Siddharth Juyal
BBC Sport columnist Chris Sutton asserted that Manchester United have been awful despite the good results in the Premier League
Football pundit Chris Sutton criticized the overall display of Manchester United despite achieving good results in the Premier League recently. The Red Devils have won four out of their last five Premier League games.
The Manchester Giants have beaten Brentford, Sheffield United, Fulham and Luton Town on narrow margins in those four victories. However, the Red Devils have lost the Manchester Derby at home at Old Trafford against the league-leaders Manchester City. The Citizens dominated the game, winning with a comfortable 3-0 scoreline without facing any threat from United’s attack.
Furthermore, United crashed out of the Carabao Cup after losing 3-0 at Old Trafford against Newcastle United. The Red Devils have also lost a Champions League game 4-3 against FC Copenhagen, showing their recurring vulnerabilities this season.
United have nine losses from 18 matches in all competitions so far this season, conceding 30 goals and scoring 25. United manager Erik ten Hag has struggled to instil a dominant tactical approach in his senior squad. The senior team has struggled to find cohesion and consistency, showing weaknesses in both defence and offence.
Speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan (h/t BBC), Sutton said that United have been awful despite the positive results recently. He said:
“Results-wise, Manchester United have been doing better than anyone, with four wins in their past five league games, but if you have seen them play this season you will know they have mostly been awful.”
Ten Hag has deployed a rigid 4-2-4 formation in the last two games before the November international break. The formation allowed several important players to play in their preferred positions to influence the game accordingly.
However, United struggled to break down Luton Town in their last game with only one goal coming from Victor Lindelof. Luton played impressive football of their own and challenged the Red Devils till the very end of the game.
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United are facing tough fixtures in a very congested period during December and January. The Red Devils cannot rely on scrapping through with one goal in every match and they need to improve fast. Ten Hag faces a daunting task as his team need to continue their winning form to muster a top-four challenge.
