Manchester United's Misery Persists: Another Disastrous Defeat, This Time against Nottingham Forest
Manchester United's woes persist as they suffer yet another disappointing loss, this time against struggling Nottingham Forest With a thrilling victory followed by this disheartening defeat, it's a case of two steps forward, three steps back for Erik ten Hag's side this season
Manchester United's season has been characterized by one step forward and two steps back, with a thrilling comeback win over Aston Villa followed by a dismal defeat to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest. Once again, hapless defending allowed Nicolás Domínguez to score for Forest after 64 minutes, highlighting the ongoing struggle for United.
Marcus Rashford equalized for United 12 minutes from the end of the game due to a mistake by Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner. However, Ten Hag's weak defense was breached again just four minutes later, with Morgan Gibbs-White scoring the winning goal for a 2-1 victory and three crucial points in the fight against relegation.
This was United's second game since British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 25% stake in the club. While their Boxing Day comeback against Villa may have given him hope for the future, Saturday's defeat highlighted the significant challenges that lie ahead.
David Brailsford, a British cycling coach and Director of Sport at Ratcliffes INEOS company, was present at the City Ground with legendary United manager Alex Ferguson. Both men undoubtedly left feeling deeply disappointed.
According to Opta, United has now suffered nine losses in its first 20 league matches of the season, marking the first time since 1989-90. This total matches the number of league defeats the team experienced in the entirety of last season.
Gary Neville said Erik ten Hag is now under pressure.
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After the match, United legend Gary Neville said Manchester United "are back to their worst."
"Manchester United have reverted back to being inconsistent and awful," he shared with us. "They leave the pitch looking defeated. The fans behind the goal will be so disappointed.
"I'm not entirely sure what to make of this Manchester United team," he continued. "It's very hard to watch. I believe everyone acknowledges that Erik ten Hag did an excellent job in his first season."
Under the new ownership, Sir Dave Brailsford will be closely monitoring the club on a weekly basis. He will be regularly seen in the directors' box, assessing the club's on-field and off-field operations. Unfortunately, he is not impressed with what he currently sees.
Neville also mentioned that United's season has been "mostly negative" and that some of the performances under Ten Hag this season have been "significantly below the expected level." With just four points from their last five league matches, United has dropped to seventh in the table and now sits nine points behind Arsenal in the fourth and final Champions League spot.
The team has already been eliminated from the Champions League, finishing at the bottom of a group that was not particularly challenging, as well as the League Cup. The FA Cup remains the team's only chance for silverware this season. United is the only team in the top half of the Premier League with a negative goal difference, and only Burnley and Sheffield United, the league's bottom two teams, have scored fewer goals than United's 22 this season.
Antony scored one Premier League goal in 2023.
Molly Darlington/Reuters
Despite significant investments in players requested by Ten Hag, such as André Onana and Antony, the club has yet to see any clear improvement in playing style under the Dutch manager's leadership since the beginning of last season.
Antony's poor performance during the 2023 season led to his substitution less than 10 minutes into the second half against Forest. The Brazil winger finished the season with only one goal in 33 Premier League games. Throughout 21 matches and over 900 minutes of play, Antony failed to score a single goal or provide any assists, despite Manchester United reportedly paying $109 million for his services.
Neville expressed that Ten Hag is now feeling the pressure due to the results and performance.
"There's no question about it. They are definitely going to fill those three positions - CEO, sporting director, and head of recruitment - they will all come in and the others will leave," he said.
The coach is always the most significant consideration in a football club, as they are not easily replaced. With their elimination from Europe and the Carabao Cup, the team must focus on getting their players in shape and striving for Champions League football to see how far they can go.
"But at the moment, they look well off it and there are six or seven teams that are in far better shape than them. It seems a million miles away."
