Manchester United lost 3-0 at home to arch-rivals Liverpool last Sunday on a sobering afternoon for the Old Trafford faithful.
After a summer of positive change off the field, big strides have been made to get the club operating in a more modern, efficient manner across the board.
A successful transfer window provides evidence that the new regime overseen by INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe is serious about returning United to the top.
After a mixed start to the new campaign – with a win and a loss against Fulham and Brighton respectively – the hope was that we would see progress made against a Liverpool side who are still adjusting to life under new manager Arne Slott.
The reality for United, however, was a harsh one. Despite having more possession as well as a similar shot-count and XG to their bitter rivals, it was the Merseysiders who were by far the more clinical of the two teams – pouncing on United’s individual errors and ruthlessly punishing the home side on three occasions.
Mistakes prove fatal
Brazil stalwart Casemiro was at fault, in part, for both first-half goals – needlessly surrendering possession for the opener, before being easily barged off the ball in the build-up to the second strike – which was again finished off by Luis Diaz – who completed a brace.
It was a nightmare half for the 32-year-old former Real Madrid stalwart – who was hooked at the interval.
Erik ten Hag’s men had no response in the second period as Mohamed Salah extended the Scousers advantage to cap a truly miserable day for the 20-time English champions.
The result certainly is a wake up call for everyone at the club, and shows that this side is still a long way off competing for the Premier League title.
Still a lot of work to be done
We all know Liverpool are operating under a new manager in Dutchman Slott, but they are an extremely settled side.
They don’t require much work at all – and the fact is, they finished 22-points ahead of United last season – which really illustrates the current gap between the two.
The Scousers have challenged for the title in two of the last four seasons under Slott’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp, and he has inherited an experienced team that happens to be very familiar with each other – having been together for many years now.
United on the other hand are still a work in progress and are actively integrating new players into their squad and trying to establish a consistently successful game-model under Ten Hag – but familiar issues have returned to haunt them far too often.
The side has only scored twice this season – and that will need to drastically improve if we are to see any headway being made under the Haaksbergen native.
The problems in midfield are also worrying, but the recent addition of Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte on deadline day should help ease concerns in this regard.
The club has a mix of young inexperienced players as well as some established stars returning from injury, not to mention new signings who are still adapting to the league and several seniors badly out of form and/or lacking in confidence.
League form needs fixing
Ten Hag was correct when pointing out that United are second only to Manchester City in terms of trophies won in English football this past two years – which backs up the notion that the Red Devils are very much a cup team under his stewardship.
Indeed, under the former Ajax man, the Manchester side have added both the Carabao and FA Cup’s to their illustrious honours list during his first two seasons at the helm – and after six trophy-less years prior to that, it is certainly an achievement not to be sniffed at.
However, supporters of the north-west powerhouse will be anxious to see them becoming more dominant on a week-to-week basis and not losing meekly to direct rivals, particularly in the league, anymore.
This will be something for the manager to work on and attempt to address in the coming weeks and months, should he be afforded the time to do so.
The new football hierarchy at the club – which includes CEO Omar Berrada, Sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox – will also demand that the club improves its league form and starts winning again on a more consistent basis.
The distinction of a successful cup run is always going to be a cause for celebration, but at a club who have been starved of league glory for over a decade now – challenging at the top end of the table will always be the ultimate barometer of success – not just for the current managerial set-up, but indeed for any future candidates who wish to take on the challenge.
For now, it’s back to the drawing board for Ten Hag – and the focus will be on staying calm and steadying the ship, as he hopefully reignites the club’s season after what has been a frustratingly poor start.
Will United ever make the jump from being a cup-team to genuine title challengers under the current managerial regime? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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