Manchester United suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat at home against AFC Bournemouth in a Premier League match last Saturday. The Red Devils have lost in two of their last three matches now and find themselves in the sixth position in the league table with 27 points from 16 matches. As in their 0-1 loss to Newcastle United a week back, United once again were quite ordinary against Bournemouth and did not look close to anything befitting of their stature as a football club.
However, they have the likes of Newcastle and Brighton and Hove Albion breathing down their neck and any undesired result in the next few matches can pull them down further. Erik ten Hag, who was adjudged the manager of the month in November, now finds himself in a precarious position once again.
Manchester United’s forwards continue to play poorly
It was once again an inept display by the Manchester United forwards against Bournemouth. They went near the goal a lot of times, but their forwards lacked the finishing skills to win the match for them.
Rasmus Hojlund, their new signing as a striker, has failed to score a single goal in the Premier League in the 12 matches he has played so far. Anthony Martial, who has replaced Hojlund in the starting line-up of late, has scored a couple of goals in the season in 19 matches and Marcus Rashford has two from 20 matches.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt has not helped their cause that their pair of wingers, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony, has fared hardly any better. In comparison, their defensive players have been more prolific, as far as scoring goals for the team is concerned.
Scott McTominay is United’s leading goal-scorer this season with six from 17 matches and even Casemiro, who has not played for quite some time now, has four goals in 12 matches. One wonders whether McTominay should play in an advanced role instead of playing in the double pivot in Manchester United’s 4-2-3-1, pushing Bruno Fernandes to the right flank.
The next few matches will be crucial
Manchester United will travel to Anfield to face Liverpool next Sunday, December 17. Jurgen Klopp’s men are the table-toppers now and things could potentially turn ugly for the Red Devils against them.
They will then face West Ham and Aston Villa, who are fresh from their recent wins against Manchester City and Arsenal. They will also face Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League in what seems to be a lost cause.
Embed from Getty ImagesEven the staunchest of Manchester United’s supporters will not be very optimistic of his team’s chances ahead of those three key clashes. Given United’s recent form against big teams, they will be happy to come out with a point each from those four matches.
However, should they go on to lose in even a couple of those matches, things will become considerably tricky for United. Given the amount of money they have spent on acquiring new players, it will be quite calamitous for them if they fail to qualify for European football next season.
Hence, their next four matches will go a long way in determining the fate of ten Hag as Manchester United’s manager.