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If I had to put a positive spin on Manchester United’s 4-game losing streak, I could just point the finger at the opponent.
United lost to three very domestic groups and a European heavyweight who will hope to compete for the Champions League when the leaves return to the trees in the spring. There is some context in this form.
But United don’t lose to each and every smart team they face. This suggests a point that this club finds objectionable: that they are smart but never great. They expect to be beaten in the most sensible six or seven groups in England and the most productive in Europe. Losing to Tottenham, Arsenal, Brighton and Bayern Munich is not, on its own, disastrous. Losing to all of them in the one-month area is smart.
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This season he has six games and United are already on the brink of the precipice. The two games they won, against Wolves and Nottingham Forest, were far from convincing. If they want to get back into the Champions League next season, they’ll want to start last time. gap with Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Brighton.
For now, you can simply point fingers at wounds, point fingers at the opposition, and argue that this is not a crisis. But off-field issues go in that direction, functionality is mediocre and at least that broken plate is stored in drafts from the photography workshop prior to this weekend.
If the argument is that United have just been beaten by smart teams, then this week is the time when the narrative changes.
They’ve had a tough run, but Saturday brings Turf Moor and a Burnley side that have conceded 11 goals in 3 home games and are yet to win in the league. This was followed for 4 consecutive matches at Old Trafford, against Crystal. Palace in the Carabao Cup and Premier League, Galatasaray in the Champions League and Brentford again in the Premier League.
It’s not hard to believe that United have won at least four of those games. At times they have been smart with Erik ten Hag at home and have pushed away smaller teams with some degree of comfort.
But it looks like those five games are for this season. If you win at least four, the October overseas break might be a little more comfortable. With players coming back from injuries, it might seem like the wheels are back.
That’s what everyone at Old Trafford is desperately hoping for. However, if you keep stumbling, the season will have long since gotten in the mood to put out the fire. United want three straight wins in the Premier League to reaffirm their ranking in the top four. They want to beat Galatasaray at home. Most likely, they will remain the top finishers, along with Bayern, in this Champions League group.
If you miss your goals, who knows where this season will go from here. At the moment, it’s hard to imagine a situation where Ten Hag would be under pressure, but we’re at Manchester United and seasons can get out of control temporarily. like some of the roller coasters that return to earth from wondrous heights at Munich’s Oktoberfest.
Getting a result on Turf Moor will stop the bleeding. A win would ease some of the concerns that are building up around this team. Raphael Varane and Mason Mount may just be part of the squad and Kobbie Mainoo will most likely be the next to be injured. player to leave the medical room.
These injuries are a fear in themselves, a wave of muscle problems that is occurring so early in the season may simply be a trend and the crusade still has plenty of wiggle room. Then there are the tactical fears. It’s clear that things are going well at the moment and the midfield, in particular, rarely works well.
Ten Hag sent the players running in the dressing room at the Allianz Arena at half-time. About five minutes before the start of the second half, he sent the players back into the Bayern pit.
It might be an exaggeration to say it worked, but United won the second half, even though they held out for long periods. They could use this dramatic finale as a turning point, as something to hold on to when they return to Manchester. , as advised by some veteran players in the dressing room after the game.
The team stayed in Munich on Wednesday, trained in the city on Thursday morning and then a delegation went to Manchesterplatz at lunchtime, before flying to Manchester. It is a city connected to Manchester and United.
Change is now swift and Turf Moor on a Saturday night doesn’t look welcoming, but it has to be a turning point this season, before Ten Hag discovers it’s too late.