Horror Show at Old Trafford

(image Via AS USA)

25 minutes in, and it’s 2-0 to Manchester United; they are cruising, and Sevilla can’t get near them. Manchester United was playing some of the best football they have played all season today against Sevilla, and it all fell apart in the second half. In the first half, they were linking up well and quickly passing the ball around. David De Gea had nothing to do in the first half. So what happened in the second half? Manchester United almost got too comfortable and confident, 2-0 up, and decided to take their foot off the brake altogether. Erik Ten Hag was making some strange substitutions during the game. He brought off Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United captain who had played every minute this season when the team was desperate to get a 3rd goal to kill the whole tie.

Along with taking off their captain, he also subbed on Weghorst and Elanga, two players who have heavily underperformed this season, and took off Sancho and Martial, who were running the show in the first half! Subbing out Bruno Fernandes made no sense also because Bruno picked up a yellow card which meant he was suspended for the return fixture anyway, so Ten Hag could afford to leave him on for the whole match. On top of throwing away a 2-0 lead at halftime against a Sevilla side fighting against relegation in Spain, starting center-backs Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane were forced off during the match due to some severe injuries; Martinez had to be taken off on a stretcher. With their Europa League survival in doubt, Manchester United will have to end the season potentially without star forward Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez, and Raphael Varane. These three will miss key fixtures like the F.A. Cup semi-final against an inform Brighton side, the return leg against Sevilla, and many crucial Premier League fixtures as they fight for the top 4. This season, Manchester United’s injury record has lamented their need for squad depth, which shows how vital this summer transfer window is. As it stands, Manchester United has a minimum of seven players that must leave the club.

Players like Brandon Williams, Axel Tuanzebe, Phil Jones, Alex Telles, etc., are not part of Manchester United’s plans and must go for their careers. A fundamental problem in the Manchester United team is their lack of a proper number 9 who can score them the goals and stay fit all season long. When Martial plays, we can see what a difference having a competent striker can make for a team. Unfortunately, Martial’s injury record is so bad you can’t trust that he’ll be fit for more than two weeks before he’s off to the sidelines for another month or two. Ever since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Edison Cavani, United has been struggling to score goals. It was clear, however, that those two needed to leave the club for many reasons, but to not replace your only two strikers is criminal. Manchester City, in lockdown, was the only club I have seen that could live without having an out-and-out number 9, but we cannot begin to compare United to City in the modern game. Pep’s men could find a way to win the league with Ederson up top. As the Glazers continue to prolong the sale of Manchester United, fans fear that without new owners, no new business can be made to improve the squad ahead of next season. Even as they head for the exits, the Glazers still find ways to ruin Manchester United every season.