analysis
The situation could hardly be worse for Manchester United. Zero points after two matchdays – and now great rivals Liverpool are coming to Old Trafford.
Bustling, good at dribbling, dangerous on goal. English super talent Jadon Sancho was all of that before he joined Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund a year ago. Since then he has seen plenty of United coaches on the sidelines. More coaches than Sancho has scored goals in the Premier League. This is indicative of a club that has been in crisis for years and is again lagging behind expectations in this still young season.
“I’ve been watching United for 42 years and I can’t remember a moment when I felt it was as bad as that first half.”
The impression is currently growing that Manchester United is in even worse shape than it was last time. Two games, zero points, bottom of the table United have not started so badly in 101 years.
Last weekend saw a 4-0 humiliation against Brentford FC. “I’ve been watching United for 42 years and I can’t remember a moment when I felt it was as bad as that first half”said club legend Gary Neville after the game.
Liverpool is favourite
And now the big rival FC Liverpool is waiting for the next game on Monday evening. It doesn’t help much that Jürgen Klopp’s team only started the season with two draws. Liverpool are big favorites. And the bitter side from the point of view of United fans: that’s how it was in the past few years.
The gap between Liverpool and Manchester has probably never been greater than before this third matchday. Former United manager Ralf Rangnick has said that Liverpool are six years ahead of United and that open-heart surgery is needed to bring United back to their former glory.
Manchester is becoming a middle class
The Red Devils have won the Premier League twenty times, but it has been almost a decade since the last triumph. But Rangnick didn’t have the time to solve these problems. Instead, there has been a coming and going at Old Trafford for years – both in the coaching position and on the pitch.
Following the recent defeat by Brentford, the Manchester Evening News published an article in which they agreed with Rangnick’s analysis. À la: Why didn’t you listen to him?
Liverpool could plunge Manchester even deeper into the crisis
Manchester’s problems are obvious and varied: the many changes in the coaching bench, the desolate club management and a Cristiano Ronaldo willing to change and the transfer flops like that of Dortmund’s former prodigy Jadon Sancho.
For the people of Manchester and Liverpool, seeing their clubs face-to-face is the most important game of the season. But while Liverpool appear to be calm themselves, another loss to rivals Manchester would only plunge them deeper into the crisis.