Manchester United's woeful campaign hits rock bottom after feeble Champions League exit
Manchester United's season hits a new low after a lackluster Champions League exit, leaving fans disheartened and questioning the manager's desperate attempts to salvage the team's performance
Once again, the sound of boos filled Old Trafford, becoming the anthem of Manchester United's disastrous season. The team hit a new low on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich, resulting in their elimination from the Champions League.
In August, the draw featured Bayern, Copenhagen, and Galatasaray in a group that didn't initially appear difficult to qualify from. However, Manchester United not only failed to advance, but Erik ten Hag's team finished last in the group with only four points from six games. They managed just one win and set the worst defensive record in Champions League history for an English club.
United's departure from the Champions League was a quiet and unremarkable exit, with Bayern's supporters taunting the home team as the match came to an end by singing "Football's Coming Home" and "This is a Library."
In a crucial game where only a victory could secure their spot in the round of 16, the team managed just one shot on target, and that shot was easily saved by Manuel Neuer in the first half. It's clear to United fans that the team and manager seem to be struggling, and Ten Hag's description of their poor performance as "very good" is particularly worrying.
Kingsley Coman's second-half goal was the difference between the two sides.
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"We didn't lose a place in the last 16 today, that's clear," Ten Hag told TNT Sports after the match. "I believe we had some strong performances, but we also made mistakes. There were some individual errors from multiple players and that's just not good enough."
Today's performance was excellent once again, and it's frustrating to lose despite that fact. I believe the team performed admirably, displaying strong defensive organization and effective pressing. We were successful in regaining possession multiple times, particularly at the beginning of the second half, but unfortunately, we failed to capitalize on those opportunities.
A manager trying to clutch at straws
Ten Hag emphasized that he believed his team demonstrated "absolutely" sufficient effort and conviction on the pitch in a crucial game that they needed to win. This may leave United fans questioning whether their manager saw a different match.
Manchester United's future seems uncertain, with the January transfer window fast approaching. After the substantial amounts of money wasted on unsuccessful signings under Ten Hag, it remains unclear how much the club will be able to invest in rebuilding the squad.
Fans are eager for the completion of the sale of a 25% stake in the club to British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe before the transfer window opens. However, they are understandably worried about United's future due to the majority stake that the Glazer family will still hold in the club. With the team now out of contention in three of four competitions this season, the FA Cup is the only remaining opportunity for them to win silverware.
Ten Hag emphasized that United's difficulties in the Champions League, particularly their struggle to maintain leads, would not affect their performance in the Premier League. He urged Rasmus Højlund to translate his goalscoring success from Europe to the domestic league. The 20-year-old Danish striker has yet to score a goal in the Premier League.
Despite the defeat, Erik ten Hag said his team's performance was "very good."
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Ten Hag emphasized the need for him to carry that belief into the Premier League, along with the entire team striving to deliver strong performances in order to return to the Champions League.
The task certainly seems more challenging following United's 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday. Despite a run of six wins in eight matches, the team's performances have been lackluster. Ten Hag even managed to win Manager of the Month during one of the worst starts to a season in the club's history, which is somewhat comical.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher commented on CBS Sports after the game, suggesting that Ten Hag may have viewed Tuesday's performance against Bayern as "very good" due to the low standard set by him and his team. "Because Manchester United has performed poorly this season, playing against one of the top teams in Europe and missing key players, I think it's almost a situation where not losing by three or four goals makes a one-nil defeat actually feel acceptable," Carragher stated.
After an hour in the game, he's likely watching and thinking, "Okay, we're still in this. It's kind of a small positive, but we lost 3-0 to Bournemouth last weekend and now we're facing one of the top teams in Europe and only lost 1-0." Carragher added that this mindset is likely the message the manager will convey to the players the next day, trying to find some silver lining in the outcome. "I just think that's a manager trying to find something positive in a difficult situation," Carragher concluded.
United's season goes from bad to worse.
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Things wont be getting any easier for United, with the team facing a trip to Anfield on Sunday to take on a resurgent Liverpool that now tops the Premier League table.
If Ten Hag thought Tuesdays performance was "very good," United fans will likely be very concerned about the standard of football the players will serve up against their bitter rivals on Sunday.
