Luke Shaw with a scathing review after Manchester United were humbled by Newcastle
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw bemoans the lack of fight, desire attitude and hunger shown by the Red Devils in a humbling defeat against Newcastle United.
The scoreline says 2-0 in favour of the Magpies, but the contrast in performance levels from both teams deserved to have a heavier score in favour of Eddie Howe’s men.
Erik ten Hag’s United, on the other hand, just could not get going. In fact, they lacked any desire to even try to change the course of the match. It was pretty much one-sided from the first whistle till the last.
Giving a scathing review of the performance, here’s what Shaw said (h/t Sky Sports):
“I don’t think they won the game on quality today, they won it on passion, desire, hunger, attitude, and they had higher motivation than us and that can’t be possible. I feel I say the same things every time we lose. It’s not acceptable. At Manchester United that can’t be possible.”
Shaw is partly right that the game was not won based on quality, because had Newcastle boasted a little more composure in the final third, they might have scored five or six.
The other worrying aspect is that this was a full-fledged United team, with every big hitter playing except the suspended Casemiro.
Moreover, the trend of losing away from home against teams in the top half of the table continues. United have already lost to Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Brentford, Aston Villa and now Newcastle away from home. Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton games are still to come.
How can a team with so much to play for in the final stretch of this season show minuscule motivation for a big game? It is not a one-off now, to be honest. Ten Hag has seen his team crumble under pressure away from home many times now.
More Manchester United News:
- Erik ten Hag says Anthony Martial could be back for Newcastle fixture
- Manchester United have ‘concerns’ over England international Harry Maguire
- Eddie Howe ‘pushing’ to sign Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay
With big games coming up thick and fast, attitude and fight issues need to be addressed, especially in the tough away games. Can they do it? Ten Hag is probably the right manager to sort these things out.
