Bruno Fernandes’ gem cannot cover up Manchester United’s problems.
This is a comment. The comment expresses the writer’s positionThe big club got a scare away from the table with Jumbo Burnley, who hit the post midway through the first half and were on top before the break.
Manchester United did not impress anyone. The bright spot was the sudden and successful return of 35-year-old goalkeeper Jonny Evans and a direct shot from Fernandes after a long pass from Evans.
The goal achieved the third victory in six league matches, all of which were won by one goal, without any goal against strong competitors: Wolverhampton, Nottingham Forest and Burnley.
Afterwards, head coach Erik Ten Hag once again pointed out that his team had several margins going against them this season, including injuries and refereeing decisions. But he did not mention that the referee admitted that Wolves should have been awarded a penalty in extra time at Old Trafford – or that not everyone agreed with the penalty Marcus Rashford conceded against Nottingham Forest.
It’s too early to conclude anything. Manchester United will certainly lift themselves up and also put up a good program in the next few weeks. Still: This doesn’t really look like a top team this season either – something with United never This has happened since Alex Ferguson resigned ten years ago.
During the legendary coach’s reign, Manchester United were in the top three for 22 consecutive years and won gold in 13 of them.
In the next 10 seasons, the team was 223 points behind the league champions, an average of more than 22 points per game. season.
Last season, United were 14 points behind City, and now they are nine points behind them.
Manchester United are actually looking more and more like Liverpool. The arch-rival won the series 11 times in the 18 years through 1990, and in six of the other seven seasons it finished second. Then it turned completely around: when Kenny Dalglish suddenly retired in February 1991, the gold fell away and over the next ten years there was a total of 177 points to champions.
Liverpool lost control and did not regain it until a German appeared almost 25 years later.
Manchester United are still searching, and the string of managers who have tried to sort out the team goes on: David Moyes for a few months, Louis van Gaal for a few years, Jose Mourinho for two-and-a-half years, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for about three, then half a year with interim Ralf Rangnick, before Erik Ten emerges. Hag last summer.
Almost all managers talk about the need to rebuild. In January 2020, Solskjaer stated after being pressed that he had to “demolish the whole house, with the foundation and everything”. A year and a half later, Ralph Rangnick commented this on his way out the door at Old Trafford: ‘Open heart surgery’ is needed here.
In September 2023, one should be able to say that the patient is still unhealthy – and the construction of a new home has not been completed.
Powerful forces begin to move when big clubs that are accustomed to winning struggle. Fans who have known nothing but winning go from frustration to frustration, being heard: owners are blocked, sporting management is absent, and there are limits to how much they can support managers who are not achieving results and players who are underperforming. The playground facilities are likely worn out as well. Everything is going bad.
After losing 3-1 to Brighton last weekend, former Terriers player Gary Neville came out strongly against the Glazer family, who have been in control since 2005.
“For ten years, they have fingered mediocrity on and off the pitch. “They represent greed, indiscipline, indecision and insecurity, running like a red thread through the club,” Neville said and asked them to sell as soon as possible.
It certainly has good points, but it also comes off as a rather cheap sporting excuse. United won five league titles and the Champions League under Ferguson with the Glazer gang as owners. the our maybe.
Sure, the Americans are good at withdrawing billions from the club, but… The numbers appear At the same time, Manchester United is the club that has spent more than ever networknetworkPlayer purchases minus player sales On player purchases since 2014 – NOK 16.1 billion. The closest behind are Chelsea with 11.9 billion and Paris Saint-Germain with 11.6.
So, it wasn’t about the money, but United bought players poorly and made players worse. The list is long and expensive of investments that did not work out, such as Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay, Alexis Sanchez, Paul Pogba (he was good at times), Romelu Lukaku, Harry Maguire, Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho, to name some.
Hardly a single player has made it to Old Trafford and improved, and now Manchester United is one of the best examples that money is not everything in football.
It then remains to be seen whether the club can rise up and win the league again faster than Liverpool have been able to achieve.
They still have 20 years to go.
Premier League
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