Gutless. Cowardly. Rotten to the core. Disgraceful. Embarrassing. Soft. Weak. Petulant. Pigeon-hearted. However fans have chosen to describe Manchester United so far this season, most assessments have shared a common theme.
Off-field distractions continue to hamper Erik ten Hag as questions over the constant state of limbo the club’s ownership maintains fly in from all corners, but there’s no doubt now that the Dutchman is facing a severe challenge to get things back on track after the Red Devils’ most recent deflating defeat.
Things seemed to be looking up for United ahead of Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth. Ten Hag and Harry Maguire had scooped a Premier League Manager and Player of the Month double for November, while the midweek victory over Chelsea was their fourth win in five league outings.
Andoni Iraola had been on the brink of the sack earlier this campaign but his Cherries side produced a wonderfully efficient display to win 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Long gone are the days of Sir Alex Ferguson’s dominance at the Theatre of Dreams. Teams no longer dread visiting the home of England’s second-most successful club, such has been their demise since the legendary Scotsman’s departure in 2013.
In fact, the Red Devils have now lost 35 home games in the Premier League since Ferguson retired – United won the title in 2012/13, his final campaign in charge. They only suffered 34 such defeats in total throughout the former manager’s 21 seasons post-1992.
Four of those 35 losses have come this season alone, being beaten by the likes of Brighton, Crystal Palace, Manchester City and now Bournemouth.
United missed the chance to jump up to fifth and have two defining fixtures coming up in the space of a week. Nothing less than victory – and a helping hand from elsewhere – will do against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, while Ten Hag will want to avoid a repeat of his squad’s last trip to Anfield when they take on Liverpool, having been beaten 7-0 on Merseyside last season.
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