Manchester United’s disappointing form continued at Bournemouth on Saturday night as they drew 2-2 against Andoni Iraola’s side.
The first half had a familiar and ominous flavor as Erik ten Hag’s team turned the ball over repeatedly, often conceded the initiative to the home team and again allowed their opponents to shoot at will. Two of those shots – from Dominic Solanke and Justin Kluivert – were scored, separated by a decent effort from Bruno Fernandes at the other end.
The second half at least saw some improvement, with Fernandes scoring his second of the match from the penalty spot after an Adam Smith handball, but Bournemouth felt they should have been awarded their own penalty in injury time after a foul on Ryan. Willy Kambwala’s Christie was considered to be (just) off the beaten path.
The result leaves United 10 points off a Champions League place, with just six games remaining.
Here, Athleticism Carl Anka answers some of the key questions from the game.
How much control did United have today?
Five minutes into the match, Ten Hag could be seen giving “two-three-two” gestures to his players; it seemed the Dutchman wanted his defenders to better orient themselves to Andre Onana’s goal kicks as they attempted to play out from the back.
The plan was to draw Bournemouth’s forward press to a flank before hitting a quick one-two and opening up space in behind.
Thirty seconds after Ten Hag’s instruction, Bournemouth created a chance after forcing a turnover on a loose back pass from Kobbie Mainoo to Onana. Harry Maguire had to make a last-ditch tackle to deny Solanke a goal.
It was one of many frustrating sights. A team that tries to implement a courageous, even overly ambitious, football plan, but makes stupid mistakes.
It was yet another game where United conceded numerous shots (12 in the first half, five on target) against a team feasting on the open space that Ten Hag’s system allows in midfield. The United manager’s ultimate destination is for this team to be the best transition team in the world, but his players have gotten lost in the journey. A complete breakdown in communication between Diogo Dalot and Alejandro Garnacho in the 36th minute saw Kluivert burst into space in a dangerous area in the final third before making it 2-1.
It’s a mind-boggling experience to watch a group of talented players focus so much on avoiding some form of embarrassment that they have no idea of the more impending little train wreck that awaits them.
As we’ve highlighted here, United’s inability to control matches is a design flaw that has been accentuated by an injury crisis. It is acceptable for United to concede shots in a match, provided those shots are of poor quality and United generate better opportunities. However, United managed just one shot on target in the first half against Bournemouth, and Iraola’s side were just the latest team to exploit the space behind United’s full-backs with great success. effect throughout the match.
During his press conference on Friday, Ten Hag urged his team to “go into this fight, have the conviction and the need to support each other to win the battles, to surpass them, to outrun them.”
United were found wanting in the majority of important categories.
Where does this result leave United’s season?
Shortly before the half-time whistle, Harry Maguire found himself 35 meters from the Bournemouth goal and decided to let go. It was the kind of speculative effort that is a season contender’s goal if he gets in and kills time when he doesn’t.
The shot went high and wide and illustrated a leggy and lacking performance from his team.
A handball from Adam Smith and a smartly executed penalty from Fernandes spared some blushes. However, United are a team lacking confidence and suffering from physical and mental fatigue which leads them to commit unforced errors in the latter stages of matches. This team frequently turns to its most experienced players to try to create something out of nothing, but those players are running on empty.
Fernandes’ double deserved a double, but the sight of his lime green boots chasing loose balls with little support will be remembered longer. The captain’s batteries seem to be exhausted and he can no longer transport the team as before.
Midweek defeats in Europe against Liverpool and West Ham damaged England’s seasonal UEFA coefficient rankings, meaning United will likely need a fourth place rather than a fifth place to qualify for the Champions League next season. Such concerns now seem beyond Ten Hag. Saturday’s draw against Bournemouth, coupled with Newcastle’s 4-0 victory over Tottenham, leaves his side seventh in the Championship. Weeks of sideways drift risk turning into a full-blown decline.
An FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City takes place next Sunday, followed by matches against Sheffield United and Burnley which could give Ten Hag the opportunity to turn things around, but if Manchester United persist with this topsy-turvy approach and counter-attacking, all games become more of a coin tossing nature.
Back-to-back championship debuts for Willy Kambwala?
A rare unchanged XI for United saw Kambwala make just his third Premier League start. The 19-year-old began the 2023-24 season sixth in the club’s centre-back pecking order, but such is the rate and severity of injuries at United that he has found himself thrown into the deep end.
Kambwala impressed against Liverpool for his physicality and aggression in one-on-one duels. Against Bournemouth he found things difficult. Solanke easily shifted the 19-year-old twice while preparing to deal with a cross in the opening minutes of the match, and the striker’s Premier League experience often proved the difference in their one-on-ones .
Kambwala was definitely caught out in the 15th minute, losing his footing as he battled with Solanke on a visibly soggy pitch. The striker made the most of the extra space after Kambwala was brought down to score with a low, powerful strike into the bottom corner.
It was a minor mistake, punished severely. But those are the margins of Premier League football.
There were promising aspects to his game. When United tried to build from the back, Mainoo dropped deep to be the first receiver while Kambwala pushed up into the right channel to serve as the ball carrier when the ball was exchanged. It was his tackle on Solanke – just past the halfway line – that caused a turnover that led to Fernandes’ equalizer.
It took a VAR intervention in the final moments of the match to spare his blushes after he was initially deemed to have awarded a penalty for a foul on Ryan Christie. He was eventually found to have committed his foul just outside the box. He had escaped by the finest of margins.
The Frenchman spent much of the match chatting with Diogo Dalot, who offered him words of encouragement and high fives throughout the match.
Kambwala will make mistakes as he moves from academy graduate to first-team option. He is unlikely to start for United when other centre-backs return to fitness, but he has established himself as an option here and now.
What did Erik ten Hag say?
On United’s first half: “There were a few points, one thing was Harry Maguire had a problem in the first half and luckily for us he overcame it and got away handed over. You can see the second half, he was up there and then he can express his leadership, he can express his defensive qualities and rely on the ball, we especially needed that in that back four. We lost a few balls in areas where we shouldn’t lose them. If you see the first goal, the set-up was good but in this area you should never lose the ball but it’s still not a goal.”
On what he said at halftime: “I’ve been in football for a very long time. They were very motivated. But as I explained, I have to repeat myself, I’m not doing that, they were motivated but the organization was not good, we lost balls where we shouldn’t have lost them under the pressure of the team. ‘opponent. Our players are better than that.
On the pressure to qualify for the Champions League: “We are giving everything we can but I am also realistic. When the full team was there we could still have a lot of confidence, but we will continue to fight also with the available players, you see a lot of potential. But young players make mistakes too, if they have to perform in every Premier League – they have proven they can compete with the best teams at the highest level – but they have to do it consistently. This is the next step for young players.
What future for Man Utd?
Sunday April 21: Coventry City, FA Cup semi-final, 3:30 p.m. UK, 10:30 a.m. ET
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(Header photo: Getty Images)