Man United are a shambles. Manager Erik ten Hag has to go, but Benni McCarthy is included in the blame and he’ll be acutely aware of that.
Benni McCarthy is learning tough lessons at Man United
Only Man United under Erik ten Hag can lead a match in the 99th minute and still go on to lose it. That wasn’t even the most recent disappointment in the lives of Red Devils supporters around the globe. United’s 4-3 defeat at Chelsea, even though they led in the 100th minute of the match, was a crushing blow to the morale of their supporters and players. One match later, they’ve rescued a point at Bournemouth but that is a hugely problematic sentence all by itself.
Scraping past Coventry thanks to Bruno
In arguably one of the most electrifying FA Cup ties in recent history, United squandered a 3-0 lead to second-tier Coventry City in the semi-finals at Wembley. At 3-3, they looked vulnerable with the Sky Blues hitting the woodwork and then having what they thought was a late winner cruelly ruled out after the intervention of VAR. United eventually won the tie on penalties to book their place in the final against Manchester City.
Winning from behind against bottom club Sheffield United
Fernandes bailed United out again after another underwhelming performance against basement dwellers Sheffield United. The Red Devils twice trailed the contest before eventually winning it 4-2 at Old Trafford. Fernandes bagged a brace. However, United are still 13 points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa. It’s almost mathematically certain that they won’t be in the coveted Champions League next term.
Sir Alex won’t be digging this
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United were lauded for their electrifying, ultra-attacking football which often paid dividends late on in matches. The class of 2024 has its moments of quality, usually produced by individuals singing from their own hymn sheet, but they hardly ever stitch together an entire 90-minute performance of which a team would be proud. United have struggled in front of goal, scoring just 47 times in 32 league matches this term. That’s a tally matched by Bournemouth, Brentford and Fulham. This is a statistic that won’t reflect well on the work done by Mr McCarthy, the club’s attacking coach.
A chance to salvage their season?
Do you think a win in the FA Cup final against noisy neighbours Man City will give Erik Ten Hag a stay of execution for next season or won’t it mask their deeper flaws as a club? After all, most issues at an institution this size cascade down right from the top.
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