Manchester United: What went wrong?

It is Matchday 1 in the Premier League and Manchester United has thrashed Leeds United 5-1. A Paul Pogba masterclass and Bruno Fernandes hattrick are what has made the difference. Raphael Varane is unveiled to the exhilarated fans, and Jadon Sancho is finally seen in Red and White colours after a two year long operation to sign him. Old Trafford is in euphoria, as the name of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can be heard amongst the chants of the booming Stretford End. A better start to the season could never have been imagined, and the staggering return of Cristiano Ronaldo at the end of August has made things seem too good to be true.

Fast forward five months, United fans have been brought back down to earth and humbled to say the very least. Humiliating losses to the likes of Liverpool, City, Leicester, and Villa have thrashed hopes of winning the league. A 4-1 defeat at Watford is the last straw which forces the board to bite the bullet and ask for the resignation of player-turned-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ole is no longer ‘at the wheel’, with the bus crashing down at Vicarage Road and the fairy-tale coming to a melancholic ending. Ironically, the last goal in the ‘Solskjaer Era’ is scored by Donny van de Beek, a player who barely saw any game time under the Norwegian manager. Reputed German Ralf Rangnick is appointed as interim but is also unable to get a consistent run of form out of the squad. It has led all football enthusiasts to wonder, what happened to the dream team which Solskjaer had supposedly built in the summer?

Let us first address the elephant in the room; is Cristiano Ronaldo the reason for Manchester United’s recent failure? This could be looked at from two angles. The entrance of the Portuguese superstar is said to have created an ‘imbalance’ in the squad and his ‘off the ball’ efforts have also been questioned by critics. However, pointing fingers on the squad’s top goal scorer and the man who has saved the team from defeat on numerous occasions, especially in the Champions League, seems absurd. He could’ve chosen to go to a much easier league, yet his passion for the sport made him come to one of the toughest in the world at such a late stage in his career. Besides, there are much bigger problems for United than possessing arguably the greatest player of all time.

As anticipated in the summer, there has been a major crisis for Manchester United in midfield this season. Choosing not to sign a defensive midfielder was a bold move by the board and it has come back to bite them. On far too many occasions, United have been open in midfield which has helped opposition to capitalize and take control of the game. It felt as if United were a midfielder away from the league title, but now it is as if they are a midfielder away from any win. Despite occasional spells of brilliance, Mctominay, Fred and Matic have been consistently inconsistent, making it tough to be labelled permanent starters for the team. The likes of Rice, Neves, Zakaria, Haidara and Ndidi are midfielders whom the board has monitored, however, monitoring is not all, and one must be recruited before the ship gets closer to sinking.

Another major cause for United’s disappointing run of form this season has been many players suffering from ‘post-defeat syndrome’. England stars Maguire, Shaw and Rashford were part of the side which lost to Italy in the Euros final last summer, with Rashford missing one of the penalties. The effects of such a huge defeat can be seen as all three of them have had a tough time trying to get their form back. On top of that, the Red Devils faced a set-back themselves, getting so close yet so far from winning the Europa League in May, when Villareal defeated them on penalties with a bizarre score of 11-10. This shattered the confidence and morale of the entire squad, and whilst most professionals would move on, this batch has lost its compactness and often struggle to complete the simplest of passes. New manager Rangnick has been praised a lot for the tactical side of his management and he has emphasized on United’s need to have control on the game. However, actions should speak louder than words because control is something which the side has lacked all season, with only short spells of occasional brilliance being displayed on the field as of late.

Lastly, the leadership void in the team mustn’t be overlooked. The club captain, Harry Maguire has been criticised for not playing an impactful role as a leader on the pitch. Recently, the defender has been struggling to coordinate just the back-four, let alone the whole team. The defence has been a shambles, with David de Gea left in solitude to save the day almost every game. Although it is tremendous that the Spanish international is back to his best, it is only further evidence of how much the squad has struggled defensively this season. Some argue that this current squad lacks the authoritative personalities that were present back when Roy Keane was the captain. Nonetheless, there has been a glimmer of hope in recent games, as the passionate Bruno Fernandes has been given the captain’s armband during the absence of Maguire. If Fernandes can effectively demonstrate good traits of leadership, which he has done without the armband, then this will no longer be an issue the manager will have to worry about soon.

The fact that names such as Ronaldo, Cavani, Varane, Fernandes, Pogba and De Gea are part of this Manchester United team, yet the side still struggles is quite disconcerting. For the Red Devils to bounce back and not just win games from a fortunate stroke of serendipity, the next few months are crucial. While chances of winning silverware this season may seem low, the team are still in the FA Cup and Champions League. The clock is ticking, and another unsuccessful campaign would make it five consecutive trophy-less seasons, something quite dishonouring for a club of Manchester United’s status. It would be expected that by the summer, most of the mess has been cleaned. A fresh start with a respected manager, a stronger midfield, a bold leader, and a motivated team with thirst for success would be just how the Red Devils can get redemption.

— Yahya Ali

Islamabad-based freelance contributor- yahyaaliisb@gmail.com