Manchester United have lost their first two games before Monday night’s clash with Liverpool. According to Jari Litmanen, United is an absolute top club, but not at the moment.
Riku Porvari,
Jussi Vainikka
In the men’s league of English football, Manchester United will host Liverpool on Monday evening at 22:00.
Manchester United’s season in the English men’s premier league has gotten off to a nightmare start. Two losses, six goals conceded and only one goal scored.
The 0-4 loss to Brentford in the last round was a kind of bottom quotation. On Monday night, United will be the guest.
Former top soccer player Jari Litmanen assessed ManU’s predicament at the European Football Association’s Super Cup media conference in Helsinki in early August. At that time, the opening round had been played in the Premier League, where ManU lost 1–2 to Brighton.
– Manchester United is an absolute top club – it has a crazy history, there have been crazy players – but at the moment it is not.
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Litmanen said that rival clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are currently better than ManU. United have problem areas that the head coach Erik ten Hag should be resolved soon, Litmanen stated.
– It is possibly a good thing that he became the head coach at this very moment, when Manchester United has started to build something new. But when you’re in a top club, there’s not necessarily enough time.
According to Litmanen, it is no coincidence that ten Hag, who previously coached Ajax, was successful at the Amsterdam club. Under him, Ajax won the country’s premier league three times in four seasons and advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League after a 22-year hiatus.
– It was only a matter of time when he would go to a bigger league and club. It’s funny in itself that Erik has always been a Manchester United supporter. For him, this is a big deal.
Litmanen said that he got to know ten Hag over the years. He said that the Dutchman thinks about football sensibly and structurally, and is otherwise a thoughtful person.
– During my playing career in the Dutch league, we met many times. He was a controlling midfielder and I was an attacking midfielder, so we moved in the same areas. Later we have met in different roles and places.
Litmanen represented Ajax between 1992 and 1999, while ten Hag represented Twente, Waalwijk and Utrecht at that time.
In addition to poor game performances, ManU’s plight is deepened by repeatedly failed player transfers. This season, efforts have been made to acquire from Barcelona, among others Frenkie de Jongfrom Ajax Anthony and from Atletico Madrid João Felix.
United have acquired from Fayenoord Tyrell Malacianfrom Ajax by Lisandro Martinez and from Real Madrid Casemiro. According to media reports, a total of approximately 140 million euros in transfer fees were paid for the players. In addition, he joined with a free transfer from Brendford Christian Eriksen.
According to Litmanen, ten Hag wants players in the team that he knows.
– The team needs to be rebuilt and such specials are good acquisitions there. The team should be built around them, Litmanen said.
One additional problem has been uncertain players. Paul Pogba already left on a free transfer to Juventus, but Cristiano Ronaldo has repeatedly hinted at a possible transfer.
– One guy (Ronaldo) there announced at regular intervals what he might do or not do – there has been an uproar around him and that is one thing that ten Hag has to solve, Litmanen estimates.
The Dutch coach has stated that the Portuguese Ronaldo is part of his plans, and has not commented further on the player’s possible transfer.
The English Football Association’s transfer window is still open until the first day of September.
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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney’s think Ronaldo and the striker Marcus Rashford should not gamble. The team should get new energy when, for example, Ronaldo hasn’t seemed fit, Rooney estimates.
– United’s failed acquisition of a center forward means they had to rely on Ronaldo in the Brentford match, even though he hasn’t trained with the team recently, Rooney writes in a British newspaper of The Times (you will switch to another service) in his column.
According to Rooney, Ronaldo, 37, should be allowed to leave the club because he is not a player to build a championship team around.
Rashford is again described by Rooney as “a real concern”. Rashford used to be passionate, but now he hasn’t smiled on the pitch for a long time, writes Rooney.
– He is a local youngster and United-bred, who everyone hopes will perform well. But when you compare the current Marcus with the player of the early years, the difference is like night and day.
On Monday night, ManU will have the chance to face-wash when Liverpool arrive at United’s home stadium, Old Trafford. Liverpool has also played poorly compared to expectations, as it has two draws in two matches.
Of the five previous matches between the clubs, Liverpool have won four and one has ended in a goalless draw. Liverpool takes the goal difference of those meetings by 15–2.
ManU pilot ten Hag wants to build attacks from the defensive line and play possession-control football, but in the first two league games it hasn’t worked.
This season, United are the Premier League’s fourth worst passer in their own half. The input has failed 58 times. Liverpool, on the other hand, is the team that stole the most balls in the league (140). You could imagine that the Dutch coach wants to change either the way of playing or the players on the field.
United’s pilot’s flight has been windy. In nine years, United has had five head coaches, if the temporary ones are not taken into account. With the third defeat, the discussion about changing the head coach will intensify.
– It would be fine for me if Erik doesn’t do well at United, former Liverpool player Jari Litmanen joked.
Manchester United and Liverpool are longtime blood enemies. One reason for the confrontation is that the clubs are the most successful in England. United have won the league title 20 times and Liverpool 19 times.
– But I hope that ten Hag will be able to continue at United for a long time, that if it goes moderately, he finished his sentence.
The last time ManU was at the bottom of the league table was 30 years ago. But that time, in the 1992-93 season, United won the title after a 26-year absence.