Manchester United conceded two goals in added time to end up on the losing side in a dramatic Premier League encounter against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.
It was the hosts who raced into a two-goal lead within the first 20 minutes but the visitors rallied back to equalise within half time through Alejandro Garnacho and skipper Bruno Fernandes.
The Argentine then handed the Red Devils the lead only for the Blues to emerge victorious after a poor couple of minutes from Diogo Dalot and the entire team as a whole.
While manager Erik ten Hag’s deluded statements might make it seem like record number of shots the team is facing is not a problem, but it certainly is a huge issue as results will show.
EtH’s chaos ball
This was the third time United have conceded three or more goals since March and the 13th time this has happened in this season.
The manager’s high-transition style is not the best fit for this team and that has been painfully obvious since the new campaign started.
The midfielders push high and join the forwards while the back four remain in a low block, which allows the opposition to counter at will with the entire middle of the pitch empty.
Even if the manager does manage to stay on, Sir Jim Ratcliffe must ensure he drops this foolish plan immediately.
Relying on counter-attacks and individual brilliance is acceptable against the best sides but not every time. There is no fixed pattern except the skipper trying to go direct to one of the pacey wingers throughout the game.
Fifth 4-3 in which #MUFC have been involved this season. Lost three of them. Conceded 2 in 4 mins v Bayern, 2 in a minute and 2 in 4 mins v Copenhagen, 2 in 5 mins v Wolves, 2 in 2 mins v Liverpool & 2 in 2 mins v Chelsea. They love an implosion
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) April 4, 2024
The players cannot even hold on to possession for more than a few seconds as they showed against the Blues. Rondo sessions at Carrington must be fun to watch!
And concentration levels drop as soon as the team manages to score or in added time. Injuries have played a part but lack of coaching is easy to discern as well.
This was seen against Brentford last weekend and the same pattern repeated itself at Stamford Bridge. How the manager and his coaches have not fixed this is equally concerning.
Implosion kings
As pointed out by James Ducker of The Daily Telegraph, the 20-time English league champions are at their most vulnerable after scoring.
And while this is common throughout football, United have repeated the same mistake six times already this season and that cannot just be coincidence.
Famously known as the comeback kings during Sir Alex Ferguson’s time, this team is becoming known for imploding at the last minute, no thanks to the lack of proper coaching from Ten Hag.
“Fifth 4-3 in which #MUFC have been involved this season. Lost three of them. Conceded 2 in 4 mins v Bayern, 2 in a minute and 2 in 4 mins v Copenhagen, 2 in 5 mins v Wolves, 2 in 2 mins v Liverpool & 2 in 2 mins v Chelsea. They love an implosion,” the journalist wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Players keep complaining about being overworked in training while fans keep wondering what training the group is doing. A painful end to the season awaits fans at this rate.
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