Manchester United 0 – 5 Liverpool

Having witnessed the most embarassing game as a Manchester United supporter, it is only befitting that I chronicle this moment here. 

A rousing comeback midweek in the Champions League. Having been outplayed at ease with a team that has 5 players injured, it was shocking to see Ole play the exactly same line-up today. Paul Scholes on BT sport called it out. I was surprised to see Liverpool’s line-up to be honest. So many key changes. United with the mood of mid-week and the way Atletico took apart Liverpool, seemed to have a chance to win this game. Odds did favor United at home with the home supporters rallying in a rivalry of epic history. And yet this match culminated with Liverpool out of respect for the legacy of both clubs, refused to hammer 10-12 past us. 

This time around I am definitely going to dissect everything that went wrong in this game. 

Starting line-up and Ole’s tactics

United should in no way have played the same line-up. I will dissect how he got things wrong at each level. Playing at home in a big fixture against a superior team, what was United setting out to do? Ole said, ‘high tempo, stamping authority at home performance’. Leading the line with Ronaldo and two supporting strikers who would not track back. A Bruno that does whatever he wants and is roaming all around the attacking half. A pair of Fred and McTominay in midfield with zero available passes nor any skill under pressure to beat the press. An unfit captain and centre back pairing with a low confidence Lindelof. A totally out of form Luke Shaw with no energy or desire. 

Defensive line 

Luke Shaw and Aaron wan Bissaka were left to the dogs. Zero support from the wingers Greenwood and Rashford. They both were made to look pathetic as Robertson and Jota on the left and Salah and Arnold on the right went two-on-one for the entire game. 

Maguire no longer exudes confidence. Neither does his centre back partner. When you play week in week out tiki taka slow pace useless backward passes amongst each other, it was not surprising that players had no out balls in the back. With time, Liverpool’s midfield was shedding through and each defender was always two on one. Wan Bissaka as usual was at his worst when it comes to decisions on the ball when in possession. Over the years, Ole has not been able to improve him in any facet of his game. 

Mid field

Fred and McTominay has touted the most controversy this season. Why? The system we play is supposed to afford compactness to the centre back pairing while allowing the attackers to express. But with McTominay getting injured early in the season, he has never been the same since his return. Fred has always been at one particular level and teams have learnt to bounce through these two like they do not exist. For 10 odd minutes in the first half, we had good possession, but the ball was in the middle of the park with Fred and McTominay. Both have absolutely nothing to offer in the form of creativity to crack open Liverpool. 

Bruno has been awful quite often since Ronaldo arrived. Ronaldo’s arrival would clearly mean he has to be more in shape, controlling midfield and allowing the front three to express. Instead he is constantly floating around in 10, quite often a second 9 and mostly never in position. He initiates some totally out of sync presses that ends up distorting and exposing the midfield right from up top. 

Wingers/striker

Greenwood has had a great start to the season. He has been scoring wonder goals before Ronaldo arrived. There was a pattern of team play when he was playing centre forward. Once Ronaldo arrived, the kid has been forced to play right wing. He does not enjoy playing there. He does not want to track back. Since Ronaldo’s arrival, the kid has lost his head. He does not respect Ronaldo. He does not play passes or try to develop any form of chemistry with Ronaldo. At least play two passes in the game to show you are willing to play for the team. While he continues to pop up with his usual wonder goals, his metrics as a team player is one of the worst in a United shirt. There is no rhyme or reason to start him for the next 3 games. 

Rashford has just got back and is settling.  So it is hard to judge his performance in any way. He has to develop a chemistry with Ronaldo and begin to link up play 

Ronaldo is Ronaldo. He is consistent and always has goals on him. I would never endorse any criticism thrown at him. 

Substitutes

The way we capitulated was embarassing for even players sitting on the bench. Pogba, Sancho, van de Beek and Lingard are not players to leave on the bench. What is wrong with Ole? The biggest game of the season at home and he benches some of the best players. Good players always turn up in big games. Some get a hiding. If you do not play them, you do not give them the opportunity to have a go at it. The likes of Bailly, Dalot and Telles are desperate to get game time. 

Way forward

Ego always brings humans down. Ole’s ego is clouding his thinking. Everybody is seeing the grave he is digging. Board is not stupid. They would love to see him work himself out of this mess. But at what expense?

The longer this drags, the higher the possibility of losing out on Champions League and even top 4. Players have ego too. Ineptitude of management trickles down to some very good players looking really awful. These sort of performances will end up with national team coaches even questioning the commitment of players. Something has to give. 

The post-match pressers from Ole reveal he is not walking away. He said he is too close to success to walk away. Truth is, no self-respecting person would quit. He has been a successful player, a legend of the club. He was fortunate to get this job. He has built an atmosphere that is healthy for growth and performance. He has brought in players this season that are serial-winners. Accountability matters now. 

The killer instinct to finish teams off and winning trophies is lacking at the moment. His lack of confidence or rather inability to get players into confidence to step up when his first team is unable to play is costing him. He has a certain number of players whom he favors and he expects only them to deliver day in and day out. When they are injured or out of form, they will only be able to perform to limits that are just not good enough for this club. 

His comments about fans who booed him off mid week has been appalling to say the least. Giving United fans the most embarrassing defeat in a very long time and asking them to endure the entire second half in humiliation needs accountability. 

So who is accountable? It is not just the management up top in the club. Ex-players turned pundits like Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes have time and time again refused to call out their mate, knowing which way this could end. It is disrespectful to the club and to legends like Sir Alex to be up there in the stands, enduring this pain. 

