Every Manchester United player stood alone, hands on hips. Rasmus Hojlund wiped his face with his shirt. Bruno Fernandes made desperate gestures whipping the air with his hands in an attempt to rouse his team. Erik ten Hag stood on the touchline, motionless.
Having taken a 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes against FC Porto, United had just conceded their third goal — “unnecessary”, “no good defending” and an issue with “willingness” according to Ten Hag — by the 50th minute of the game.
Despite Harry Maguire’s added time equaliser, there were no celebrations at full-time. United knew they had chucked away a commanding lead. Alejandro Garnacho, brought on for Marcus Rashford after 45 minutes, sank to the floor, the United players on the pitch cut isolated figures, no-one went towards each other while those who had been sat on the bench walked onto the field with their heads down.
The 3-3 scoreline does not even tell the half of it. It was a crazy game — highly entertaining for the neutral with six goals, a red card and a last-gasp equaliser — and it showed United once again as a fragile, chaotic and disorganised team, the complete opposite of what Ten Hag has based his reputation on.
(Florencia Tan Jun – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
United have won just one of their last 10 European games under the Dutchman. They have not won any of their last five matches in European competition despite leading by two or more goals in three of them and for the 31st time since the start of last season have conceded two or more goals in a match, the most of any Premier League side in this period.
United failed to protect what seemed a promising lead, thanks to Diogo Costa’s goalkeeping errors, and allowed Porto a way back in, giving away “a totally unnecessary”, repeated Ten Hag once again, first goal. They provided Porto with the fuel and the hosts lit a fire in the hostile Dragao stadium, taking control of the game.
In a cacophony of alarm bells, the loudest one ringing is not just conceding but doing so in quick succession, two within the space of seven minutes and three within 20. It is a recurring theme home and away, domestically and in Europe, since the beginning of last season.
(Florencia Tan Jun – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
“It’s more probably a mental issue,” Maguire told TNT Sports. “It’s something we’ve got to overcome. It starts with belief. When we go 2-0 up then concede, does the belief go a little bit between the boys that we can go on and win the game?”
Lacking belief was an issue identified by Ten Hag in their 3-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday too, but he refused to concede there was a deep-rooted problem. When asked about this unstoppable malaise, he pointed to United’s three clean sheets in their first six Premier League games this season and cited the 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace and 1-0 win over Fulham as evidence they can “defend in a good way as a team”.
“This team is capable of doing it, but they have to do it consistently,” he said. “When one, two or three players are switching off, then it’s a problem. We just started the season. So we have time to solve this issue. But it has to go quickly. We can’t wait so long. And players have to take responsibility in such defending moments.”
Ten Hag has called for more time previously, explaining the club had to refresh the squad in the summer and replace some of the old with the new. But on Thursday Ten Hag’s eternal search for a solution led him back to a veteran midfield of Casemiro (32) and Christian Eriksen (32), though any eyebrows raised by the arrival of the second-choice centre-half partnership of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans on 78 minutes as United chased the game were lowered when Maguire headed home in added time.
His reasons not to play new summer signing Manuel Ugarte in midfield were the “game model” and “physical” with games coming thick and fast, while Rashford, who scored, assisted and looked a threat going forwards, was replaced at half-time because of the need to “rotate”. Ten Hag did say, however, Rashford “over the left side, definitely, didn’t defend well tonight” before adding “we have to play Garnacho” because he was United’s “best player on Sunday by far and also in many other games this season” and insisted the switch was “nothing against Rashy (Rashford)”.
Harry Maguire celebrates his late equaliser (Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Images)
The cracks are plain to see and desperation is seeping in. That was illustrated by Bruno Fernandes’ late sending off for two yellow card offences, the second because of a high boot, straining for a cross in the 81st minute — deemed to be dangerous play. Having not received a single red card in any of his first 241 appearances for United in all competitions, the United captain has now received two in his last two games, albeit the suspension for the one against Spurs has been overturned.
24 – Since Erik ten Hag joined the club in 2022, no Premier League club has conceded 3 or more goals in a match more times in all competitions than Manchester United (24). Open. pic.twitter.com/WRvic7vpss
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 3, 2024
The foundations are crumbling around a team who increasingly look lost. From the outside at least Ten Hag’s future looks as nebulous as the foggy weather which delayed United’s flight out to Porto. It is doubtful Sunday’s away trip to Aston Villa, who beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday, will provide fans with any clarity over the direction of this team.
There have been numerous calls for patience with the long-term process being implemented under the new ownership of INEOS, but right now any progress is being undermined by a team who keep leaking goals at a record-setting rate, and few signs that is going to slow down any time soon.
(Header photo: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
