As the Old Trafford roof leaked onto our hapless home fans, United were leaking goals.
The Reds’ Jekyll-and-Hyde season continued with a shock 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth; a result that seemed almost incomprehensible after the excellent performance and 2-1 win over Chelsea just 3 days before.
There were 4 and 5/10 performances all over the pitch, and the manager will have been fuming at the naivety and general lack of application from his players. It was almost the same team that dominated against Chelsea in mid-week, which makes the performance all the more baffling. Where on earth do United go from here?
A complacent start
“It’s only Bournemouth.”
I predicted a United 3-0 before the game and was probably guilty of thinking this to an extent, but it seemed like United started the game with this collective attitude.
We were slow and sloppy on the ball and Bournemouth were brave in their aggressive pressing. The Cherries gave us a goal kick with almost the first kick of the game, and their front three stood almost on our 18-yard box, ready to press and knowing we sometimes struggle to play out.
Five minutes later we were 1-0 down. Bruno’s loose pass to McTominay turns over possession, Cook runs straight through Amrabat and Bruno, rolls the ball across the 6-yard box and Solanke makes it 1-0.
That set the tone for the afternoon. There was almost no control in the midfield and thay midfield gave the ball away so often it was easy for Bournemouth to create chances, who could have scored more.
Nowhere near clinical enough
United struggle to put the ball in the net.
Marquee signing Rasmus Hojlund has yet to score in the League, and Martial is on 1 league goal for the season. United had almost 70% possession and 20 shots yesterday, but with only 3 on target. They are currently the worst team in the league for shot conversion; a stat that must be gravely concerning for Erik Ten Hag.
United have the worst shot conversion rate in the League. Screenshot courtesy of MOTD on the BBC
Player ratings and motm
Onana – 4. Not directly responsible for any goal but sometimes looked unconvincing on crosses and is nowhere as press-resistant as he looked at Inter. Was fortunate for the disallowed goal.
Dalot – 4. OK defensively but poor going forward and missed a glorious chance to square to Rasmus Hojlund for a tap-in; selfishly shooting into the side netting.
Maguire – 5 & MOTM. Slightly less bad than those around him, it’s telling that a player rated 5 was our MOTM. Not blameless for the second or third goals.
Luke Shaw – 4. Looked like a full-back out of position today. Got done for one of Bournemouth’s headed goals and passing was often poor.
Reguilon – 4. Someone tell this lad he is a defender. Got involved in attacks but non-existent in defence. Left his man for the third goal.
McTominay – 4. Couldn’t take numerous chances that came his way and got dominated by Bournemouth’s aggressive midfield.
Amrabat – 4. Looked like a player that spent the majority of his career in a slower league. Couldn’t cope with Bournemouth’s intensity, and was embarrassed for the first goal.
Fernandes – 4. Cut a frustrated figure and had a lot of passes go astray or blocked. Inexplicably got himself suspended for the Liverpool game by getting booked for dissent when were 3-0 down. Our captain plays with passion but needs to be smarter and more self-aware sometimes – this was a ridiculous and unnecessary suspension for one of our biggest games of the season.
Antony – 5. Similarly ineffective as the rest of the team but worked hard and tried to make things happen.
Garnacho – 4. Was deep in Bournemouth’s right back Smith’s pocket for most of the match. Ineffective.
Martial – 3. Same story as usual. No pace, no movement, no desire. Got the biggest cheer of the afternoon when he was subbed for Rasmus Hojlund. Surely Erik Ten Hag needs to rethink starting Martial after recent weeks?
Subs:
Hojlund – 4. A slight upgrade on Martial but didn’t offer much. Got himself booked for asking for an opponent to be booked.
Rashford – 4. Same old story.
Pellistri – 4. Meh.
Jonny Evans – 4. Meh.
does this team have a future?
Yesterday felt like a significant day for Manchester United; the type that often prefaces a major event, like a manager losing his job or the start of a big re-build.
One good performance every few weeks is simply not enough. There are players there that should not be in a Manchester United shirt, for different reasons, be it attitude, aptitude or ability.
As Joe Smith wrote, Erik Ten Hag must be central to United’s rebuild, but it’s clear that the rebuild now must happen, and it must be wide-reaching and brutal in terms the number of players that get exited. We’ll let Stretford Paddock favourite Andy Tate have the last word on yesterday’s performance: he is done with this team, and so am I.
