Manchester United have failed to win five of their past six Premier League games.
They have conceded 12 goals in those matches, and scored 13. An injury crisis has meant that one of the most expensively assembled squads in world football has played the majority of this season without a specialist left-back. At least Saturday’s 1-1 home draw against Burnley yielded a first league goal of the campaign from their £86million ($107.4m) right-winger, but the game’s most memorable moment came 14 minutes before Antony’s belated reward.
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Wasteful finishing in one penalty area, coupled with saves from Andre Onana, had kept the Old Trafford crowd on nervous tenterhooks. Christian Eriksen — a player known for tiring in the second half of matches — looked visibly fatigued, loosening what grip United had on midfield. Erik ten Hag made a double substitution to address things, removing Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo for Amad Diallo and Scott McTominay.
The decision to take off two of the team’s most promising players drew a chorus of boos from many of the 73,501 in the stands.
Trust in the United manager’s ability to win games is dwindling as his second season at the club nears its end.
“By that time, we needed some freshness, first of all,” said Ten Hag of those changes. “But also, tactical-wise, (I was) bringing a player up who can keep the ball and who is creative in Amad. So they were subbed and it was the right decision.
“We took some benefit from it, by bringing in the fresh legs, and Scott in the position where it’s so open. He’s very good in such situations and he can make penetrations from there. We put ourselves in a winning position. We had three games (in a week) and Burnley have had days off and it’s totally logical to bring players off who are very young, who are in the first year in the Premier League.”
Antony’s goal in the 79th minute gave United a slender 1-0 lead, but Ten Hag’s side ultimately only drew the game, courtesy of a penalty given away in inauspicious circumstances.
A cross from Johann Berg Gudmundsson was blocked by Aaron Wan-Bissaka before Casemiro tried to head the ball clear.
However, the Brazilian’s attempt looped up and into the six-yard box instead, putting pressure on Wan-Bissaka and Onana – who had raced off his line in an attempt to claim the ball.
Wan-Bissaka was able to head it away…
… but Onana’s continued momentum saw him collide with Zeki Amdouni, giving away the penalty the Burnley forward would convert.
It was a challenge that resembled Onana’s collision with Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Sasa Kalajdzic at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the season. That infraction did not yield a penalty; this time, United were less fortunate.
It is the listless drift which has plagued this United side’s form in recent weeks that is of greatest concern.
Ten Hag’s tactical approach for most of 2024 has seen games lurch from tedium to high tension. A midfield pivot of Eriksen and Mainoo offered increased quality in possession, but neither Alejandro Garnacho nor Antony has made the most of the variety of chances Bruno Fernandes has teed up.
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United remained a defensive oddity on Saturday; they held second-bottom Burnley to “only” 16 shots (seven on target) but still endured troubling moments. David Datro Fofana managed to work his way behind their back four to shoot within the opening 20 seconds. An eight-minute period towards the end of the first half saw Onana make excellent saves from Wilson Odobert and Lyle Foster.
The Ten Hag era, which held so much promise 14 months ago after delivering its first trophy in the Carabao Cup, has largely unravelled and the manager has started peppering his press conferences with pleas for patience.
Before the Burnley game, Ten Hag said United’s objective next season will be challenging for one of the Champions League qualification places rather than the Premier League title they last won in 2012-13. “This year we stand still, but I think, when everyone is available, definitely we are competing for the top four,” he said. “I’m confident of that.”
Erik ten Hag says Manchester United are not in a position to challenge for the Premier League title next season 🔴 pic.twitter.com/EDOIIOlQmR
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 27, 2024
Making the Champions League again is a reasonable aim for this squad going forward, but Saturday’s draw gave little indication of how their manager, or those involved in the broader club hierarchy, will achieve it.
Multiple injuries in key areas have hobbled Ten Hag’s ability to execute his preferred tactical plan for 2023-24, but his adaptations have led to few convincing victories. Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are the only clubs to outspend United in the past two seasons, yet there remain glaring issues that must be addressed this summer.
United need more players who offer a greater physicality so they can keep up with the ever-increasing demands of modern football. They also need to add players with a higher level of consistency in the more technical elements of the game. And they — crucially — need more players with the ability to solve potential problems during matches.
All these players then need to be placed in a healthy, structured footballing environment conducive to their growth.
Ten Hag believes such an environment is possible but will take time to bed in.
“The great Manchester United teams… we forget they were also built. In 2004-05, they also didn’t play great football,” the Dutchman said after Saturday’s match.
“They were building, and it takes time. But everyone forgets — even the players who were, by that time, in the team. They forget they were struggling and that they needed time to progress.”
United have struggled to find the right blend of talent and tactics to go with their proposed timelines of success since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement as manager in summer 2013. In the decade since, every season in which United finished with more than 70 points (2017-18, 2020-21 and 2022-23) has been followed by a season of regression.
The many implosions of the current campaign are different to the ones of 2018-19 and 2021-22, when they finished sixth, but United are a club with an unfortunate tendency to try to sprint into a title race before they’ve mastered the proper jogging pace needed to consolidate in the top four.
This summer’s window will be an opportunity for new co-owner INEOS to redefine who United are, what style of football they will play, and which individuals will be entrusted to execute their grand plan.
Question marks surround United as they head towards another off-season spent rebuilding.
They remain a club with high expectations, but also a high potential for disappointment.
Manchester United’s remaining games: Crystal Palace (a), May 6; Arsenal (h), May 12; Newcastle (h), May 15; Brighton (a), May 19; Manchester City (FA Cup final), May 25.
GO DEEPER
The Briefing: Man United 1 Burnley 1 - Onana's costly mistake; Ten Hag right to back Antony?
(Top photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)