On the day it emerged HS2 would not be reaching the city, Manchester United‘s season once again derailed with another damaging defeat.
Tuesday night’s 3-2 Champions League loss to Galatasaray, hot on the heels of Saturday’s miserable 1-0 Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace, means another Old Trafford crisis is brewing.
It was United’s sixth defeat from 10 matches this season, their worst start since 1986, and also the first time they’ve lost their opening two Champions League games.
While Erik ten Hag‘s job isn’t under imminent threat, the manager will have to take his fair share of criticism despite mitigating factors such as injuries.
But his players are taking plenty of flak too, from pundits and fans alike, with some receiving more than others.
Manchester United slumped to another painful defeat against Galatasaray, just days after they were beaten by Crystal Palace
The pressure continues to mount on manager Erik ten Hag after a sixth defeat in 10 matches
United legends turned pundits Rio Ferdinand (left) and Paul Scholes (right) certainly had some forthright opinions on where the team is going wrong
Paul Scholes, speaking on TNT Sports after the Galatasaray defeat, expressed his concerns about the French defender’s reliability.
‘I worry about Varane a bit, he has been one of the very best defenders around, in that same ilk at Real Madrid. I just think his legs are looking sluggish, he can’t keep fit and I worry about him.’
Sofyan Amrabat
The Moroccan midfielder has been forced to play out of his comfort zone at left-back because of injuries to Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Sergio Reguilon.
Unsurprisingly, Amrabat has been culpable of poor positioning and clumsy fouls, which are proving costly.
Peter Schmeichel after Palace game: ‘It is his first full Premier League game and he has just not had a great game so far. He gives a silly foul away which leads to this free-kick [from which Joachim Andersen scored].’
Scholes on Galatasaray’s second goal: ‘Amrabat is not in his favoured position but he just gets spun, the lad turns him around.’
Paul Scholes is concerned about Raphael Varane, saying ‘his legs are looking sluggish’
Sofyan Amrabat has been forced to play out of position at left-back and has struggled
Former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel made a point about Amrabat’s clumsy fouls
Marcus Rashford
Rashford burst through during the second-half against Galatasaray and only had the keeper to beat.
The Rashford of last season surely would have taken the chance but he’s netted just once in nine games during a sluggish start to this season.
Instead of shooting, he tried to pass the ball sideways to Bruno Fernandes, allowing a defender to intercept.
Scholes: ‘I think the Marcus Rashford of last season scores here, there’s no doubt about it because he had confidence then.
‘It’s a good pass from Eriksen, who had a good second-half, but I saw Marcus coming in and he’s always thinking about Fernandes but the trouble is he’s not actually thinking about how quick the right-back is behind him.’
Marcus Rashford was criticised for trying to square to Bruno Fernandes when clean through
Varane, Lindelof, Onana and the defence generally
With a central defensive pairing of Varane and Victor Lindelof against Galatasaray and the uncertain figure of Andre Onana in goal, United were opened up far too easily.
The Turkish club are by no means the first to cut through United’s brittle back line this season.
Scholes: ‘It was almost as if we disregarded the defensive side of the game and the defensive side of the team, it wasn’t good enough, they were wide open at times. [Sofyan] Amrabat, look he’s not a left-back he gets done for the third goal.
‘But it was so wide open, Lindelof and Varane were so soft and weak and we all know what the goalkeeper did as well.’
[On the second goal]: I don’t know where the hell Varane is going, Lindelof just looks lost in the middle, and they were so open in the middle of that defensive area.’
Rio Ferdinand: ‘I’m sitting there with my head in my hands thinking there’s an absolute lack of organisation at times. There’s experienced players in the team and there’s no organisation defensively.
‘As a kid, you’re told that you’re the most vulnerable after just scoring and that happened twice tonight, we fell asleep.
‘And that’s where you’re at your most comfortable and we go to sleep. We’re being cut open like a knife through butter, and that’s embarrassing.
Victor Lindelof endured another tough evening as United’s defence was sliced open
Andre Onana had a shocker, making a mistake which led to Casemiro being sent off
‘This is the Champions League, it’s not like we’re playing school football or anything. This is the Champions League and some of the mistakes you’re seeing, and at this level, you’re going to get punished and they were tonight.
‘I have always believed that you need organisers at the back. Whether that’s the goalkeeper or the centre-halves who talk and communicate.
‘In two of those goals there was no leadership in that backline about controlling the situation and I spoke a bit about one of the goals in terms of making sure you understand your mindset of the ‘what ifs’.
‘What if someone makes a mistake? What if there’s an underhit pass and it goes behind us?’
‘You’ve got to think like that to where I am in relation to that striker – he can’t have an easy route to goal. We’re talking about concentration.
‘But we’re not talking about young players here, we’re talking about experienced players who know their way around a football pitch and have won things.’
Casemiro, Fernandes, Eriksen etc.
Richard Keys on X (formerly Twitter): ‘It’s clear Erik ten Hag has lost his players with his tin-pot tough guy act and by always blaming them. That’s repairable.
‘Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Raphael Varane and Sofyan Amrabat not being able to run isn’t and the goalkeeper is a liability. Bruno Fernandes won’t run – that’s a big problem. He’s not a captain.’
Richard Keys picked out six players, as well as claiming that one United star was a ‘liability’
AT LEAST SOMEONE IS GETTING PRAISED…
Rasmus Hojlund
United’s £72million striker is a rare bright spot at the moment, scoring another two goals in the Galatasaray defeat.
Paul Scholes: ‘I think I saw enough tonight in a team that excited me. Hojlund, especially them two goals. He took the two goals brilliantly.
‘I absolutely loved the second goal, he gave the centre-half no chance, clean pair of heels and his finish – a composed finish. We also had a goal that got disallowed. And I thought, ‘Wow there’s a bit of [Ruud] Van Nistelrooy in there.’
Rasmus Hojlund scored twice and received praise – but he couldn’t save United from defeat
