Manchester United have had a number of poor results in the opening 16 games of this year’s Premier league season. These results have left them far behind where they would like to be.
Manchester United Poor Results
Bad Results
As we approach the middle of the season, the table is starting to take shape, and it has been quite an unpredictable start. The gap between 5th place Manchester United and the relegation zone is a mere nine points, the lowest it has ever been in Premier League history. This means that a run of poor form for United could cause them to drop significantly in the Premier League table.
United have gained ten out of a possible twelve points against the current top four. Furthermore, they have eleven out of a possible fifteen against the traditional ‘big six’, however they find themselves in fifth place, five points off fourth spot, and with a twenty two point deficit to first place Liverpool. This is down to poor performances and bad results against weaker teams.
It is clear that the Red Devils have the ability when their full first XI are playing. We can see this when they are injury free, especially against big teams. However being injury free has been rare this season, and there have been many first team absentees so far.
Numerous Injuries
Central midfield duo Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay have been United’s biggest miss this season. They have only played five league games together, so United’s midfield has been understandably shaky. Games against Aston Villa and Sheffield United saw the reds get yet more poor results. Fred and Andreas Pereira were played in the center of the midfield. Jose Mourinho bought Fred as a creative central midfielder from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2018 for £52 million. Pereira, however, has been with United since U18s, but is more suited to an attacking midfield role. Both of these midfielders do not bring much of a physical presence, and both of the games in which they played saw United totally overrun in the middle. A combined five goals conceded in those two games are proof of this.
First choice left-back Luke Shaw has also only started six of the season’s opening sixteen games. His absence saw nineteen year old academy graduate Brandon Williams appear in five 2019/20 Premier League games. Though he brought energy to the team, he also brought inexperience. This lack of Premier League game time saw him partially at fault for too many Goals. Manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer chose Ashley Young ahead of him in Manchester United’s clash with Tottenham on Wednesday.
Anthony Martial was another of the Manchester side’s big injuries this season, playing only ten league games. Having started the season strong with two goals and an assist in the opening three games, Martial injured his hamstring and was out for the best part of the next two months. While Martial was out, Marcus Rashford lacked confidence and quality, and only netted once. This lack of form up front heavily affected United’s results, with just one win and three goals from five games.
One Player Back, Another Improved
Martial’s return rejuvenated his strike partner. The Englishman has six goals and two assists in the seven games since. Fred has also looked a new man since McTominay’s return, so it is not necessarily the quality in the side leading to the unacceptable results, but instead the players’ mentality?
Complacency
The Red Devils have lost points to the likes of Southampton, who were humiliated in front of a home crowd in a record equaling 0-9 defeat to Leicester, and two of the newly promoted sides.The players’ mentality towards smaller games, then, could be called into question. Paul Pogba certainly looks lazier when playing against smaller teams, especially this season. He has two assists in as many games against the ‘big six’, yet no goal contributions against other sides. Individual performances, however, are not the key to winning games, rather team performances. These have been on display equally rarely this season, however. The team’s mentality seems to be what is truly lacking. Being unmotivated when the games are not high profile. Maybe manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be blamed for this?
Manegerial prowess
The former United striker has certainly shown some tactical masterclasses, such as in their most recent game—against Manchester City. The Attacking line pressing City’s defence on the ball, and Fred and McTominay staying deep helped to slow the blue’s fast build up play. Solskjaer assigner Aaron Wan-Bissaka to keeping Sterling quiet, and he did just that. The former Crystal Palace full-back extinguished the City winger’s explosive runs both on and off the ball effectively.
Not just in this game, but in many others, Solskjaer has proven his worth in out-thinking some of the best managers in the world. When it comes to playing smaller sides, however, it has been a different story.
Nightmare Against Newly Promoted Sides
The way the reds set up against Sheffield United was tactically appalling. Solskjaer tried a back three with high wing backs, however both Wan-Bissaka and Williams were uncomfortable in these positions. This combined with a lack of attacking conviction left Solskjaer’s men lucky to go into half time 1-0 down. With Solskjaer thinking on his feet, he changed to a more comfortable 4-3-3 formation. The Blades doubled their lead shortly after the break, however Solskjaer still managed to defy expectations. He made a Ferguson-esque comeback in seven minutes. They scored three goals, making it 2-3 to United. Despite going on to draw the game 3-3 due to more defensive mistakes and a controversial VAR decision, this game sums up Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United reign so far. He certainly makes mistakes, but he is also capable of things even the best managers in the world could struggle to do.
Overall Manchester United’s inconsistency has to be put down to a combination of unfortunate events which left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with very few options. Unreliable and inexperienced players played due to an abundance of injuries. Players are also seemingly complacent in their approach to lower profile games. An occasional tactical mishap makes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer far from perfect, however we must question how seriously Manchester United’s players take every game and whether they have what it takes to start for one of the world’s biggest clubs.
Manchester United Poor Results Main Photo
