MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United have been eager to current a unified entrance this week however the factor about telling everybody you are in it collectively is that it is not sufficient to speak about it, you need to present it.
The two-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday was purported to be proof that this can be a workforce combating for one another and their supervisor, Erik ten Hag, however there was none of that spirit and willpower as they have been embarrassed by AFC Bournemouth within the Premier League on Saturday.
It completed 3-0 to the guests, who cruised to the primary win at Outdated Trafford of their historical past, and it might fairly simply have been extra.
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Bournemouth had a aim dominated out for offside within the first half, hit the publish, and had one other aim chalked off by the VAR for handball in opposition to the scorer, Dango Ouattara, in stoppage time which might have made the ultimate scoreline 4-0.
It might have been nothing greater than United deserved and after every week of coaching floor bans for members of the media possibly Ten Hag ought to prolong the suspensions to some of his underperforming gamers.
“I am irritated, dissatisfied, positively,” Ten Hag mentioned in his post-match information convention. “We’re actually inconsistent. Now we have the power to do it, however you need to do it each sport and each third day. After the 2-0, we broke down so we’ve got to do issues higher.”
The expectation forward of the sport was that United would construct on considered one of their finest performances of the season in opposition to Chelsea, but it surely began badly in opposition to Bournemouth and acquired steadily worse.
After simply 49 seconds, Luke Shaw performed a weak move again to André Onana and Dominic Solanke acquired there first, setting the tone for a primary half throughout which United have been second finest everywhere in the pitch.
Bournemouth’s first aim after 5 minutes was essentially the most obtrusive instance when Bruno Fernandes clipped a lazy move in the direction of Scott McTominay, who was barged off the ball by Lewis Prepare dinner. Sofyan Amrabat had a five-yard head begin to beat Prepare dinner to it, however as an alternative the Bournemouth midfielder received the race and crossed for Solanke to information his end into the far nook.
“I anticipated one thing totally different,” Ten Hag mentioned. “I hoped earlier than the sport you’ll be able to construct on the efficiency and outcome from Chelsea, so it’s totally disappointing the best way we began the sport. The best way we began is not any good, that’s poor. It should not occur.”
In every single place, Bournemouth have been faster and harder and the largest cheer of the afternoon from the United followers was when Anthony Martial, beginning as an alternative of Rasmus Højlund, was subbed off.
The second aim got here after Shaw gave the ball away with a sloppy move and was then bulldozed out of the best way on the again publish by Philip Billing to go previous Onana, earlier than a dire show was summed up when an unmarked Marcos Senesi headed in a nook.
It was a tender aim to spherical off the softest of performances from a United workforce who have been purported to be exhibiting their tooth within the wake of experiences of effervescent discontent within the dressing room following a poor begin to the season.
It is now 11 defeats from 23 video games, together with six at residence, and up subsequent is Bayern Munich in a make-or-break Champions League conflict.
Lose to Bayern, who suffered their very own humiliating defeat on Saturday as they misplaced 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt, and United will likely be out of Europe earlier than Christmas.
Lose to Liverpool subsequent weekend at Anfield, the place they have been overwhelmed 7-0 final season, and there will likely be rising doubts about whether or not there will likely be any European soccer at Outdated Trafford subsequent 12 months, not to mention the Champions League.
Ten Hag will likely be with out Fernandes in opposition to Liverpool, after he picked up a late reserving — his fifth of the season — for dissent and can serve a one-match ban. It was one other pointless present of indiscipline of the sort which has already pockmarked the marketing campaign.
“I feel, as a squad, we’re not ok to be constant and we’ve got to work as a squad to enhance that,” Ten Hag added. “As a bunch, we’ve got to enhance. Now we have to get harder, be prepared for the sport from the beginning. I mentioned it will probably’t be on this league as a result of in case you are not enjoying on the very best ranges, you get killed.”
The query now’s which United workforce will flip up in opposition to Bayern on Tuesday; one able to scrap and battle for a spot within the spherical of 16 of the Champions League or the one which rolled over in opposition to Bournemouth?
Earlier than dealing with the German champions, Ten Hag will converse at his prematch information convention on Monday and can — little question — use it as one other alternative to speak up the unity and togetherness of his gamers however the phrases will imply nothing except they will again it up on the pitch. The time for speaking is over.
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