Will the 2024/25 European competition take place without Manchester United? The Red Devils conceded their highest defeat of the season at Crystal Palace on Monday – not the only horrific statistic
You can lose to Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace at the moment. Liverpool FC, West Ham and Newcastle have also done so recently. But the way Manchester United did on Monday night? At this level?
In view of the 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park, the heaviest defeat so far in a United season littered with bitter defeats, coach Erik ten Hag did not even really want to claim that he was missing ten players. They included Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and a potential back four of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane. This meant that Casemiro, among others, had to play at center-back, who had an evening to forget
Ten Hag in talks with Bayern
“It’s clear and obvious that we’re underperforming,” admitted the 54-year-old Dutchman afterwards, who has recently been linked with the vacant coaching position at FC Bayern. “We didn’t perform the way we wanted to, we didn’t stick to the plan,” criticized ten Hag, who admitted to a “low point” of the season on Monday evening.
“If we stick to the plan, we’re hard to beat, we’ve only lost our fourth game of the 2024 calendar year today,” insisted the Dutchman, who is still under contract with the English record champions until 2025. But too many draws don’t help you get anywhere.
United have picked up just ten points from their last ten league games – not the only dreadful statistic after their heaviest defeat of the season. With three matchdays to go, Manchester have already suffered 13 defeats, the most ever in a Premier League season. The worst placing ever in such a season was seventh. United are currently eighth
Three more difficult league games – and then the cup final against City
Also because of 81 goals conceded in all competitions, already the worst figure since the 1976/77 season (also 81), Europa League sixth place, currently occupied by Newcastle, is two points away. Although the Red Devils are level on points with Chelsea FC in seventh place in the Conference League (both assuming Manchester City win the FA Cup), they have a significantly worse goal difference.
The record champions, who still face Arsenal, Newcastle and Brighton in the league – all difficult games – are in real danger of missing out on European soccer completely next season. Perhaps only a win in the cup final against City on May 25 can save this season, which would qualify United for the EL. Or the astonishing account of goals conceded will be further increased
