Manchester United’s feel-good factor after beating Aston Villa 3-2 in the Premier League on Boxing Day lasted just a few days as the Red Devils went down 2-1 away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Nuno Espirito Santo is enjoying the sort of new manager form bounce that opposite number Erik ten Hag can only dream of after confirming back-to-back wins at the City Ground this weekend.
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Nicolas Dominguez and Morgan Gibbs-White did the damage as the Tricky Trees overcame Matt Turner’s blunder which enabled Marcus Rashford to equalize for all of four minutes. Watched by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s representatives in Nottingham just days after the unexpected fightback against Villa at Old Trafford, United slipped back on old habits to fall further adrift of Europe.
Even if Rashford ended a Premier League goal drought of over six hours, the Red Devils have now suffered 14 losses this season which breaks unwanted records dating back nearly 100 years. It now makes Wigan Athletic away in the FA Cup third round a potential upset for Ten Hag and his player who had thought that the clouds were finally lifting after the Villa victory just days ago.
Alejandro Garnacho inspired the fallen giants in Manchester earlier in the week but was powerless to stop his team from looking desperate at the City Ground before Turner’s gift of a goal. Antony, in particular, cut a forlorn figure and perfectly sums up just how poor United’s recruitment has been in recent times which has created a squad devoid of real quality yet at significant cost.
That the Red Devils had been unbeaten against Forest in the topflight for nearly 30 years is indicative of how previously high standards have slipped to their current depths and are now being accepted. Nuno suddenly seems Messiah-like after leading the home side to wins away at Newcastle United and now Manchester United — both depleted and far from their best although ranked much higher.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag could have been out of a job had United failed to complete their fightback against the Villans who fell apart themselves after a testing run of games for a thin squad. Looking beyond Wigan, it does not get much easier either with Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Villa — again — all ranked higher and Wolverhampton Wanderers suddenly on form.
Considering the challenges, there is no guarantee that a surprise loss to Wigan would not bring Ten Hag’s time in charge to an end given that it is the only remaining hope of silverware. Salvation could lie in an FA Cup run but even that will take a much improved United and arguably a favorable draw — neither givens at this moment in time with things looking more precarious than ever.
Ratcliffe and Ten Hag’s first exchanges regarding the sporting situation at Old Trafford are likely to be brutal and a subsequently busy January should not be ruled out. That said, United out of Europe and with no obvious hope of qualification for next season could work against them this winter when trying to move players on and bring in new targets for the Dutchman to rebuild with.
With Chelsea and Wolves moving up the ladder and a few teams around them having games in hand, United need to keep a careful eye on the bottom half of the table which is suddenly a lot closer than it was just weeks ago. Should Ten Hag taste defeat once against away at the Latics, it could be all over with the new sporting regime opting for fresher ideas from the management than the players.
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