingham Forest in their last match, which was their 14th loss across all competitions this season. Not to mention that thet are already out of the UEFA Champions League and EFL Cup.
It will not be an overstatement to say that Erik ten Hag’s position as their manager is not secure at the moment. United have been consistently inconsistent this season and have experienced some false dawns. In this article, we will take a look at three issues that are plaguing United at the moment:
#1. Some serious shortcomings in the attack:
The Manchester United forwards continue to misfire, with only Alejandro Garnacho showing some sort of genuine effort on his part. Rashford got a lucky goal against Nottingham Forest after the ball reached him following a faulty clearance from the Forest goalkeeper.
Neither of United’s wingers seems to be able to reach the goalline by beating the opposition full-backs. They try to play crosses from the flanks, but do not get into the half spaces often enough to play short and accurate crosses into the box.
As a result, most of their crosses are easily intercepted by the opposition defenders. The continuous exchange of passes between the centre-forward and wingers has been quite absent for quite some time now. Even a player of the calibre of Bruno Fernandes does not play through passes to the centre-forward that often.
#2. Some signings have been of no use for Manchester United:
Antony’s has been a curious case for United, as the Brazilian winger is yet to register an assist or score a goal midway through the season. It hardly justifies the huge amount United spent on him.
Then there is Sofyan Amrabat, who finds himself replaced by a teenager like Kobbie Mainoo in the midfield. Mainoo has proved to be decisively the better player than the Moroccan and remains the lone bright spot in an otherwise bleak season for his club.
Both Antony and Amrabat have been below par for their team and have contributed to United’s woes this season. Then there is Anthony Martial, who is close to spending a decade at the club, but remains unable to score goals to help his team’s cause.
#3. Lack of leadership on the pitch:
United have often looked very soft _ a team without any sort of feistiness. Fernandes does not seem to have the kind of presence one would associate with the likes of Bryan Robson and Roy Keane. As a result, United have lost in so many matches, conceding goals when they should not have.
United will have to sort that out if they are to salvage their season. Much damage has already been done to their campaign already. A lot of teams now go into a match against United with a belief that they might be able to sneak out a win. Not to mention that United continues to look ordinary against most of the big teams. It remains to be seen how well United are able to solve those issues.