Opinion: Win over West Ham does not solve Manchester United's problems
There is no end to the troubles that Manchester United find themselves in. Although they found themselves taking home all three points on Saturday evening thanks to a late Marcus Rashford winner, their performance was sub-par. The earlier win over Brentford on Wednesday would also have eased the pressure that they would very rightly have been feeling.
However, the draw they played out against Aston Villa in Birmingham last week has expounded on their problems. Manchester United were drawn ahead by a Bruno Fernandes brace, only to see it nullified by two late strikes by Jacob Ramsey and loanee Philippe Coutinho. Interim manager Ralf Ragnick must have been left with his head in his hands, and one cannot begrudge the wily German for once.
There is no denying that the victories they snatched against Brentford in the capital, as well as West Ham at home, consisted of above-average football on their behalf. But one must remember the thrashing that they received in the hands of their small-time opponents in the first half in both games. It was only in the respective second halves that the Red Devils came together and fired themselves up.
These kinds of performances are coming too far and few between for the club's supporters' liking. It needs to be said that this recent victory does not imply that all the problems at the club have been solved.
How difficult is it to get this Manchester United team to win, or even compete at the highest level? Their problems take root right from the top of the club to its bottom, and singling out one branch of this particularly rotten tree would do the Reds more harm than good in the long run.
When Ragnick was brought in to replace the faltering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in early December, supporters of Manchester United believed he would be a messiah of sorts. He will lead the club out of the abyss that it has dug itself into. Does the problem lie with the manager at all?
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Ragnick is perhaps the most suitable coach the club could have found at present. Although not as successful as Jose Mourinho had been, his philosophy may make them more assertive than they have been since the Portuguese left. Solskjaer, for whom the job got too big in the end, did not leave with any particular imprint of his own.
Under Mourinho at least, United had started playing out from the back and ingrained in themselves the ability to regroup and attack from the offing as and when they lost the ball. Central midfielders played a huge role under Mourinho, and Scott McTominay was singled out for a lot of praise by the former.
Attacking constraints
Ragnick has introduced a relatively new system of 4-2-2-2, wherein the wings get nullified. This means that the likes of Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood - two bright stars on the horizon for both the club and the England national team constantly find themselves with very small roles to play.
Bruno Fernandes is the fulcrum of this Manchester United attack, as he was under Solskjaer as well. But it is only so far that individual brilliance can carry you into a competition where every opponent is constantly learning. It is not rare to see Fernandes being shadowed by a couple of solemn-looking and burly opposition central midfielders, who annul the threat he poses thoroughly.
Marcus Rashford's indifferent form (leaving out the late strike against West Ham) has meant that old warhorses Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani have shouldered Manchester United's attack. It won't be long until either of them has a breakdown of sorts.
Anthony Martial's public disagreement with Ragnick (or was it the other way round?) has not helped matters. The club will not be sad to see him leave in the ongoing transfer window.
Midfield troubles
The lamentable fate that has befallen poor Donny van de Beek must not be accredited solely to Ragnick. The Dutchman had not found favor with his predecessor either. Does this imply a problem with Manchester United's recruitment policy? Van de Beek was not purchased for an insignificant sum and it is an accepted fact that United need strengthening in central midfield. So why is it that he constantly finds himself left out?
It is an endless marvel for supporters of the club to see the likes of McTominay and Fred get selected match after match even after the duo make costly errors. They are not especially known to take the game forward by feeding their more attack-minded colleagues either. Neither McTominay nor Fred can press with very high intensity, and their physical presence is negligible.
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McTominay, despite being the more technical of the two, often goes into his shell. He seeks the comfort of the central defenders when he should be the one cajoling them. It is a sad reality that neither of them can unlock defenses or even keep a tight leash on an attacking rival from the opposition.
Van de Beek was the player his former club Ajax relied upon to break opposition defenses when things got tight. Though such a role is played by Fernandes here for Manchester United, there is little evidence to support the fact that the Dutchman cannot play in a deeper midfield role. Nemanja Matic has run his race, and the less it is said about Paul Pogba, the better.
Defensive Woes
Manchester United boast a defensive unit. Apart from a world-class goalkeeper who has made a stunning comeback to form this season, they consist of a World Cup winner and multiple Champions Leagues titles, and two World Cup semi-finalists. Yet it is seen that they concede goals from regrettable angles.
No defense can be considered unbreakable. But is a clean sheet now and then too much for the supporters to ask? Especially if they see the likes of Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the lineup ahead of David de Gea game after game? Ragnick has started dropping Maguire from the team altogether by now, with rumors rife that he does not want either of him or Shaw in the team anymore.
What is the way out for Manchester United?
It is hard to understand what exactly is going wrong with Manchester United. However, it is amply clear to everyone who cares for the club that not every tiny detail can be fixed by signing new players. The club had one of the finest transfer windows in recent times when they signed Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho in the summer, and on any given day, their starting lineup has the prowess to win the league, at least on paper.
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The systemic rot that has set in Manchester United goes well beyond Ragnick. It is an accepted fact that life at Old Trafford can be thankless; he can do little other than adapt accordingly. Though he is only an interim coach, if there are harsh calls that he needs to make, then they must be done.
As Maguire's form makes him an uncertain starter in the eleven, it would be more sensible to choose either Fernandes, de Gea or Ronaldo as permanent skipper. Ragnick's methods will take time to get ingrained at Old Trafford. But a common philosophy and belief that this is indeed the way out will help the club tide over the crisis that has befallen it.