As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has delivered a truthful assessment of his team’s poor performance against the Wolves.
On Monday night, the Red Devils suffered their first loss under Ralf Rangnick. The visitors appeared to be the superior team, and they used the ball far more effectively than we did. Man United appeared to be lacking in creativity, and the players appeared to be disjointed.
The team was getting weak with time, and a sturdy Ruben Neves and goal-scorer Joao Moutinho easily overran the middle.
Luke Shaw played well and made few errors until the last minutes when he allowed Adama Traore to come behind him and cross the ball in a dangerous location. Moutinho scored from the edge of the box after Phil Jones had headed it out.
However, there were a number of additional issues that night. Shaw didn’t hold back in his post-game press conference.
Shaw said:
“We really struggled; we could not get hold of the ball. We did not put them under any pressure. It maybe looked like an easy game for them. A disappointing performance and result. We did not have many options on the ball, and we were not on the front foot.”
“We have to put more pressure on them; we have to have intensity. Us players, we have been here a long time. Maybe tonight, we struggled. I did not think we were all there together. You look at the players we have; we have unbelievable quality but sometimes quality is not enough.”
Rather than apologizing for his blunders, the Englishman addressed the game like it was. The players must take some blame and responsibility for their actions. The manager has been scapegoated at Old Trafford for far too long.
Today, there was only one squad that deserved to win, and they got their wish. Despite Bruno Fernandes’ return from a one-match ban, Rangnick picked an unchanged starting XI. However, the team that was put together was capable of defeating the majority of the league’s opponents.
However, the intensity was missing. Many of the strategies used by the Germans necessitate dedication and determination. Winning the ball is critical, but knowing what to do with it is even more crucial. Both phases were a failure for the players.
1 – At 35 years & 117 days old, João Moutinho is the oldest visiting player to score a winning goal at Old Trafford in Premier League history. Adept. #MUNWOL pic.twitter.com/L3Vag2K0Tk
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain on the night, cut a frustrated figure once more, while Jadon Sancho’s ineffectiveness remains a mystery.
Aaron wan-Bissaka was solid defensively, but he was just as guilty offensively. It’s no secret that Nemanja Matic is getting older, especially after his performance against Molineux. It’s time to go back to the drawing board, and Rangnick must find solutions.
Shaw gave a harsh assessment of the game today, and the full-back will be hoping not to do so again when we visit Villa Park in two weeks for our next league match.
If Phil Jones, who returned to the club after a long period, was one of our best players, it says a lot about our performance. If we want to compete for a top-four finish this season, we can’t let this kind of performance happen again.
