TALK of A united REVIVAL is WAY off the mark
THE NERDS bombard you with stats day after day, game after game, and it was no different following Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
We were breathlessly informed that this meant United had still to lose in 2024, stretching their unbeaten run to six games.
That’s right, you read that correctly. United not losing in SIX games is now something that’s apparently worth noting.
Let’s dig a little deeper into that incredible unbeaten run.
In the FA Cup, League Two outfit Newport County came back from 2-0 down to equalise against United, and the game wasn’t safe for Erik ten Hag’s men until Rasmus Hojlund’s 94th minute goal.
United had nine shots on target in that game, tiny Newport had seven.
In the Premier League, United were 2-0 up against Wolves after 22 minutes but again, they let their opponents back into the game.
It took a 97th minute winner from Kobbie Mainoo to seal the points for United.
Some might argue that these late goals show United’s steel and the way they fight to the final whistle.
I’m not so sure. To me, it looks like they’re riding their luck, and struggling to put away teams that veer from poor to ordinary.
Road
A real test of a team is how they do on the road against the top sides.
Under ten Hag, United’s record makes for grim reading. A 6-3 defeat to Manchester City and a 7-0 thumping by Liverpool. Two visits to Arsenal, losing both and conceding three goals each time.
We should remember that United went into this season with the most expensive squad in the world.
The spending doesn’t just apply to transfer fees, either. United’s wage bill has gone through the roof.
Anthony Martial (above), a plodder, is paid €30,000 a week more than Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s second highest earner.
United have six players who are paid more than Arsenal pay Declan Rice.
Ten Hag doesn’t have a squad, he doesn’t even have a team, he has a skeleton of one.
Two of his best players this season have been Harry Maguire and Scott Mctominay.
Ten Hag wanted to get rid of both of them last summer.
Of the players he’s brought in, not many have worked out.
I do think Hojlund looks like the real deal. Even when he wasn’t scoring, he worked hard and showed promise.
He can be a prolific striker, but it must break a striker’s heart to play in that United team.
They just don’t create enough chances, and you get a close up view of the chaos around you.
The manager spent silly money on Antony, who has been a disaster.
Last January and last summer, we were told United’s big midfield target was Sofyan Amrabat.
That should have sent alarm bells ringing. Experience tells us it’s dangerous to judge a player on a good World Cup.
That is such a rarefied environment that average players can look far better than they really are.
Just think back to Phil Babb at the 1994 World Cup for Ireland. Paul Mcgrath made him look good enough to get a move to Liverpool.
Expensive
Remarkably, Babb — who was nothing special — became the most expensive defender in British football.
Amrabat has looked all at sea when playing for United and quickly fell out of favour.
It doesn’t help United that there are other issues in that crucial sector.
Casemiro had an exceptional career at Real Madrid but, to me, he’s just going through the motions now.
He doesn’t look fit, and is often peripheral in games.
United’s supposed leader, Bruno Fernandes, is another problem.
In fairness, he is leading the way in one aspect. No player has been booked more for