One step forward, two steps back. That’s what Man United’s season has looked like so far. A good opening Premier League game and a 1-0 triumph over Fulham at Old Trafford was succeeded by two consecutive losses to Brighton (2-1) and Liverpool (3-0). Two clean-sheet victories against Southampton (3-0) and Barnsley (7-0) followed, only for two draws in a row with Crystal Palace and Twente to come after.The conclusion can be only one: something is wrong with the Red Devils. Their good form is inconsistent, and once they catch a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, they almost instantly return to the shadow after a series of poor results. Even the two consecutive wins came against the newly promoted Southampton, which would fiercely fight the relegation battle and the third-tier Barnsley. Nowhere near United’s level.Manchester United fate in European tournaments. They just managed to win one game in the last 9 played games.What’s really the problem? pic.twitter.com/bBG5cYYgPz— Futbol89 (@maxcy89) September 27, 2024 The last straw in this bunch of disappointments was Wednesday’s UEFA Europa League 1-1 draw against Twente at Old Trafford. That game concluded the streak of nine matches in European competitions out of which the Red Devils won only one! And against Copenhagen, and in Manchester, and only 1-0!The ‘great’ strategist Ten Hag: One win in Europe with United – and even that was barely earnedMoreover, the only club at a Champions League level – among the five different United faced in the nine clashes mentioned above – were Bayern Munich, which brushed them aside two times. Galatasaray and Sevilla snatched a win and a draw each, while Copenhagen beat the Red Devils in Denmark after Manchester’s win at the Theatre of Dreams.📈 @ManUtd leading the way by Expected Transfer Value (xTV). 🧵With the competition beginning on Wednesday, we rank the squad values of every club taking part in the year’s @EuropaLeague. 🤩 👀Who do you think will be the winners of the tournament? 🤔#UEL #MUFC #ManUtd pic.twitter.com/fN85YHh1DC— TransferRoom (@transferroom) September 24, 2024 Ahead of the game with the club from Enschede, Erik ten Hag said he would rather not play the club whose jersey he wore for seven years so as not to hurt something he loved. In the end, not only did he not hurt Twente, but the Dutch side ended up hurting him. The club that currently sit fourth in the Dutch league Eredivisie and whose squad is worth more than 12 times less than United’s (around as much as Bruno Fernandes alone)?! Moreover, the first seven out of the ten highest-paid players in the UEFA Europa League come from Manchester’s ranks: Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, Antony, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire.All the conditions for winning are there – in terms of finances, squad, club’s reputation, you name it. Yet, things are not functioning. Why? It’s on United’s management, Ten Hag and his staff, and players to determine. Still, this winless streak in Europe significantly tarnishes the reputation mentioned above.🚨 Manchester United are number Twenty, one place behind Twente, in the Europa League standings.Poetic really! pic.twitter.com/884Qk5PHQg— Horpe (@CFCHorpe) September 26, 2024 Moreover, it has already tarnished it so much that the Red Devils fans should think twice before expecting triumphs over Porto in Portugal or Fenerbahce in Turkey. Luckily, there are rivals like the Romanian FCSB, Norwegian Bodo/Glimt, or Czech Viktoria Plzen against which Ten Hag’s team can hope for the best. But if these opponents – with all due respect – are a benchmark for the Manchester giants’ current level, then the situation at Old Trafford is worse than it seemed.PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 6Saturday14:30: (5.30) Newcastle (4.00) Man.City (1.63)17:00: (1.22) Arsenal (7.25) Leicester (15.0)17:00: (2.30) Brentford (3.50) West Ham (3.25)17:00: (1.75) Chelsea (3.60) Brighton (4.90)17:00: (2.85) Everton (3.35) Crystal Palace (2.65)17:00: (2.45) Nott.Forest (3.40) Fulham (3.10)19:30: (7.75) Wolverhampton (4.80) Liverpool (1.40)Sunday16:00: (4.40) Ipswich (3.50) Aston Villa (1.85)18:30: (2.35) Man.Utd. (3.60) Tottenham (2.85)Monday22:00: (1.65) Bournemouth (3.80) Southampton (5.40)***odds are subject to change***
