Manchester United will be having a sour Christmas this year after a 2-0 defeat to West Ham on Saturday afternoon.
Erik ten Hag watched his side slump back into a loss – with David Moyes exacting his revenge on Manchester United with a 2-0 win.
It was the afternoon Ten Hag was no doubt dreading with Mohammed Kudus proving he should’ve been signed as he struck in the 78th minute.
This was the second of the game after Jarrod Bowen scored in the 72nd minute. The result is a massive advertisement for United to have a busy January transfer window – and comes ahead of a tricky game against Aston Villa next week.
With the game now concluded – here are five things we learned from the game.
Centre-back duo shows huge weakness
Against West Ham – United started Willy Kambwala and Jonny Evans, which is a pairing not good enough to start in the Premier League. One who is young and full of potential but ultimately thrown into the deep end here, with Evans past his prime.
The centre-half area is a massive area of weakness for Ten Hag and investment will be needed in January. The club seem to be aware with multiple players already linked with a move to United.
The only positive here was that it has made the picture clear to the decision-makers at Old Trafford that they need to give Ten Hag some new defenders.
Another toothless game
Once again United have gone through a game with the front three causing no problems to the opponent.
Rasmus Hojlund, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho were all poor as West Ham defenders comfortably dealt with them.
Four games without a goal for United shows the height of how poor the side has been lately.
This is a huge concern and one which Ten Hag can’t seem to figure out – it could in the end prove costly to the Dutchman.
Moyes out-thinks Ten Hag
Moyes was sacked by United back in 2014 and now a decade later United are possibly worse than they were back then.
It seems like there is no plan on the pitch and the players look completely lost whether that’s Ten Hag’s fault or not. Meanwhile, Moyes has that West Ham side like a well-oiled machine playing beyond where many would expect them to be.
It’s getting to the point now that Ten Hag’s position needs to be looked at because this cannot continue.
Where do United go from here?
It’s very concerning that United seem unable to improve and any positive result seems to inevitably lead them back to this point.
These results aren’t a fluke – United are getting outclassed regularly and now have 13 defeats this season.
Now we are at the point where it’s difficult to see Ten Hag remaining long-term – particularly with a tough few games in the next couple of match days.
Kobbie Mainoo once again the only positive
It says a lot about the majority of this team that 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo is the only one who can hold his head high.
Mainoo once again was great and honestly deserves more from his senior teammates.
He is United’s most important player right now and he’s a must-start player for Ten Hag now. Hopefully, January will see him be given a midfield partner who compliments his style.
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