On paper, the game against Chelsea after the battering against Newcastle was hardly ideal, especially in front of an anxious Old Trafford.

However, what transpired was one of United’s best attacking displays of the season.

The team created chances at will and finished with an xG (Expected Goals) figure of 4.46, which is the largest since…….Chelsea in May of this year.

Man Utd’s best xG outputs since February 2021:

◎ 5.31(xG) vs Chelsea (May 2023)
◎ 4.46(xG) vs Chelsea (tonight)

— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) December 6, 2023

It is a win for the stat aficionados who will say that Ten Hag’s team have got Chelsea’s number, bossing the Blues at home again.

The remarkable thing about this stat is that Mauricio Pochettino wasn’t even the manager of the club when the 5.31 xG was recorded.

Frank Lampard’s team were thoroughly outplayed that day as the Chelsea legend’s time at the club was coming to a whimpering end.

However, this will hurt Chelsea more, as they are at the starting stages of a new project and a United team in crisis mode has just bossed them.

United exploited Chelsea’s weakness on the wings, with Colvill not a natural fullback, Cucurella playing out of position at right-back in the first half, then Reece James not being match-fit.

Alejandro Garnacho had Chelsea’s fullbacks on skates for the entire game, while Antony had his best game of the season as well.

The expensively assembled midfield pivot of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo was left watching as United academy’s Scott McTominay helped himself to a brace.

Therefore, for Ten Hag, the problems might still be plenty at Old Trafford, but beating, and bossing Chelsea at home, is not one.

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(A score of 6 is around average)

Andre Onana 7- Great, proactive save to deny Nicolas Jackson in the first half and some good passes in the buildup. Arguably could have gotten to Palmer’s tame shot but it was well-placed.

Diogo Dalot 7- Did an excellent job going forward and pushing Chelsea back with some quality crosses. A bit suspect defensively but Mudryk’s finishing let him off.

Victor Lindelof 6- Showed Palmer inside on his stronger foot from which he got the shot away. Worryingly subbed off at half-time.

Harry Maguire 6.5- A bit too eager to make a difference in the attacking box which left gaps in defence that was ultimately exploited by Palmer. Was good otherwise, especially cutting out Chelsea’s attack at the source by stepping up.

Luke Shaw 7.5- His importance to the team is remarkably clear with each game as he gets his form and fitness back. Makes other players look good with his progressive passing.

Scott McTominay 7.5- He did it again. Underwhelming for the whole game, came alive in the box at the right moment to score twice. The question is- Is the exchange for control in the middle for more goals worth it in the long run?

Sofyan Amrabat 7- Started shakily as he was hurried on the ball repeatedly leading to bad passes but grew into it as United bossed the proceedings.

Antony 7.5- His best game this season as he looked like a big upgrade over Rashford just by virtue of working hard. Fluffed some chances but good contributor to attacking moves. Won the penalty.

Alejandro Garnacho 8- The rise continued with another established performance as he gave Cucurella a torrid time. Things looked like happening every time he was on the ball.

Bruno Fernande 7- Missed a penalty to mark United’s great start to the game and that doesn’t happen often. That miss just summed up the season. Crucial in everything other phase, sometimes functioning as almost a one-man midfield.

Rasmus Hojlund 6- Largely anonymous as the wait for his first PL goal continues. Had an easy shot saved early on and couldn’t get on the end of other chances.

Substitutes:

Sergio Reguilon 7- Was a doubtful sub but added a lot of energy and thrust to United’s attacks after coming on. Perfect chaotic game for his skillset.

Marcus Rashford 6- Came on late but not much impact.

Jonny Evans 6- Not much impact. Came on to shore up the defence.

Erik ten Hag: The performance can’t be faulted, especially in an attacking sense as the forwards’ wastefulness prevented the scoreline from being comfortable. Midfield balance is still suspect.

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The Frenchman looked like he would be the leader of the new, great Manchester United team emerging under Erik ten Hag last year.

Fast forward to today, and the defender is out of the team, apparently out of favour, and United are already willing to move him on.

Now, Teamtalk reports that not only are United willing to sell the World Cup winner, but they are also open to taking a loss on their marquee investment.

Ten Hag is willing to start negotiations for the player at just £35 million, a £5 million decrease from the price he was brought for from Real Madrid.

