It is no secret that Manchester United have been appalling so far this season, and the cold facts make for horrific reading:
Games: 6
Win: 1
Draw: 2
Loss: 3
Scored: 9
Conceded: 12
What’s wrong with Manchester United?
For any Manchester United fan that is painful to read, but when considering the teams the Red Devils have faced it looks a whole lot worse. On Sunday, United hit a new low. They appeared to be cruising to a comfortable victory against newly-promoted Leicester, before Leicester scored four goals in twenty minutes as a disheveled United side slumped to their third defeat of the season. For it to bring United back to earth so soon after their confidence improved after a victory against Queens Park Rangers, a result that was thought to “turn United’s season around”, one must ask, what’s going wrong? And who if anyone is to blame?
The Manager?
The first and primary target that the fingers will be pointed at will be Louis Van Gaal. In preseason, Manchester United appeared to be brimming with confidence as Van Gaal rung the changes. But since the first kick of the season, United have been the polar opposite and, in some ways, Van Gaal must be held accountable.
From the very first game, the players clearly struggled to play the 3-5-2 formation and couldn’t handle any attacking threat that was thrown at them. Players have looked confused and over-exposed, and it took too long for this issue to be resolved. The lack confidence is evident, and they appear not to have any belief, which clearly is the responsibility of the manager to correct. It is difficult to see a dominant and confident side letting a two-goal lead slip in the fashion United did last weekend, however a run of good results could surely change this.
The Players?
Before directing all blame at Van Gaal, one must look at the players. Manchester United spent £150 million on world class talent to improve the team and at the moment that hasn’t shown. There’s no trace of passion or belief. As soon as Leicester had a glimmer of hope on Sunday, United looked a beaten team and looked powerless to prevent the comeback. For the results to begin to turn around, the players must take it on themselves to prove their individual worth. As captain, Wayne Rooney must take it on himself to motivate his team. As shown by his outburst following Leicester’s second goal, Rooney is not lacking in the passion department. Other players, however, seemed switched off and it must also fall to Rooney to take control and pick the team up.
The Poor Transfer Window?
Finally, a huge portion of the blame must fall on the backroom staff at Old Trafford. Manchester United’s defence is abysmal. It is commonly argued that they are incompetent and unreliable, so it is difficult to understand how £150 million can be spent over the summer and not one player of world class defensive quality has been added to the squad. Although an abundance of quality players were signed the most vulnerable position was again neglected and United have suffered as a result. This summer’s priority should have been placed on signing a strong defensive commander. Manchester United have payed the price for not getting that done, as they have been routinely picked apart by their opponents’ attack. This has been an issue for a long time with Sir Alex Ferguson neglecting to prepare for the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
It is a combination of many factors that has lead to the current state of affairs at Old Trafford and it will take a monumental effort in the coming weeks to change this. That said, United must make some changes, fast. With a run of games including Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in the space of four weeks, things could get a whole lot worse for Louis Van Gaal’s men, if they don’t play better football.
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