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TEN HAG’S ALREADY STARING AT THE ABYSS

Outfought and outplayed, woeful United resemble a Sunday league side as they’re humiliated by Bees

By Rob Draper CHIEF FOOTBALL WRITER AT THE GTECH STADIUM

ONCE a manager is in a death spiral, it’s almost impossible to retrieve the situation. At Manchester United, this situation now comes along frequently. You know you’re in that zone when there is no discernible structure on the pitch, no cohesion amongst the players and seemingly no authority from the coaching team.

Given that Erik ten Hag is only two games into his Premier League career let’s be kind and say we’re not at this point quite yet. But let’s also be clear that he’s in danger of entering that phase of his career within weeks. Lose heavily to Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday week and he will struggle to regain any equilibrium on a listing ship. The suspicion will be that it is already holed beneath the water line.

Manchester United were as bad as they have ever been in the modern era here at Brentford. You would probably have to go back to the 1973-74 relegation season to find something as humiliating. They did lose 4-0 Brighton last season under Ralf Rangnick but even that wasn’t as comprehensively humiliating as this. At least they were in the game until half-time on that occasion. They are bottom of the table.

That said, this take is slightly unfair to Brentford and Thomas Frank, who were excellent. They had a plan and they executed it to perfection. They hassled United into submission with a pressing plan that was coherent and applied with relish. They counter-attacked with incision and ferocity. And when they need to slow the game down in the searing heat, they did so with calm assurance.

United can do none of the above and yet the truth is a competent Premier League team would have given Brentford a better game. Twice we have seen ten Hag’s United now, against what would be styled lesser Premier League lights. On both occasions they have been outfought, outplayed and looked short of the standards of their opponents. Here, Brentford were miles better.

Little Brentford, who would barely have registered as a dot on horizon in the Sir Alex Ferguson era, as they struggled in the lower reaches. But football has a glorious was of unseating the complacent and upending the mighty. United look like a team that modern football left behind. They seem to think that pressing doesn’t apply to them. By contrast, Brentford are a team built for modern football, on clever recruitment, proper application of data and a big heart. The G-tech Stadium, as it is now known, might not seem an intimidating place and yet when full of Brentford fans close to the pitch roaring their team on, it can break a team. United crumbled. First David De Gea, letting in the softest of opening goals. Then Luke Shaw, Fred and Lisandro Martinez fell apart losing their nerve as Brentford harried them into mistake after mistake.

At 2-0 down ten Hag had an opportunity to rectify the situation, a drinks break having been introduced to mitigate the extreme heat. He is not a man who exudes enormous presence stood among the players. He seemed to be making a few clam points. They seemed to be greeted with shrugs and the odd nod. Ronaldo shouted at someone. And within ten minutes, after the tactical adjustments, they found themselves 4-0 down.

The game was set as early as nine minutes, the central themes amplified in the opening goal. Mathias Jensen, superb throughout, pounced on Ronaldo in possession. The Portuguese superstar felt he was fouled but Brentford were simply all over United. He fed Josh DaSilva who, given time and space, decided to have a shot. In truth it should have been a simple save but de Gea somehow contrived to let it squirm through his arms. It was an inauspicious moment. Usually de Gea looks to blame Harry Maguire when something goes wrong. On this occasion it was all him.

Ten minutes later United looked as though their nerve had gone. Under ten Hag they seem to think they’re Ajax of the Johan Cruyff era playing out from the back. They chose to take a short free kick to de

Gea, who in turn elected to pass directly to Eriksen, who was clearly under pressure. These players aren’t god enough or confident to play like this. Jensen was on to Eriksen, robbing him and then finding the space to roll the ball into the net.

Then came the ten Hag drinks intervention which, if anything, exacerbated the situation. One of ten Hag’s key signing has been Martinez, a 5’9” centre half. From a deep corner, which was headed back across goal by Ivan Toney. It caused chaos but the reality was that Ben Mee simply bullied Martinez — in a legitimate sense — to get the touch to turn it in.

Yet Brentford saved their best for last. The fact that they could expose United so easily on a counter attack was embarrassing for ten Hag’s tactical set up. They looked Sunday league like as Brentford simply played out quick from the back to Toney. He took one touch to play in Bryan Mbeumo. Shaw had allowed him

GARY NEVILLE

The time has come for the Glazers to leave or to explain their plan

the wrong side and he would never allow the left back to get near him, and finished cooly to put Brentford 4-0 up in 35 minutes.

It was stunning stuff and almost as impressive was the manner in which Brentford controlled the second half. Fred, Shaw and Martinez were withdrawn as ten Hag attempted to impose some control. Yet the game was gone. United, embarrassingly, never had a plan or the wit to break down Brentford’s defensive block. They were reduced to abject crosses from wide that invariably were inaccurate. On one occasion, Ronaldo did meet one and send his header over. He thumped the ground in pure frustration. The crowd jeered. It seemed apposite. He was raging against the dying light of his career. He once could produce heroics to save teams.

But not now, not at this age and not this team.

JAMIE CARRAGHER

The signing of Martinez for over £50millon already looks wrong JAMIE REDKNAPP There might be a lot of pain to come for Manchester United

GARY LINEKER

Not sure this Man United kit will see the light of day ever again DAVID DE GEA I cost three points to my team today and it was a horrible day

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2022-08-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

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