BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton predicted a Manchester United draw against Fulham in Saturday’s Premier League showdown.
BBC Sports football columnist Chris Sutton predicted that Manchester United will only be able to muster a draw against Fulham. United plays Fulham on Saturday’s Premier League clash at Craven Cottage after suffering two humiliating back-to-back losses at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils lost 3-0 to Manchester City as the visitors dominated the Premier League Manchester derby last Sunday. United faced another disastrous 3-0 result against Newcastle United while crashing out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
United manager Erik ten Hag is facing unsurmountable pressure to produce a series of results to save their crumbling season. The Red Devils would be hoping to at least challenge for a top-four position and qualify for the Champions League.
Sutton told BBC Sport that United’s poor performances this season make it hard to predict them as winners against Fulham. He said:
“Fulham are no great shakes but how can you back United at the moment? They have had one decent display, performance-wise, all season – and that was against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.”
Ten Hag has been unable to build cohesiveness and a dominant style of play within the senior team. Injury crisis and poor individual performances have only added to the misery for the team. United have lost eight out of 15 matches in all competitions this season.
The Red Devils deployed a cautious approach against City but failed to provide a counter-attacking outlet to ease the pressure. The Citizens managed to strategically carve United open despite their defensive approach.
Ten Hag used a more adventurous approach against the Magpies and United dominated the possession throughout the game.
However, they managed to hit two shots on target as the team failed to create any threatening period of play. Newcastle used counter-attacking football proficiently and carved United’s midfield and defence open to score their goals.
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Ten Hag is facing a tough task to build team chemistry and a style of play that suits his team. The morale at the club is at an all-time low under the Dutchman’s regime and that needs to change fast.
