The win was mainly down to the energy levels and determination shown by the players and manager Erik ten Hag deserves praise for being brave with his team selection.

Changes needed to be made after that horror show against Newcastle and a less brave manager would have played Marcus Rashford, after all, he was last season’s top scorer.

Antony a breath of fresh air

But the Dutchman played Antony on the right, who displayed tenacity and was always there for the team, be it in attack or while tracking back.

The Brazilian has no goals or assists this season but he should have had his first assist of the season when he won a penalty after a foul on him inside the box by Enzo Fernandez.

Bruno Fernandes ended up missing from the spot but the Brazilian did not let the miss affect him as he kept going and was a constant thorn on the right side.

He had 52 touches and made two key passes while creating one big chance, a sharp cry from what the Mancunian had produced a couple of days back.

He was not shy to shoot as well, having one shot on target, and one off target, and saw two attempts blocked (stats via Sofascore).

Tenacious Antony

His teammates gave him the ball in tight areas, and the Brazil international made efficient use of his quick feet, drawing the defender in and winning four fouls in the process.

His tenacious side helped him win seven duels, while he also made two tackles, showcasing he was ready to get dirty to help his side clinch victory.

Starting from his performance against Galatasaray in the Champions League last week, the former Ajax star is showing that he is slowly regaining his touch after a tough start to his second campaign in Manchester.

Now his effort needs to translate into goals and assists and that will help ease the pressure on him. Ten Hag needs more from his attacking players and Antony has the talent to provide it.

His display was a reminder of his talents and he should keep his place for the upcoming game against Bournemouth as well.

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United are set to host Chelsea at Old Trafford later this evening in a crucial Premier League clash.

Erik ten Hag will undoubtedly be keen to get the Red Devils back to winning ways following their defeat at the hands of Newcastle last week after a dismal display at St James’ Park.

Rashford was especially poor in attack and when taken off, the Englishman was visibly frustrated and could be seen sharing words with Sergio Reguilon on the United bench.

Garnacho was equally unimpactful.

However, ahead of the match at the Theatre of Dreams, Pochettino was quick to point out the threat posed by the two Carrington academy graduates.

The Argentine coach said, “They have very good players. They have pace with their offensive players and so we cannot allow them to transition.”

“We need to be careful in the way we finish and lose the ball, I think we need to be clever because they have pace through Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho who can transition really fast. We need to try to dominate and put pressure by playing in their half and I think that will be the challenge for us.”

The last time Pochettino faced Ten Hag in the dugout was when Tottenham Hotspur met Ajax in the semi-final of the 2019 Champions League.

The Chelsea managed explained that he’s looking forward to coming up against Ten Hag once more.

“I think everyone was talking about him and Ajax so for me he’s a fantastic coach and a great manager. I think it will be good to see him after four years because we have not had the pleasure to play him since the semi-final. Now we have the possibility to see him again.”

The game is set to kick off at 20:15 BST

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While the England international netted 30 goals in all competitions for Man United last season, he has been unable to repeat his heroics this term, scoring just two goals and registering only one assist in the Premier League.

In addition, the 26 year old has faced several issues off the field.

His brother was arrested under a battery charge while on vacation in Miami.

This was followed by the passing of his cousin, to whom Rashford dedicated his goal against Everton.

Although United manager Erik ten Hag praised captain Bruno Fernandes for allowing Rashford to take his penalty in the 3-0 win over Everton, former United captain Roy Keane blasted the decision, exclaiming, “He’s giving toffee out there to Bruno for passing on the ball for the penalty. Absolute b***** rubbish. Absolute rubbish coming out with that.”

Keane went on to emphasize that United have a way to go in order to compete with the Premier League’s best teams.

Following United’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle United last weekend, club legend Paul Scholes blasted Rashford in particular, questioning his work ethic and even going as far as to suggest that he has been causing more harm than good to the team.

Still, Harry Maguire, who is no stranger to criticism, came to his teammate’s defence, insisting that he has been working hard to find his form.

