How a win against Burnley can get Man Utd back into shape

How a win against Burnley can get Man Utd back into shape

 

Man Utd secured a well-deserved victory against Burnley on Saturday

The Red Devils’ next four matches will all take place at home

How Erik ten Hag must improve in the coming weeks

 

By Jamie Spencer | 6:00 p.m. GMT+1

 

Man Utd must build momentum

Man Utd must build momentum / Matt McNulty/GettyImages

Given last season’s relative success – ending a six-year trophy drought and only the fourth top three finish in the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson a decade ago – and the expectations that came with it, Manchester United started the 2023/24 season. poorly.

A 1-0 home win against Wolves at the start of the season was good, nothing more. United were then heavily criticized for their poor performance at Tottenham before coming back 2-0 against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag’s team looked much stronger in the match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and initially took the lead through Marcus Rashford. Martin Odegaard equalized but Alejandro Garnacho thought he had won late but VAR intervened with an offside call. Ultimately, the Gunners’ gaffers beat their visitors with stoppage-time goals from Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus.

The home defeat to Brighton at the end of the international break was bad. At one point it also looked like United would be playing off the field against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but three goals scored in Germany was positive, despite four goals scored at the other end.

Burnley threatened to become an away banana skin last time out, especially with former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany at the helm, who alongside the Clarets’ desperate search for points on their return in the Premier League, was also enthusiastic. to keep them one step ahead of their old Premier League rivals.

But a patched-up United side, which included Jonny Evans starting for the club for the first time in almost eight and a half years, emerged victorious. Evans himself, only in the team because Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire were absent, and Raphael Varane only fit enough for the bench, made a huge contribution to the victory, notably creating the only goal with a precise pass.

Amid numerous injury headaches and players being unavailable for other reasons, Evans later came out and said Erik ten Hag had “done a good thing” at United.

Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag faces a new set of challenges after an impressive debut season in charge / Will Palmer/Allstar/GettyImages

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Now is the time to build positive momentum with a series of favorable matches in the coming weeks, most of which will also be at home. That starts with Old Trafford’s back-to-back clashes with Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup and Premier League.

Galatasaray will then be the first home match of the Champions League season, with United facing the Turkish team and Copenhagen twice each before their next meeting with Bayern Munich. This presents an opportunity to gain enough points in the table that Bayern’s visit to Old Trafford in December could potentially be a dead game for both teams without the pressure of qualifying for the last 16.

Brentford visit Old Trafford in their final game before the October international break, while United’s only away game before the end of next month comes at Bramall Lane, where Sheffield United were beaten 8-0 by Newcastle last weekend in one of the greatest fixtures ever. Wins the Premier League.

Manchester City at the end of October will be a huge test. But apart from derby day, United will go into every match as significant favorites between now and the end of November, with Fulham, Luton and Everton all playing in the Premier League in that period.

 

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