Manchester United “accidentally broke two unwanted records” despite spoiling Roberto De Zerbi’s farewell match against Brighton.
Erik ten Hag’s team secured three points on the final day of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory over Brighton but still couldn’t surpass Newcastle in the race for a European Cup spot next season. Manchester United “couldn’t escape their unwanted history” despite a morale-boosting win ahead of the FA Cup final on Saturday against Manchester City at Wembley.
While Roberto De Zerbi’s tenure at Brighton ended in defeat, Newcastle’s convincing victory over Brentford meant that Manchester United finished the season in eighth place in the Premier League standings with 60 points, their lowest ever.
Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund scored to help Manchester United secure a 2-0 victory over Brighton in the final round of the Premier League.
Not only that, this is the first time in Premier League history that Manchester United has finished a campaign with a negative goal difference. This hadn’t occurred at Old Trafford since the 1989-1990 season. This season, Manchester United finished with a goal difference of -1.
In a bizarre twist, if Manchester United defeat Manchester City to win the FA Cup, they will secure a Europa League spot for next season and eliminate Newcastle from European competitions. Conversely, if Manchester United lose to Manchester City, they will not have a place in any of the three European competitions next season.
There have been over 50 individual injury and illness cases at Manchester United this season, preventing players from taking to the field, but that is not an excuse for the poor performance of the “Red Devils”.
Manchester United has been rare in securing victories this season.
Even during David Moyes’ tenure, Manchester United finished seventh in the Premier League in 2014 with a goal difference of +21. This indicates an uncertain future awaiting Erik Ten Hag at Old Trafford, regardless of whether Manchester United win against Manchester City in the FA Cup final or not. Erik ten Hag offered a nuanced defense after Manchester United set an unwanted record. Ten Hag asserted that “everyone knows” why Manchester United had such poor results, possibly referring to their injury list.
Ten Hag continued to defend his coaching methods amid continuous criticism. Last season, Ten Hag led Manchester United to a third-place finish in the Premier League for a Champions League spot, while also reaching the FA Cup final and winning the Carabao Cup. However, he witnessed Manchester United’s significant decline this season. The Dutch manager often attributes Manchester United’s poor results to numerous injury cases.
At times, Ten Hag had to deal with up to five injured center-backs, forcing him to find makeshift defensive solutions, contributing to their poor defensive record. Ten Hag sees this as the main reason for Manchester United’s disappointing season.
The injuries have decimated the Manchester United squad, especially in the defense.
Manchester United’s coach Erik Ten Hag shares: “Until now, Manchester United is still not good enough. Although compared to two years ago, we have more than 2 points (60 points compared to 58 points), but finishing eighth is the worst result. That’s the truth, but we should have done better. We know the reason behind it, everyone knows the reason, but this is not the right time to delve into the issue.”
With MU’s new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe implementing a major overhaul of the club’s leadership team, Erik Ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford becomes more uncertain than ever. After the FA Cup final, whether Ten Hag stays at MU or not will become clear. However, Ten Hag is confident that with a squad returning to full fitness and vigor, Manchester United can compete.
Ten Hag hinted at the numerous injuries that have affected Manchester United’s performance this season.
Erik Ten Hag further added: “Speaking of all the things we’ve had to endure this season, it’s great to have the players back (from injury). They’ve worked hard, determined to play in the final matches of the season and especially in the FA Cup final. We have options and hope, and we’re all on the same page. We’ll have a good week and everyone is united. We’ll have a complete team and we’ll fight to win the FA Cup.”
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