It’s clear to everyone that MU lost to Man City significantly in terms of skill, but what’s even more disheartening is that the Red Devils are now trailing far behind in their competitive spirit. All of this speaks to the helplessness and sympathy for HLV Erik ten Hag and his team.
What lingers in our minds after the 90 minutes at Old Trafford? Just as most fans predicted, there were no surprises or dramatic moments at the “Theatre of Dreams.” Man City completely dominated their city neighbors, easily pocketing three goals and three points.
For MU fans, there’s not much to say. As for Man City fans, they are undoubtedly jubilant but maintain a balanced demeanor since this result was expected. What about neutral fans? Most likely, they found Manchester City’s performance impressive but were also disappointed by what Ten Hag and his team displayed. Everything was so dire that it made us sigh and wonder, “Is MU really this helpless?”
When MU’s starting lineup was announced, questions immediately arose, particularly in defense. Jonny Evans, a 35-year-old veteran considered past his prime, was chosen to partner with Harry Maguire in central defense, while Raphael Varane, who is fully fit and holds the World Cup-winning class, was on the bench. Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof played left-back, facing Phil Foden. Everyone knows how unreliable Lindelof can be, and in this game, he “froze” but not against the opponent, he froze himself.
“In the first half, we had a very good game plan, and executing that plan went quite well. We started evenly with the opponent, but the penalty changed everything. After that, we attacked more in the second half but conceded two goals too quickly. From that point, the match became challenging,” HLV Ten Hag stated after the game.
Ten Hag has never admitted his mistakes. The best way to deflect media criticism is to blame… Man City’s strength. After halftime, the former Ajax manager substituted Sofyan Amrabat, who had already received a yellow card, with Mason Mount. From there, the Red Devils played as if they were handicapped, losing all control. In total, Chelsea’s signing touched the ball 15 times, made 9 passes with a 56% accuracy rate.
Not only were they lacking in skill, but MU also displayed a decline in spirit and, more importantly, in their competitive attitude. In fact, immediately after Haaland doubled the lead early in the second half, MU’s fighting spirit was crushed. The home team almost gave up, allowing Man City to roam freely. If it weren’t for Andre Onana’s excellent goalkeeping, the Red Devils would likely have conceded a third goal much earlier than in the 80th minute.
Whose responsibility is this? No one but Ten Hag because he is struggling to build a cohesive team with a never-give-up spirit. Worse yet, when the opponent cornered them, MU began to display unsportsmanlike behavior. Bruno Fernandes and Antony clearly had intentions to foul Jeremy Doku but managed to avoid being sent off by the referee somehow. All of this points to the utter helplessness of the Red Devils, with frustration reaching a boiling point and resulting in truly condemnable behavior.
It’s truly disheartening to see this as the true face of MU. People often say you lose one thing and gain another, but the Red Devils have lost both. Ten Hag’s squad is still slipping in both skill and attitude, and the day they return to the Manchester glory seems distant.
