PREMIER LEAGUE
Manchester United heavily criticised after falling to defeat against Brighton in the Premier League
Pundits in England did not hold back when discussing the state of the Manchester club, which continues to trudge through a period of mediocrity.
Manchester United fell to defeat once again in the Premier League, this time to Brighton & Hove Albion, and as such the team was heavily criticised by pundits and fans post game.
As if the off-field problems weren’t already enough for Manchester United this season, the results are not making anyone in red feel any better. It is their third defeat this season, and their second losing 3 goals to 1. And to top it all off, this wasn’t a simple loss to a better side: they were steamrolled by Brighton from the beginning for the second consecutive season.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who have racked up 4 wins on the trot against Manchester United, left their opponents for dead at Old Trafford. As such, the criticism of the coach, the players and the club as a whole soon came raining in.
“I’ve just got back from Old Trafford”, wrote Gary Neville on social media, “and you always have to be optimistic pre-match but the most concerning thing is what we ended up watching wasn’t a surprise. This wasn’t a lack of effort or a group of players not interested. This was a team well-beaten by opponents that were well drilled and knew what they were doing. Simple as that…”
‘It was a training game for Brighton’
“It was a training game for Brighton”, said ex-footballer Gabby Agbonlahor, “Casemiro looked about 45 when he was running around the pitch and had to be taken off for Hannibal, a young kid, because it was that bad.”
Another former player, the Premier League’s all-time top goal scorer, Alan Shearer, put the blame on those at the top, saying “I feel sorry for Erik ten Hag. He needs to know, the fans need to know - is the club for sale? All the problems come from up top.”
‘10 years of mediocrity’ for Manchester United
Gary Neville agreed, saying that the Glazer family, who own Manchester United, “are responsible. That’s how it works.” Neville, who played as right-back for Manchester United between 1992 and 2011, where he won 8 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and 2 Champions Leagues. He said that the Glazers have “overseen ten years of mediocrity off the pitch and on the pitch. They set the culture of greed, ill-discipline, indecision and uncertainty that runs right through the club. It would be best if they sold the club with some speed and efficiency and allowed at least the off-the-pitch items to be corrected properly that reset the tone and culture.
“Football is volatile so results on the pitch can be erratic and cyclical”, he continued, “but if the off-the-pitch stuff including the owners’ direction and leadership are spot on it gives you a better chance to succeed on it.”
Premier League 2023/2024
| Classification | PTS | WM | TM | LM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12Nottingham Forest | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 13M. United | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 14Chelsea | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
*Data updated to date Sep 17th, 2023