Red devils in distress: What's ailing Manchester United in the new season?

Modified Oct 09, 2023 07:57 GMT

Manchester United are enduring a poor start to the new season. They have lost six of their 10 games in the 2023-24 campaign and the pressure is now beginning to mount on manager Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils finished third in the league besides winning the Carabao Cup. Given their pre-existing squad strength and the names added on top in this summer's transfer window, fans expected United to improve on last season going into the new campaign. Such has not been the case.

These are still early days in the new campaign and they should not be written off by any means. United had a poor start last season as well and turned things around with a statement win against Liverpool and fans will hope for a similar narrative once again this year.

However, until such an even transpires, let us look at three factors that have contributed to their dismal start in the 2023-24 season.

#3. Manchester United plagued with injuries

While it is unacceptable for United to lose six out 10 games, it must be noted that manager Ten Hag is without key players in his squad. His side has been plagued with injuries, particularly in the backline.

Lisandro Martinez (foot injury), Luke Shaw (muscle injury), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (hamstring injury), and Tyrell Malacia (undisclosed) are all unavailable for selection. Raphael Varane and Mason Mount only became available for selection last week after recovering from injuries and will need some time to hit the ground running.

Most of the aforementioned names are mainstays in United's starting XI and their absence is being dearly felt at Old Trafford. United's left-back slot is rather deeply struck with backup Sergio Reguilon also currently out, forcing Ten Hag to use Sofyan Amrabat (centre-midfielder) to play in that position.

Not only does it hamper Ambrabat's ability to express his game from midfield but it also makes them susceptible down their left-flank. A return of the injured would potentially improve the team which might lead to a better run of results for the Red Devils.

#2. Misfiring frontline

United's lack of a clinical goalscorer was their biggest weakness last season. Wout Weghorst, for all his effort and work-rate, was not the best finisher and it hurt United's chances.

The Red Devils signed young Rasmus Hojlund this summer from Atalanta to address the number 9 slot. The Dane was unavailable for immediate selction due to stress hotspots on his back and is still cautiously used by manager Ten Hag.

He has scored a few goals of late but needs to become a more consistent presence up top to help United gobble up points in difficult games. United's other major forward, Marcus Rashford, has dropped his form this season and that has severly hurt the team.

Hojlund is only 20 years old and must be given time to develop on his promising start. It means that Rashford has to step up for his side and his misfiring in front of goal, along with Martial's poor efforts, has hurt the Red Devils up front.

United will desperately hoping for Rashford to return to form to fix their woes in front of goal.

#1. Midfield Mediocrity

Midfield is once again an area of concern for United. Fans were of the opinion that the midfield woes in the team had vanished following the arrival of Casemiro last season. This proved to be the case as the Brazilian performed brilliantly on a consistent basis.

The midfielder has not started this campaign well and United's midfield does not look as near as solid as it did last campaign. Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes have also not performed well enough and other teams have found it easy to bypass the midfield. The issue with the current state of United's midfield is that the players do not seem to working on cohesion, especially defensively.

This creates a large amount of space in the middle of the park for the opposing team to dominate. United will be hoping to find a more balanced structure going into the second quarter of the season.