In an article for CaughtOffside, Romano decided to provide his take on Rashford’s current predicament.

According to the journalist, Rashford is happy to be at Old Trafford and trusts the club and Ten Hag.

He also implored fans to reserve judgment of the 26-year-old stating, “We can’t switch from Rashford being one of the best players in the world last season to “needs a change” now, that is football.”

Romano went on to remind everyone that it’s the entire United lineup that’s struggling to find form, not just Rashford.

With United set to host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Wednesday, Rashford will surely hope to receive an opportunity from Ten Hag to make a strong impact on the game so that he may silence his critics and begin a season turnaround.

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During United’s defeat over the weekend against Newcastle at St James’ Park, Rashford highlighted just how poor the team was.

Since the loss, the Englishman has come under intense criticism for a perceived lack of effort and failure to track back on multiple occasions.

Rashford cut a very frustrated, lonely and hopeless figure on the pitch and when taken off, was visibly angry as he shared some words on the bench with Sergio Reguilon.

Shearer wrote for The Athletic and had his say on Rashford and indicated that there is extra pressure on the 26-year-old since he is a local lad who came through the ranks.

The Newcastle legend said, “I don’t know if Marcus Rashford has fallen out with the manager, if he’s at odds with some of his team-mates or if he doesn’t like the position he’s playing, but judging by everything I saw on Saturday in the defeat against Newcastle United, I know there’s an unhappy player there.”

“There is always going to be a lot of scrutiny on Rashford’s performances because he is one of the biggest names in the Premier League, because he is an England international and, yes — absolutely — because he’s a local boy.”

Shearer compared Rashford’s current situation to his own during his playing days, as a Gosforth-born boy who went on to play in front of Newcastle’s Gallowgate End.

The Premier League’s record goalscorer explained that after a loss or when he played poorly, he was conscious not to go for a night out as he didn’t want to project the wrong image or send out an incorrect message.

Shearer mentioned that as a local player, he was fully aware that the spotlight was on him and as a result, there were more expectations on his shoulders compared to anyone else in the team.

The 53-year-old further stated, “A lot of new signings at Old Trafford haven’t proven to be successful over the years and Rashford has had to carry the team on his shoulders at times because of that, but that’s simply what is expected of you as a local lad.”

“One thing that’s not acceptable is not running around, not tracking back and not looking bothered. That goes for any player, but especially one local to the club. Fans know they would try to cover every blade of grass if given a chance to wear the shirt and as their embodiment on the pitch, that’s the least they expect from you.”

“Whether Marcus likes it or not, I and many others watching him at the weekend — whether they were Manchester United fans or not — saw a player lacking in desire.”

Shearer noted that fortunately for Rashford, he is an attacking player and as such, something as simple as a goal could be enough to turn the tide and get his season back on track.

He hinted that perhaps Rashford’s struggles this term are due to the winger playing out much wider or playing on the right flank, which is not really his strength.

As per Shearer, Rashford should not frown on the criticism levelled at him and should take it in stride as it almost certainly means the fans hold him in high regard and is proof of the high standards he has set over the years.

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Jacque Talbot (footballtransfers.com) reveals that while there are some “rifts” at Old Trafford at present, the “majority of the squad” feel the press releases over the past twenty-four hours are “not reflective of the situation at the club.”

Talbot believes the dressing room is “angry” with the two players responsible, whose media teams have been leaking misinformation to the press about half of the squad having lost faith in Erik ten Hag.

Told Man United squad are angry at two players for leaking stories to the media. For @Transfersdotcom https://t.co/PzbSeTvmyn

— Jacque Talbot (@jac_talbot) December 5, 2023

The cause of these two individuals’ grievances are thought to be displeasure with the “amount of running” they are subject to in training, as well as being “chosen (or not chosen) in a certain position in the starting XI.”

Talbot believes there is a sense amongst certain players that they “have the power to remove a head coach, having done so before, when things are not going their way.”

