Manchester United’s travails continued after they lost 3-1 to West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday. While Marcus Rashford scored for the Red Devils, Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, and Marco Arnautovic found the net for the Hammers.

Contributing writer, Nathan Quao, witnessed the match and puts out his thoughts on the game.

Poor Start Proves Costly Again

Once again, the curse of the poor start struck again. This column has highlighted this malady several times and following the loss to Derby in the League Cup, a better outing was expected but it was not to be.

West Ham looked hungrier, sharper and better all-round in the first 30 minutes of the tie and they led twice before half time.

Manchester United, on the other hand, looked bemused and strained and the building looked creaky and unstable all game.

It took almost 60 minutes for signs of a fight and a willingness from the Red Devils. It was very unacceptable for a team that was hoping to get something on the day and the loss was deserved thoroughly.

Apart from the poor start, there were poor performances as well. Ashley Young’s was very apparent and it went a long way to highlight the lack of quality in

Wrong managerial calls

After the team sheet came out, it was quite clear that a back three was at the base of the shape. But then, the wisdom of the shape came under serious scrutiny very early in the tie.

Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw looked very unsure of what they were doing on the pitch. There was no proper plan to take care of marking, tracking and pressing.

McTominay was seen as part of a back three. But then why him when Eric Bailly was there with the team? What was the reasoning behind the call? It was very strange and it added to the troubles of the first half.

The second half had some clarity when Lindelof was taken off but it seemed the fight was too far gone for any redemption to be done.

Players need to give what they give for a cause but then if a manager gets his plans wrong, he needs to carry the can. Jose Mourinho must be made to see that he fouled up in terms of the shape and line-up and if he he still has a job for the long haul of the season, the calls he makes should not leave his team team in a pickle on match days.

Time for a managerial change?

The loss to West Ham marks Man United’s worst start to a Premier League season and the narratives will get darker for the Red Devils in the coming days.

What do they do? Stick with the manager and hope for the skies to get clearer or get rid of him to prevent any potential further rot and damage?

It is a tough call to make but Ed Woodward will have to do something. If rumours of a split dressing room are true, then the manager must leave.

A lost dressing room will not produce any positive results and there are crucial matches popping up on the horizon.

It is a key time for Manchester United at the moment and a quick resolution is important. The success of the season is in the balance now.

 

 

 

 




------------
The RoM Manchester United 2024-25 season preview is now available. It includes articles from the country's best football writers about our expectations for the season ahead and our brightest talents, as well as proposed transfer business and which youth players to keep an eye out for. All profit goes to The Christie so please support this fantastic cause.