GORY, GORY MAN United
| Published date | 14 August 2022 |
They went missing all right. From back to front, from David De Gea to Cristiano Ronaldo, from Harry Maguire to Marcus Rashford, they went missing.
Even taking into account all the troubles since the great man's retirement, it is still impossible to recall a United team of the post- Ferguson era this WEAK.
Weak of body, weak of mind, just plain weak, an embarrassment to the club's name, a soft touch for all and sundry.
After a United match, it has now become the norm to remind yourself to give due credit to the victors and Thomas Frank's side were ruthless, well-organised and took their opportunities with eye-catching coolness.
They were men against boys.
But United's awfulness towers above every other significant Premier League subject right now. It is so jawdropping, it is fascinating.
In his two Premier League matches, Erik ten Hag has given them an almighty shove down the slippery slope they were already on.
Yes, it is ridiculously early in his tenure to be making any solid judgements but there is no hiding the new manager's culpability.
For example, he watched Maguire from afar last season and from close up last Sunday and still believes he is a defensive colossus.
He knows Rashford's form has been in a 12-month tailspin but still says he has complete faith in him.
He has allowed Ronaldo to be a petulant distraction.
And quite what he has been doing on the United training ground is anyone's guess if the disorganisation of the first two games is anything to go by.
In mitigation, Ten Hag can do little about his players' tendency to commit the most basic of mistakes.
And they do not come any more basic than the De Gea error that gifted Brentford and Josh Dasilva the opening goal.
As the old saying goes, the shot was so weak, the keeper could have thrown his cap on it - had he been wearing one, of course.
Instead, De Gea dropped down instalments and allowed Dasilva's daisy-cutter to smuggle itself across the line. Let's face it, De Gea has maintained his No.1 spot with United for one reason, albeit a very good reason - he is normally an excellent shot-stopper.
Accomplished But in this age, it is becoming unusual for an elite goalkeeper not to be at least semi-accomplished with his feet. And if Ten Hag wants his keeper to play out from the back, he has to change his keeper. Simple as...
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