Fans are exasperated. Numbers are fuming but most are resigned. Mark from the United Stand has been on and on about standards, oh how we have fallen! We want our club to do well, to be respected, and to play a brand of football that makes us love the club. 

Liverpool exuded class. They refused to disrespect us after going down to ten. I applaud them for that. We are in tatters. Sooner we fix it, the better for all. If he gets a couple of results over the next month and manages to stay, it is likely that he will end up destroying all that he has built. I expect most players to hand-in a transfer request. If we drop out of Champions League and are unable to manage a top 4, we won’t be attracting any top players. Ole has to swallow his pride, get out of playing his favorites and change his style of play. That is the only way. Shut shop. Get some draws. Keep clean sheets. Otherwise the only hope of revival is to sack him, and get the most out of a top top squad that we got. Only time will tell. 

Players that I won’t be starting for a while – Maguire, Shaw, wan Bissaka, Mc Tominay and Greenwood. Players I will play to revive this team – Pogba, Matic, Telles, Dalot, Bailly, Varane, van de Beek, Sancho, Cavani, Lingard.

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Another trophy in the French cabinet

This international break is something I thoroughly enjoyed. Watching both the semifinals, third-place play-offs and the final of the UEFA Nations League. Top 4 teams of Europe battling it out with managerial prowess and great artillery.

France deserved winners for getting up everytime they took a punch. Going behind both in the semifinal and in the final, stars of the team rose to the occasion to deliver. For the likes of Mbappe, who had an off Euro 2020, this is a form of redemption. To have a massively firing Benzema up front was key to unlocking victories in both of these games as he puts himself already firmly forward for all personal accolades in the 21-22 footballing season.

I have always enjoyed Karim for his simplicity in play yet the clinical nature of his finishes. To finally be released from the chains of stardom in the Real Madrid attacking lineup, he is quickly and easily creating a niche of his own this season. The numbers are a testament to how he is planning to perform this year.

Varane pulling up with a muscle injury is not good news for Manchester United, but at the same time, when the world turns against Ole, Ole rises. So I see him churning out 10 points in the next month against top teams of the Premier League irrespective of injuries in the backline. We will concede but are likely to outscore most teams.

Pogba revealed facets in the final yesterday, probably not seen that often. Quite often a persona of calm and pleasantries, he had a real go at Pavard while defending. He was also crucial in sparking the adrenaline in the second half to really push the game into another gear. His last-ditch defending and his personality when he plays for his country is quite something. Unfortunately, our coach Ole does not have the acumen to build a midfield around a charismatic player like him. Unleashing a Pogba alone can crack open any defence in football.

Bruno has done exceptionally well since his arrival to United. His numbers are a testament. He is a 10 and loves to create and score. But often this season, he is seen to be overly vocal on new signings like Sancho. Youngsters like him and Donny Van de Beek need to be respected for what special talents they are and given the space to flourish. Maybe a few injuries are exactly what Manchester United needs to unlock some joy.

Fabrizio Romano speaks about Van de Beek

Why watching Manchester United is frustrating

Quite something has been spoken about Ole’s demeanour on the sidelines during the Carabao Cup defeat to West Ham. Understandable people want him to fall into certain cliches when it comes to managing a United team. This is primarily grown out of the assumption that Ole plays Sir Alex football. On the contrary, he has his own identity in managing a team.

With the breakthrough performance of a series of wins after Jose Mourinho left, his role as a caretaker was pumped with the effervescence of fresh breath and the belief that he will bring back the attacking style of football of yester and the never say never mentality of Sir Alex.

Three years down the line, with significant glitters in the team lineup, his identity is to concede less and score less. No matter where things went wrong, it is pretty evident there will be an exodus of players quite possibly as early as in January. World Cup is around the corner, and players will want playtime to play for their country. Many of the players that Ole does not consider first-team enough are/were national players before he started going to ‘pragmatism’ mode.

The defeat in a Cup that we had a shot at is primarily because these players who were put out to play in this game had no interest in performing for the team or being consistent Carabao cup players. It was evident with the way Martial put himself around. Imagine being surrounded by Sancho, Mata and Lingard in the attack. Mata with no legs, Lingard with his own personal agenda and Sancho, who is yet to find his own feet. Playing at home did not help these players. They ended up dancing to the tunes of the 73k that turned up while Ole just stood and watched them denigrate.

If this drab safe football is not going to get us trophies at the very least, #OleOut, please.

A game of two halves

Whilst I did manage to watch the entire 90+ minutes of football action of Manchester United’s second game this season, what was perturbing was the lack of plan B when the tide turned.

The first half was sedate, cautious, controlled and resulted in a fruitful goal through some lovely movement off the flanks. Secondly we did a fantastic job in negating them tactically. Understable for the cautious approach considering we had a torrid last season playing them.

They were clearly in a different mood as they began the second half, and it was surprising how immature and inexperienced we looked as Wolves pressed and harried the team. The inevitability was a fantastic goal to bring them level.

But it took us longer to regain control of the game, to change the tide back. Once chances were created, the lack of incisive finishing let us down. This one must remember, is not the fag end of a season. The beginning of a new season having had the entire squad for a full pre season. What was even more disheartening was the passivity of the coach in the second half to counter the haplessness on the turf. When push came to shove, looked like we had nothing on the bench to bring in plan B.

Many players wearing the shirt has to question their performance, no doubt. I expect a response in the next game, but the mood is still the same as last season.