Another Premier League club is in trouble this week.
Luton Town and Manchester United were in a bit of a toss-up this week, thus there could only be one winner (or loser) this week due to the fact that Manchester United is actually in that toss-up with Luton Town.
Man United, you’re currently experiencing a problem, and here’s why…
What crisis exist?
Man United spent more than £150 million on new players during the summer transfer window in an effort to advance from a top-four club to a title contender, but instead they have completely regressed in every aspect possible.
The Red Devils appear goal-shy in the front, leaky at the defence and completely ineffective in the centre of the pitch. You obviously missed the matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion if you think that all of that is exaggerated.
Aside from problems on the pitch, Man Utd’s present predicament has also been brought on by the club and its players’ conduct off the pitch, which have made Old Trafford and football Twitter a very uneasy place to be.
What caused the crisis?
Let’s talk about the last topic mentioned earlier: the off-field problems.
Many Manchester United supporters have expressed regret at the way the team handled the Mason Greenwood incident in August, especially in light of rumours that the team was actually willing to reintegrate him into the first team lineup.
Man Utd supporters were understandably outraged by these accusations because they didn’t want a man playing for the football team they support who had been accused of ‘attempted rape, engaged in controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily damage’. And while Manchester United eventually capitulated and sent Greenwood to Getafe on loan, the fact that female supporters had to issue a statement outlining how “women don’t matter” to the team in order to persuade them to do so is undoubtedly unfavourable.
Now that Antony has been charged with allegedly abusing three different women in Brazil, it is unclear whether the club has learnt the proper lessons from the Greenwood fiasco despite the wide forward’s leave of absence.
Man Utd’s issues on the pitch stem from the fact that the team has often appeared to have been expensively and poorly put together. Due to probable FFP violations, Erik ten Hag had a very limited budget to work with over the summer. However, because of overspending on players like Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount, the Red Devils weren’t able to take care of all of their needs.
Due to this, Ten Hag’s team has been attempting to play a style of game that, when considering injuries and the squad’s lack of depth, they simply aren’t capable of playing.
There aren’t the legs in midfield to play a high-pressing style, there aren’t the chances-creating killer instincts up front, and there aren’t the on-the-back full-backs to generate overloads in midfield while they’re ‘inverting’ as is currently in style.
What can they do to fix the situation?
The rehabilitation of Sofyan Amrabat from his injury might be crucial to enhancing Man Utd’s on-field performances. The loanee has the skill with the ball and the stamina off the ball to provide some much-needed midfield support and shield a pretty weak defensive unit.
Man United have recently had a disastrous PR campaign off the pitch; they must simply learn from their errors in handling the Greenwood situation. The team needs to consider the supporters’ reactions to that fiasco and make sure their issues are recognised and taken care of going forward.
