Man United crashed out of the FA Cup after Middlesbrough knocked them out in the 4th Round. The Red Devils lost on penalties at Old Trafford after the away side held them to a 1-1 draw.
Middlesbrough made a fine comeback into the game to level things up 1-1 and after that, Man United failed to turn things around – despite getting some very good chances.
Ex-United player Roy Kean has blasted his former side saying that the Old Trafford outfit found a way to lose the game despite being the much superior side.
‘Over the last couple of home matches they have only scored one goal and one obviously again tonight,’ he said on ITV Sport, as quoted. ‘I was talking about Man United finding a way to win the game but what did they do, they found a way to lose the game. That’s not a good sign.
‘You have to be critical of United. First half fantastic, but they are playing a Championship team. To lose to a Championship team at home in the Cup, it’s obviously not good enough.
‘Of course, Middlesbrough were going to come with a bit of pressure in the second half, but you control it.
‘Even with the goal they conceded, they were outnumbered, players weren’t getting back, and that’s where I go back to it, you need a bit of leadership, the character to go “Ok we have dropped off for 10 or 15 minutes but we are still up against Middlesbrough, we’ll still slip back in and find a moment.”
Bruno Fernandes didn't put this away 😳 pic.twitter.com/gzZTFDov4u
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 4, 2022
‘But Fernandes’s miss there, he has to score, there is no logic to that miss, he has got to hit the target.’
Is Roy Keane right in his analysis?
Roy Keane seldom minces his words and like always, the Man United legend has once again hit the nail on the head.
Manchester United should have won this game in the first 90 minutes with a scoreline of 3-0 or maybe 4-0. But the players failed to take their chances and their intensity dropped with each passing minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo consoling Anthony Elanga after his penalty miss is exactly what football is about ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Vcwl8tOHON
— GOAL (@goal) February 4, 2022
After the first half came to an end, no one really thought Middlesbrough would be able to turn things around so all credit goes to them.
The likes of Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes missed some glorious chances to put the game to bed and this has been a major issue for the side this season. United have failed to create chances and more often than not they are not clinical infront of goal.
Another major concern is the fitness level of the players since none of them can play a high-intensity game for the full 90 minutes. Under Ralf Rangnick, they usually start with a high-press mindset but that eagerness fizzes out by the time they enter the final quarter of matches.
All these problems cannot be solved overnight which is why Rangnick has been brought in to condition the Man United players by the time a permanent manager comes in but till that time, the player will have to grind out results.
