HYPERTENSION
| Published date | 15 April 2024 |
| Publication title | Daily Star (England) |
C h amp i o n s Le a g u e qualification? That's surely gone, even though Erik ten Hag insisted he believes in some kind of fantasy whereby Aston Villa, Tottenham and Newcastle all simultaneously collapse and United hardly put a foot wrong for the remaining six games.
The Europa League or Europa Conference League? Hanging on to sixth or seventh spot looks awkward, given the resurgence of Chelsea and Newcastle.
Lower than seventh? That's "not relevant" according to Ten Hag, who answered that question in mid-rise before storming out of his press conference.
But the lack of control doesn't end with the factual, black-andwhite stuff, like league position.
It's there in the indefinable, too.
The lack of grip, the drift, the feeling the club and the team are buffeted by events and opposition, is everywhere.
A decade ago it was possibly imaginable that United might play Bournemouth twice and earn just a single point over two games, while being outscored by five goals to two.
But to be completely outplayed in both matches? Have just a single influential player in this game - two-goal Bruno Fernandes - against four or five from the Cherries?
Take your pick from the hosts' Dominic Solanke, Ryan Christie, Justin Kluivert, Milos Kerkez and Marcos Senesi, who all outplayed their direct opponents.
This is where United, and Ten Hag, find themselves - untethered, weak and vulnerable (skipper Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, above right).
That's the macro level, but it's there at the micro level, too, out on the pitch.
"We lost control of a situation that we shouldn't," said United defender Diogo Dalot. "I think that was the script of the game.
"We lost a bit of control building up from the back, especially from situations that we shouldn't.
"Maybe we are taking too many risks. Sometimes the gap between defenders and the midfield is a little too big. That's why we are sometimes getting counterattacked too many times and conceding too many shots.
"We conceded two goals in the first half, but overall we had the aptitude to fight for the result.
"That's the only positive to take from this."
It's true that a point away at the
Cherries - who had won their three previous home games - is not to be sniffed at these days.
But the grasping of a single straw by the Portugal defender simply underlines that United are a team who last won a Premier League game 37 days...
To continue reading
Request your trial