Defeat on derby day in Manchester can be a difficult pill to swallow, especially if you’re in the red half of the city right now. Manchester United fans, most of whom grew up watching their side dominate this fixture and dominate the Premier League, have become accustomed to a new normal in this era of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City.
United have won just two of the past nine games against their arch rivals. At the Etihad Stadium, United have lost the past three by an aggregate score of 13-5.
And although Marcus Rashford’s eighth-minute bolt from the blue briefly gave them cause for optimism on Sunday, United were soundly beaten, overwhelmed in the end by Phil Foden’s brilliance and City’s relentlessness.
There was little disgrace in that, of course. Erik ten Hag came with a plan to sit deep and frustrate City and, to an extent, it worked for 80 minutes. A 1-1 draw would have been a good result.
“Football is not just about possession,” said Ten Hag afterwards. “Of course you need the ball to score a goal but in the first 20 minutes we had more opportunities and we defended brilliantly out of possession.“
He was right – to a point. Had this out-of-sorts, injury-ravaged United come to the Etihad with a more expansive gameplan, they would have been pillaged. It’s an uncomfortable truth for United fans who crave to see their team compete with City on an equal footing, but it will be the reality until Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos can make proper changes to United’s coaching, structure and recruitment.
Yet it was Ten Hag’s complete refusal to assess the game with a fair eye that bemused United supporters following the 3-1 defeat. United’s gameplan was understandable but their execution of it was largely poor.
“We were really close to winning or at least getting a point,” he said.
In terms of pure time, yes. United were just 18 minutes (including added time) away from seeing out a 1-1 draw, although there was a sense of inevitability about Foden’s second goal when it went in, such had been the one-way traffic that preceded it. United then offered next to nothing when it was 2-1, instead allowing City to push for the third – which came predictably via Erling Haaland.
United were a distant second best in the game and to claim otherwise treats the fans as fools. Their only goal came via a one-in-a-thousand wonder strike from Marcus Rashford, they mustered just three shots all game and they had just 26 per cent possession.
Ten Hag was then asked if there was a huge gulf beteween the two sides, a completely valid question given the current status quo.
“No, I don’t think so. Absolutely not.”
Exactly what game was he watching? Even the most dyed-in-the-wool United fan would have to concede City’s clear superiority after watching at the Etihad. It is no disgrace to lose 3-1 to Guardiola’s world class team, but United should have offered far more threat on the counterattack. It could have been 6-1.
United’s problem this season hasn’t been their two league defeats to City; it’s been their haphazard displays against the Premier League’s middle classes, which are often a result of Ten Hag’s muddled tactics. United have lost at home to Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton and Fulham.
What took the biscuit for many United fans on Sunday was Ten Hag’s admission on where this left his side. Which is scrabbling about in the dirt trying to land a lucky fifth place, in the hope that it brings Champions League football.
“It can be an advantage that fifth spot can also be a Champions League spot, so we have to go for it and win our games.”
Let’s not forget United are due to face Liverpool and Arsenal between now and the end of the season, so the prospect of Ten Hag’s side winning their 11 remaining league matches is unlikely. They trail Aston Villa in fourth by 11 points.
Ten Hag’s comments come across as deluded, defeatist and do him few favours with fans at a time when the Dutchman’s job is on trial, as Ineos ponder those key decisions on United’s future.
He did at least get one thing right in his post-match interview at City, pinpointing what is driving the need for change behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
“City, is in this moment, the best team in the world. Don’t forget this.”
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2ED09Yx
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