Manchester United suffered a humiliating defeat, to say the least, against Tottenham Hotspur in the last game week of the Premier League. The scoreline read 1-6 at full time, and the international break could not have come sooner for United.
Media reports have indicated that there was a general feeling of anger and frustration at Old Trafford during and post the match. Obviously, a huge defeat does not naturally sit well with some players who are keen to show their worth. The fact that Martial was sent off for an alleged blow on Erik Lamela added to the general narrative.
But for a team challenging for domestic honours and a place in the Top 4, cannot concede four goals within a first half even if the opposition is someone like Tottenham Hotspur. It only seeks to raise doubts and questions over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s position as manager of the club.
An inquest had already been opened after the team’s 3-1 loss against Crystal Palace. With a good amount of investment made this season, the progress also needs to be made a few steps forward. The dressing room would not be encouraged by the fact that the club is heading in a direction, converse to their stature and objectives.
Quite honestly, the international break seems to suit all the parties involved to take a step back and re-evaluate with regards to what went wrong. Perhaps in retrospect, the players would think that some mistakes could have been easily avoided.
And it is when the going gets tough, that the squad as an entirety will look to bounce back together rather than playing the blame game and pointing fingers at each other. United now sit 13th in the Premier League table with 1 win and 2 losses. They will need to shore up efforts and put in a stronger show, starting against Newcastle United on October 17.
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