So if we are to don our Sherlock Holmes hat for a moment, we are left with two players who have either been on the bench or out-of-position recently, whose work-rate has also been questioned. These are then players who have been at Old Trafford during multiple managers’ tenures, as they have reportedly been responsible for previous coaches’ departures.

It becomes, therefore, very evident very quickly who Talbot may be referring to in his report.

What is equally evident, however, is the contempt with which these players are treating their fan base. Jose Mourinho; Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer; Ralf Rangnick – we has seen this pathetic playbook time and time before.

A section of the Old Trafford dressing room, whom do not like, or agree, with the manager’s methods, proceed to down tools, and subsequently leak information to the press of said manager’s incompetence or the players’ lack of faith in them.

A P45 form on the manager’s desk promptly follows.

The executive branch at Old Trafford must break the tradition of cowering to player power this time. While there are undoubtedly valid reasons to be doubtful of Ten Hag this season, these leaks are the symptom of a deep rot at the club; a rot that goes far deeper than the manager.

If the club decides to indulge a few bad apples once again, the cycle will reset, and we will be discussing the dressing room’s issue with United’s next manager in two years time. United must stop repeating the mistakes of the past if the club is to have any hope in the future.

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United’s attackers, especially Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial put in arguably their worst displays, once again highlighting the lack of firepower at Erik ten Hag‘s disposal.

Rasmus Hojlund came on as a second-half substitute and even though the young Dane is the top-scorer in the Champions League, he is yet to open his account in the Premier League.

United need goals

The Dutch manager was always aware that such a scenario would play out due to the player being ‘raw’ and thus wanted the club to bring in another striker in the summer.

The Glazers let him down eventually, and United might try to rectify that in January should funds be available after moving players on during the winter transfer window.

One player the club could target, according to Fichajes, is Porto striker Evanilson who has been in scintillating form this season.

In nine starts across all competitions, the 24-year-old has scored 10 times and provided on assist. Such impressive numbers have been noticed by fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham and Chelsea as well.

The Brazilian arrived in Porto back in 2020 for €8.80 million and the Portuguese giants will not easily roll over and allow their star striker to leave in January.

“With the winter transfer market just around the corner, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea have focused their attention on the same target: Evanilson, Porto’s talented forward.

Evanilson a target but January move looks difficult

“The Brazilian, who is currently shining in the ranks of Porto, has aroused the interest of these Premier League teams, who are evaluating the possibility of presenting offers to secure his signing in the next transfer window.

“His contract with Porto extends until 2027, which could complicate his departure from the Portuguese club. Furthermore, there has been speculation that Porto have no plans to let the promising striker go, which would force English teams to negotiate cautiously or wait for an opportunity in the future.”

A transfer could materialise if a huge offer were to arrive but there are more chances of that happening next summer rather than in the middle of the season.

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s entry delayed, it is unlikely he can support the club in the upcoming transfer market. United might be forced to look for a cheaper alternative or someone who could arrive on a loan.

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Manchester United’s stuttering form this season continued at the weekend with Newcastle United comfortably seeing off Erik ten Hag’s men 0-1 at St James’ Park.

The result had a lot to do with the limp performance put up by United, who were fortunate not to lose by a heavier score line.

United’s away form against the big teams under Ten Hag is nothing short of woeful and something that needs rectifying quickly if the manager is to keep his job.

As reported by The Sun, former captain Roy Keane blasted United’s record against the top nine sides in which Ten Hag has managed just one point from 12 games.

The wretched run includes hammerings at Liverpool, Manchester City and Brentford, with the solitary point coming against Tottenham Hotspur last season.

Speaking on Sky Sports Super Sunday, Keane winced at the graphic before labelling it “ugly” and asking “is that real?”

United have shipped 34 goals in these 12 fixtures and Keane feels Ten Hag will now be feeling the heat at Old Trafford.

“It’s just the amount of goals, we were discussing earlier, six at City, seven at Liverpool, four at Brentford. It’s not good. They’re obviously in a tough place. The manager is under pressure again,” he said.

