Why Manchester United have struggled so badly this season،
Manchester United have had a positive first season under manager Erik ten Hag. This was supposed to be the foundation for the Dutchman to take his team to bigger and better things, but four months into this campaign the mood around Old Trafford is darkening and Ten Hag are under pressure.
A third place in the Premier League, a Carabao Cup win and an FA Cup final seemed like a decent step for United under the former Ajax manager, but so far it hasn't come to fruition. product.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga and more (US)
We look at the main reasons and whether their situation is much worse than it was at this stage last season.
The attacker's dilemma
United finished third last season, but they were the lowest scorers in the top six with 58 goals in 38 games. They were also second in “big missed chances” with 71, and fans expected the club to bring in an elite striker to help solve the problem.
The club made no secret that signing a number 9 was their priority ahead of the new season, but in a transfer window in which Harry Kane was available, United instead signed the highly-rated youngster – although not proven – Rasmus Højlund.
Hojlund, 20, has scored five times in the Champions League but is yet to score a goal in the Premier League. While he could develop into a top-level striker over time, he's not there yet. For their part, United insist signing Kane was never a realistic option due to the numbers (transfer fee, wages) involved, as well as Tottenham's reluctance to do a deal with a Premier League rival . This means that for the second season in a row they are struggling to score goals.
After 14 league matches, United have scored 16 goals, the lowest return of any team in the top 10. That's only one more than Everton and Burnley, who are relegated.
What's going on with Marcus Rashford?
Marcus Rashford's form is linked to the problem with Højlund. Rashford scored 30 goals in all competitions last season, but has only managed two this season – one of them was a penalty at Everton which was awarded by Bruno Fernandes to the England striker.
If Rashford scored regularly it would come as a relief to Højlund, but he is now a shadow of the player he was last season and has been regularly replaced by Ten Hag in games where United are desperate for a goal. He was substituted after 61 minutes against Newcastle last weekend even though his team were 1-0 down.
– Ogden: What's going on with Rashford?
Rashford wants to play on the left of the front three, but he has had to compromise this season, either starting at centre-forward when Højlund was injured in August or settling for a spot on the right due to form by Alejandro Garnacho on the other side. .
The danger for Ten Hag is that Rashford has at times struggled to break out of a goalscoring slump. He has only managed five in the 2021-22 season, and United cannot afford for him to have another campaign with so little productivity.
Injury problems
Ten Hag tried not to make excuses here, but he has been dealing with a long injury list since the summer and against Newcastle he had seven first team players injured (Lisandro Martínez, Casemiro, Mason Mount , Christian Eriksen, Jonny Evans, Tyrell Malacia and Amad Diallo), as well as Jadon Sancho, exiled from the team since September for disciplinary reasons.
Just in defense, injury problems this season have forced Ten Hag to pick eight different combinations in central defense (Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were paired in the center of defense for the first time at Newcastle) and five different players on the left. -return (Shaw, Sergio Reguilón, Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelöf and Sofyan Amrabat). Fans are raising legitimate concerns over recruitment given that Ten Hag has spent almost £400m on new players since taking over as manager in the summer of 2022, but he would likely claim that he hasn't had his first choice XI available once this season. .
It is also questionable whether the long list of injuries is simply due to bad luck, or whether there is a connection between regular muscle injuries and Ten Hag's preference for intense workouts over rest and training. additional recovery during the busy match schedule.
1h30
Burley: Another embarrassing performance for Man United
Craig Burley tears into Manchester United after their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Are United in a worse situation than last season?
United's record in the Premier League after 14 games is quite similar to their record at the same stage last season. So far in the league in 2023-24, they have played 14 games, won eight, lost six, scored 16, conceded 17 and have 24 points. After 14 games last season, they had won eight, lost four, scored 20, conceded 20 and collected 26 points.
Neither is great, but the biggest difference between this season and last is in Europe.
United's patchy league form was bolstered by a smooth Europa League group campaign where they won five of their six games and scored 10 goals. But this Champions League season couldn't have been worse. They have won just one of five games and have conceded 14 goals, including 11 in their three away games.
There was also a lack of winning statements to boost morale. At this stage last season, United had beaten Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham. This season they have played five of the current 10 (Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, Newcastle and Brighton) and lost them all.
