[ad_1]
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United have been eager to current a unified entrance this week however the factor about telling everybody you are in it collectively is that it is not sufficient to speak about it, it’s important to present it.
The two-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday was purported to be proof that it is a staff combating for one another and their supervisor, Erik ten Hag, however there was none of that spirit and dedication as they have been embarrassed by AFC Bournemouth within the Premier League on Saturday.
It completed 3-0 to the guests, who cruised to the primary win at Outdated Trafford of their historical past, and it might fairly simply have been extra.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga & extra (U.S.)
Bournemouth had a purpose dominated out for offside within the first half, hit the publish, and had one other purpose chalked off by the VAR for handball towards the scorer, Dango Ouattara, in stoppage time which might have made the ultimate scoreline 4-0.
It will have been nothing greater than United deserved and after every week of coaching floor bans for members of the media perhaps Ten Hag ought to lengthen the suspensions to some of his underperforming gamers.
“I am aggravated, disillusioned, positively,” Ten Hag mentioned in his post-match information convention. “We’re actually inconsistent. Now we have the power to do it, however it’s important to do it each sport and each third day. After the 2-0, we broke down so now we have to do issues higher.”
The expectation forward of the sport was that United would construct on one in all their finest performances of the season towards Chelsea, but it surely began badly towards Bournemouth and acquired steadily worse.
After simply 49 seconds, Luke Shaw performed a weak cross again to André Onana and Dominic Solanke acquired there first, setting the tone for a primary half throughout which United have been second finest all around the pitch.
Bournemouth’s first purpose after 5 minutes was essentially the most evident instance when Bruno Fernandes clipped a lazy cross in direction of Scott McTominay, who was barged off the ball by Lewis Cook dinner. Sofyan Amrabat had a five-yard head begin to beat Cook dinner to it, however as an alternative the Bournemouth midfielder received the race and crossed for Solanke to information his end into the far nook.
“I anticipated one thing completely different,” Ten Hag mentioned. “I hoped earlier than the sport you may construct on the efficiency and outcome from Chelsea, so it is very disappointing the way in which we began the sport. The way in which we began isn’t any good, that’s poor. It should not occur.”
In every single place, Bournemouth have been faster and more durable and the most important cheer of the afternoon from the United followers was when Anthony Martial, beginning as an alternative of Rasmus Højlund, was subbed off.
The second purpose got here after Shaw gave the ball away with a sloppy cross and was then bulldozed out of the way in which on the again publish by Philip Billing to go previous Onana, earlier than a dire show was summed up when an unmarked Marcos Senesi headed in a nook.
It was a comfortable purpose to spherical off the softest of performances from a United staff who have been purported to be exhibiting their enamel within the wake of experiences of effervescent discontent within the dressing room following a poor begin to the season.
It is now 11 defeats from 23 video games, together with six at dwelling, and up subsequent is Bayern Munich in a make-or-break Champions League conflict.
Lose to Bayern, who suffered their very own humiliating defeat on Saturday as they misplaced 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt, and United shall be out of Europe earlier than Christmas.
Lose to Liverpool subsequent weekend at Anfield, the place they have been crushed 7-0 final season, and there shall be rising doubts about whether or not there shall be any European soccer at Outdated Trafford subsequent yr, not to mention the Champions League.
Ten Hag shall be with out Fernandes towards Liverpool, after he picked up a late reserving — his fifth of the season — for dissent and can serve a one-match ban. It was one other unnecessary present of indiscipline of the type which has already pockmarked the marketing campaign.
“I feel, as a squad, we aren’t ok to be constant and now we have to work as a squad to enhance that,” Ten Hag added. “As a gaggle, now we have to enhance. Now we have to get more durable, be prepared for the sport from the beginning. I mentioned it may well’t be on this league as a result of if you’re not taking part in on the best ranges, you get killed.”
The query now could be which United staff will flip up towards Bayern on Tuesday; one able to scrap and battle for a spot within the spherical of 16 of the Champions League or the one which rolled over towards Bournemouth?
Earlier than dealing with the German champions, Ten Hag will converse at his prematch information convention on Monday and can — little doubt — use it as one other alternative to speak up the unity and togetherness of his gamers however the phrases will imply nothing except they’ll again it up on the pitch. The time for speaking is over.