As reported by The Manchester Evening News, the United legend then accused the side of “drifting” and questioned not only their desire and commitment to the cause but their talent as well.

“There were players playing last night for United and you thought they would have been leaving the club in the summer. They’re not as talented as they think they are. Their body language, I don’t see it. It’s not good reading at the moment,” said Keane.

Marcus Rashford endured a particularly poor afternoon at Newcastle and Keane was quick to remind United’s top scorer last season of his responsibilities on the field.

“(Rashford) is a local lad, he’s got the mega deal and that is all well and good. I need a bit more, you run forward no problem but you have to run back. Cover yards.

“He’s 26 now, he’s not a child anymore. He’s got to set the example. He’s got to lead by example, is he on his own? Absolutely not. He’s one of the experienced players in that dressing room and if he’s not setting the example, not good,” said Keane.

Anthony Martial was another the United legend had strong words for before delivering his damming assessment of the team’s top four hopes.

“We still look at Martial and celebrate when he scores a goal every 14 years. You judge Man United on what they do in the big matches. If you can’t deal with that, maybe you’re not a Man United player. No (top four) I don’t see it,” Keane added.

Despite the patchy form, United are still in the hunt for the coveted Champions League places but do face a tricky set of festive fixtures which will no doubt shape their season and potentially Erik ten Hag’s future at the club.

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Speaking about manager Erik Ten Hag, McCoist said:

“He’s an intelligent man. He knows he’s got a problem if he gets that level of performance from Manchester United again.

“That was miles off it. Absolutely miles off it.

“It’s a horrible thing to level at a professional football player, when you’re questioning commitment, and a desire to run about. But that’s the question you’ve got to ask of some of those Manchester United players.”

The interviewer asked the pair whether they think the players are not playing for Ten Hag.

“Tonight there were signs,” said Jenas.

“There was a couple of players in there … that either wasn’t happy with the tactics that were put to them, or wasn’t happy with their positions on the pitch.

“The body language of a team says a lot at times and there was a few of them sending a message to the manager.

“I thought Marcus Rashford on that right hand side in particular, the way he just walked around, throwing his arms around was one … that said ‘look, I don’t want to be playing on this right hand side.’

“No tracking back … he seems to be a disciplinarian off the pitch, Ten Hag, but I didn’t see that same level of respect on the pitch today.”

Jenas went on to say that the next round of fixtures could see a lot more disappointment for United and he expects them to be knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich.

Often, pundits like nothing more than to lay into United but these two said probably what most United fans were thinking after the Newcastle game.

On Wednesday at Galatasaray we saw a team fighting hard, only to be undone by some individual errors. But at St James’ Park, it was hard to see anything other than apathy and laziness from the men in red.

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Manchester United players looked shaken and out of belief in front of a rabid crowd, shoulders slumped, frustrations palpable, and another manager staring into the abyss.

It felt like that against Newcastle as the Toons swept aside United as the Red Devils put forward a display that was barely an inconvenience for Newcastle.

Paul Scholes questioned the players’ laziness, even going as far as to say that Marcus Rashford was causing more harm to the team than good.

Now, Alan Shearer has struck a similar tone.

Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, he questioned the strength of characters in the United dressing room, especially in the face of adversity.

He said United have “too many bad eggs, too many players with bad attitude”.

Just like Scholes, he made an example out of Rashford, in whom the change from when things are going his way and when they aren’t is jarring to see.

Shearer said that Rashford “didn’t look at it at all, didn’t look interested” and “it happened so many times”.

Even the lackadaisical Anthony Martial was ineffective and had a bust-up with Erik ten Hag when asked to pick up his intensity.

The Newcastle legend said that it’s easy to play at your best when things are going your way and you get on the ball to make things happen.

However, when the need of the hour is to suffer and “roll your sleeve up”, this United team doesn’t have the characters to do it.

It is not the first time that this allegation has been levelled at United but what will worry Ten Hag the most is that despite his signing almost 13 players since his arrival, those issues remain.

