Manchester United have started their UEFA Europa League campaign with 2 draws, with the latest one being against Porto. This result has boosted some confidence in the United dressing room. Things looked extremely bad, when Spurs defeated the Red Devils with a scoreline of 2-0.
Before the match in Estadio Do Dragao, the United fans were pessimistic about their club. Although they didn’t get a win, United were able to grab a point from this Europa match.
This match might be a turning point for United as it could be Ten Hag’s last chance, with the manager reportedly, already having lost the entire dressing room. According to SkySports, Ten Hag has urged the fans to be patient and said that everyone should stick to the plan. If the Red Devils want to win games, experienced players like Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire have to step up. It might even motivate the younger players to do the same.
Many pundits are slamming United boss, Erik Ten Hag, for playing former Real Madrid star, Casemiro. Jamie Carragher also indicated that the Brazilian midfielder is not capable enough now to play at this level. Casemiro’s downfall has been an unexpected twist for many United fans and Erik Ten Hag.
New confidence at United?
At the beginning of this match, Manchester United scored the first goal against Porto. This time, Marcus Rashford stepped in and scored a brilliant solo goal on his own. This proves that he is still capable of doing such things.
After that, he provided an assist to their Rasmus Hojlund for United’s 2nd goal. The Danish forward slotted it beautifully through the first post. Thus, United created a 2-goal lead in the first half of the match. During this time, the United fans were watching a massive improvement in their playing style. The Red Devils were more aggressive and decisive on the ball, than what the fans have witnessed in the last few games.
Much to the fans dismay, captain Bruno Fernandes saw another red card, which was the 2 nd red card he’s received in 2 consecutive games. This incident drastically affected United’s performance as Porto scored 3 goals against the Red Devils, where their new number nine, Samu Omorodion, scored 2 goals. The forward was dominating the penalty box, with his aerial prowess.
When everyone was thinking that Erik Ten Hag would be losing against Porto, England defender, Harry Maguire, stepped up and lifted their hopes by scoring from a header. This late equalizer has saved Ten Hag’s job at Manchester United.
Can Ten Hag turn the tides?
Currently, new Manchester United signing, Lenny Yoro is injured. He started the pre-season with positive performances. Manchester United thought that they would replace Raphael Varane with Lenny Yoro, but the plan hasn’t worked out yet. The new signing was supposed to be the “master stroke” for Jim Ratcliff and the INEOS group, but luck hasn’t favored them.
After just a few matches, Yoro got injured. To increase the defensive depth, United even bought De Ligt, but the Dutch defender has been struggling to lead the backline.
The absence of Lenny Yoro has caused a massive problem in United’s backline. Currently, Ten Hag is relying on De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez, but this partnership is not working out. After the performance against Porto, Ten Hag might forced to make a change, which could see Maguire return to the starting XI for the match against Villa.
On top of that, United do not have any available left-backs in their squad. Both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are injured, and Diogo Dalot is forced to play as left-back. If the Portuguese gets injured, Ten Hag will face a serious problem in the upcoming matches.
Among all these problems, it is less likely that United will be able to salvage their old glory. At this moment, Erik Ten Hag needs to focus on his backline because it has several problems. However, in the meantime, Ten Hag also has to worry about his future. According to multiple reports, the Aston Villa game could be Ten Hag’s last game incharge as the United boss.
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