Obviously, if the negotiations begin at £35 million, then it would be unrealistic for United to get that price, meaning that the loss they take will be huge at the end.

Their situation is not helped by the startling lack of interest in the Frenchman.

Bayern Munich have registered an interest but they have been notoriously penny-pinching when it comes to buying players, always looking for a shrew investment first.

Then there’s the Saudi Arabian Pro League, which is more known for providing fat paychecks to the players instead of spending huge sums in transfer fees.

The wildcard which recently emerged was Olympique Marseille, who are not European financial heavyweights by any stretch of the imagination.

Ultimately, it has resulted in United having to soften their stance on a player who couldn’t make the team over a soon-to-be 36-year-old Jonny Evans.

While Harry Maguire has resurrected his career this season, it looks like the vacant space hurt the players too much and Varane has slid in that slot perfectly.

Unfortunately for United, this means another big money dud they’ll have to take a loss on.

Lesson learned, finally? Most fans wouldn’t bet on it.

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The narrative was once again in the focus after their limp loss to Newcastle, with players like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial under the scanner.

However, they had all been theories as conjecture as experts and pundits wanted to understand why an expensively assembled squad had been underachieving for the last decade.

Now, a former player, who has seen it all happen, has spilled the beans in a remarkable interview.

In an interview with YU Planet, Nemanja Matic lifted the lid on the fallen standards at the club and how they surprised him.

The Serb said that coming from Chelsea, it was a huge difference in terms of professionalism.

Nobody was late for training at the London club but when he came to United, many players were.

He named two players in particular, whose names will surprise no United fan- Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho.

The latter is still at loggerheads with Erik ten Hag after calling out the manager in public due to being accused of precisely that- lack of professionalism.

Matic said that due to the sinking standards at the club, United had to create a five-man internal disciplinary committee to rein in the repeat offenders.

The state of the club can be summed up by his revelation that in a season, that committee collected a humongous £75,000 in fines just by players arriving late to training.

This really puts into new light the condition of the club and explains a lot about below-par performances by highly paid professionals.

Ralf Rangnick once said that this club requires open-heart surgery and while the manager might not be at his best currently, Matic’s comments confirm that he is the least of all problems at the club.

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Erik ten Hag’s men were thoroughly outplayed in all departments of the game and could only feel lucky that the scoreline wasn’t worse for them.

However, ESPN’s Rob Dawson now reports that the manager and captain Bruno Fernandes were not happy with one call and confronted the referee afterwards.

They went to referee Robert Jones in his room after the game and asked him why Fabian Schar hadn’t been sent off for his challenge on Fernandes.

The Newcastle defender had stepped on Fernandes’ leg in a tackle that looked ugly during the game.

However, even after VAR had a look at the incident, no further action was deemed necessary by the officials, causing fury among the United players.

United have regularly been on the wrong side of official decisions this season and a case can be made that this was another one.

They hardly threatened the Newcastle goal when facing 11 players so the team might well have a point if they think that the game could have been different against 10 players.

Marcus Rashford was sent off in the Champions League at Copenhagen for an even more innocuous challenge than the one Shar committed on Fernandes.

It is not clear yet what the referee’s reply to the pair was when they went into the game.

However, one thing is clear, and that is United can’t feel sorry for themselves based on one refereeing decision when they were way below par for the whole 90 minutes.

The standard of refereeing in England is hardly a cause for celebration, but their own performances this season are a bigger concern.

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While Erik ten Hag’s side has lost by worse margins, far worse, in fact, the performance against the Magpies arguably merited a worse scoreline too.

Shorn of intent, desire, and will to win, it looked like United gave up in the face of Newcastle’s intense game and wilted far too comfortably.

Gary Neville has now joined the list of legends who have torn into the Red Devils for the uninspiring display.

Never one to hold back, Neville said he’s “bored” of watching Manchester United.

"I am tired of my own club."

Gary Neville says he has become bored of watching Manchester United following their poor performances in recent months pic.twitter.com/pbvR0zLf0R

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 4, 2023

He said that he’s “tired of my own club”, as United have lurched from one mediocre performance to another.

He can hardly be blamed, as the club has taken a huge step back from the progressive style of play and identity on display last season.

Armed with seven new signings this season, Ten Hag’s team look to have taken a huge step back and it is not clear what the manager wants from his team.