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The score did not reflect the the Magpies’ domination from the first whistle as they swarmed all over Erik ten Hag’s side who were just not at the races in the key Premier League clash.

The entire season has shown United take one step forward and two steps back and it was similar against Eddie Howe’s side.

Most of these players have let down three separate managers and fans know they cannot be trusted. A wholesale change is required once Sir Jim Ratcliffe comes in and takes control of sporting matters.

Players letting yet another manager down

Most of these players play like their life depends on it only when their contracts are up for renewal. Then they go back to being their moody, selfish selves.

Matchday fans will continue to back the manager over this poor squad full of weak-willed but overpaid stars but the Dutchman cannot be absolved of blame either.

In his first season, the former Ajax coach was smart — sticking to what he felt the team was good at and trying to build a winning structure around it.

With Casemiro in form, Marcus Rashford scoring for fun and Lisandro Martinez’s no-nonsense defending, United’s approach of sitting deep and countering whenever possible worked a treat, especially in the home games.

Then Ten Hag slowly started getting arrogant and brought players he felt would allow the team to be even more front-footed and start pressing from the front in a bid to start attacks higher up the pitch.

He announced during pre-season that United wanted to be the best in the world at transitions and that they would attack from the front.

Mason Mount, Andre Onana, and Rasmus Hojlund were supposed to revolutionise the team’s style but all they have done is take the club a step back.

The manager began believing in his own hype and asked his players to press aggressively, and that allowed the opposition to run rings around them, especially in the early part of the current season.

ETH’s new expansive style not working

Even though they escaped with a win in the season opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers, it was clear for all to see that the team was simply not ready to play in such an expansive way.

The Brazilian midfield enforcer has lost a yard of pace while the Argentine World Cup winner suffered an injury that ruled him out for half the season. The less said about the Mancunian the better.

Mount’s signing has not clicked as Ten Hag is yet to find his ideal midfield combination. Hojlund is too raw for the Premier League and that is showing as he has yet to open his account in England.

Once results began deteriorating, Ten Hag tried once again to play it safe but by then injuries had mounted and he was left with a threadbare squad.

He was forced to trust players who were close to being sold in the summer — Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay — and while they have proven to be effective, the manager’s gameplan nullifies their strengths and it is painful to watch currently.

Ten Hag is showing no signs of being brave, sticking to Onana despite his obvious errors almost every week while sticking with the Scot just because he is scoring goals.

Against Newcastle, McTominay and Bruno Fernandes occupied almost the same areas and it seemed there was no coaching ahead of the game.

The same happened in the early part of the season as well which left Casemiro isolated. The young Kobbie Mainoo was left with all to do on Saturday.

Knowing United’s dismal away from against the top eight sides, Ten Hag should have played Sofyan Amrabat and Mainoo but it seems he is just not ready to learn his lessons.

ETH continuing same mistakes

Playing Rashford and Anthony Martial in an away game, considering the attitude they are currently showing is a crime. But it seems Ten Hag is asking to be sacked.

The other thing the Dutch boss was effective in his first season was with his man-management skills. He ruthlessly quashed rebellion in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo while reinvigorating the careers of many and changing the course of games through timely substitutions.

Currently, he is having a mini-fall-out with almost all players while none of his substitutes are having any impact as he keeps delaying them, hoping for a different outcome each time.

The team is currently hanging on by a thread in the Champions League and are struggling to qualify for Europe, leave aside the Champions League, domestically.

They need to win against the mighty Bayern Munich next week before facing a daunting away trip to Anfield. A scary week for Ten Hag indeed!

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to change the club’s transfer stance and bring in new people behind the scenes. Whether that will impede the Dutchman remains to be seen. So far, Ten Hag’s transfer policy has been full of misses and very few hits.

His goodwill is running out and the new sporting team might need to find yet another new man for the hot seat at Old Trafford. These players have let down yet another manager but Ten Hag is certainly not without blame.

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