The team has scored just 16 goals in 14 league fixtures, and whenever they do start scoring freely, it looks to come at the cost of their defence, as seen in the Champions League.

The whole structure is not working, where one part falls off as soon as another is fixed.

Neville’s thoughts echo what Paul Scholes said, when the midfielder questioned the players’ character, going as far as to say that there are too many lazy players in the team.

With a trip away to Chelsea next on the agenda, who are starting to click, at least in the attacking sense, things could get worse for United.

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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 Latics are currently 14th in the third division and for United, it is a bit of “run it back” fixture.

The last time United faced Wigan in the FA Cup was way back in January 2017, when Mourinho’s team triumphed 4-0 in the fourth round.

United reached the finals of the competition last season, losing to Manchester City and last won the cup in 2016 with Louis Van Gaal.

United enter the competition in the third round due to their European commitments and their Premier League status.

The second-round fixtures are still not completed but United will be happy to get clarity over their own fate beforehand. It is another good chance to get their hands on more silverware after the Carabao Cup last season.

That’s because two major contenders for the trophy, Arsenal and Liverpool, have been drawn against each other.

Furthermore, United’s latest vanquishers, Newcastle United, will be renewing acquaintances with their fierce rivals, Sunderland which might be a tricky fixture.

Manchester City are at home to Huddersfield Town in a game that is not expected to be much of a challenge for Pep Guardiola’s men.

There are three all-Premier League fixtures in the draw which will further embolden United’s hopes of going far in the competition.

On the flip side, this draw is the first time in three years that United will be playing away in a domestic cup competition.

United’s away travails have been well-documented and while the team on paper easily outweighs Wigan, they will need to be completely switched on to avoid a potential giant-killing.

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However, the only reason why Erik ten Hag’s job is not under the scanner is the run that preceded that loss in November.

The team won three games out of three without conceding a goal and one player in particular stood out massively.

Alejandro Garnacho has won United’s Player of the Month for November after his sparkling attacking contributions against Fulham, Luton, and Everton.

Of course, the highlight of the month was his audacious bicycle kick against Everton in the early minutes of the game which is sure to win the Goal of the Month.

Even besides that, November will be remembered as the month when Garnacho finally established himself as a starter-calibre player.

The Argentine had gained somewhat of an impact sub reputation and looked underwhelming when starting games but that all changed in November.

He was United’s key attacking threat in pretty much every game, with the team using his threat in behind to force the opposition backwards.

Garnacho has also started using his weaker left foot a lot more recently which has added another dimension to his game and made him difficult to defend against.

He signed a new contract last year and unlike Marcus Rashford, whose form has fallen off the cliff after signing a new contract, has taken his game to another level.

In the absence of other options like Antony, Sancho, and Amad, he is arguably the first name on the teamsheet now.

Fans will be hoping that this run is not a false dawn and is just the start of a player with world-class potential realising his limitless ceiling and taking the first steps towards it.

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The Scot came back from the wilderness to score a late double at Brentford and has since become a regular fixture in the first team.

However, he has mainly been used as a box-crasher instead of a conventional midfielder. It is a role where he has provided United with even more important goals.

Still, that has come at a huge cost to their possession balance which was most glaring in the limp loss against Newcastle.

While United finished the game with only 42% possession, McTominay touched the ball just 30 times across the match which finished in over 100 minutes. (Courtesy of sofascore)

For context and comparison, Bruno Fernandes, who plays further forward and rarely got a chance to get United’s attack going, had 64.

Kobbie Mainoo was subbed off 20 minutes before the final whistle when United started dominating the ball, and he still finished with 46 touches.

This confirms what was already known about McTominay. The Scot is a flawed and limited player who is in the team to serve a specific purpose which is to hide a bigger flaw of the team.

Because United have no ball-retainers and a discernible style of play they often score through individual brilliance or just by sheerly overloading the box with numbers.

Latter is where McTominay becomes crucial. He leaves the buildup regularly, doesn’t show for the ball, and instead runs into the box hoping for a blind ball played in the box hoping to find a United shirt.

He comes alive due to his positioning and anticipation to score a goal but in reality, he is not fixing United’s flaws, only masking them.

If United are not bossing possession, they might as well play with 10 men in the team, because McTominay has truly become the modern-day Marouane Fellaini.

He’s more refined, but in terms of serving a specific role, the similarities are uncanny.

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