Analysis

Exclusive Analysis: Manchester United 2021-22 Season Review

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The year 2021-22 has not been easy for Manchester United, considerably thinking that there were unnecessary records broken. It was a year where United learned a lot from their past mistakes and have now started clearing their deadwood.

From Solskjaer to Rangnick, it was a big saw side ride for Manchester United, who had star players signed, close games finishing, smashing defeats, and off-the-field antics.

Manchester United’s 2021-22 season ended with a 1-0 loss against Crystal Palace, giving them 58 points in the Premier League, their lowest points total in the Premier League since 1989-90.

Now, Erik ten Hag faces a tremendous task in helping the club reclaim its former glory. The Dutchman has certainly analyzed United’s season and will be eager to start putting his ideas for the betterment of the club.

A Short Story Describing The Entire 2021-22 Season:

Last year, Manchester United had a much better season as they were able to enter the semi-final stages of a few competitions and also reach the Europa League finals. Surprisingly they had also finished above Liverpool in the league points table. But this season all of these statistics have changed upside down.

The Red Devils were expected to challenge for the Premier League title this season after adding Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo to their roster last summer, especially after finishing just behind winners Manchester City in the Premier league table last season.

The 20-time English champions finished sixth in the Premier League table this season, 13 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, and 35 points behind champions Manchester City, which is a very big margin.

The Red Devils were knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round by Middlesbrough and the EFL Cup in the third round by West Ham. They did make it to the Champions League knockout rounds, losing 2-1 to Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16.

United was a team of confident players under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who frequently produced enough danger to win games, but who finally were far too easily out-thought by opposing managers and hence were unable to establish the consistency required for a title campaign.

After winning four of their first five league games, with Ronaldo and Fernandes playing key roles, United went on to win only one of their next seven, ending in a dreadful 4-1 loss at Watford, which led to Solskjaer’s sacking. Former player Michael Carrick was appointed as a caretaker manager of the club until Ralf Rangnick arrived as interim manager from Locomotive Moscow at the start of December.

German coach Ralf Rangnick managed the Red Devils for 29 games, with 11 wins, 10 draws, and eight losses. It’s difficult to take too many positives from his tenure as manager, as the squad struggled to qualify for the Champions League, and rumours of dressing room problems abounded.

A Premier League record of 16 wins, 10 draws, and 12 losses from 38 games are far from satisfactory for a side of their calibre, and there were numerous low points throughout the season, the worst of which was a 5-0 home loss to Liverpool.

With so many of the so-called key players underperforming, it’s possible that only Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea can hold their heads high this season. They were dreadful defensively, letting 57 Premier League goals.

Ten Hag’s arrival has given United supporters reason to be optimistic, and the Dutchman, who won three Eredivisie titles and two Dutch Cups during his time at Ajax. He is confident in improving the fortunes of a number of struggling players.

Complete Statistics Of The 2021-22 Season:

Top Scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (24 goals)

Top Assists Provider: Bruno Fernandes (14)

Most Appearances: David de Gea (46)

Total Points In The Premier League: 58 points with 57 goals scored and 57 goals conceded

Manchester United Record (In All Competition):

Premier League- 16 wins, 10 draws, 12 loss

Champions League- 3 wins, 3 draws, 2 loss

FA Cup- 1 win, 0 draws, 1 loss

Carabao Cup- 0 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss

Let’s have a bird’s eye view of the entire campaign of Manchester United:

The Dream Summer Transfer Window:

Last summer, Manchester United rightly had one of the best transfer windows in recent years. The club’s board signed Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund for a fee close to £90m. They were running behind his signature and finally made him wear the Red Shirt.

Raphael Varane too joined Sancho in heading to the Old Trafford. The former Real Madrid center-back was signed for £45m and his signing was actually a very surprising one for the fans. Nevertheless, many believed that the Frenchmen could start a new revelation at the heart of the defense.

The transfer window turned into beast mode for Manchester United when they grabbed the opportunity to sign one of the best strikers, the football world has ever seen.

The return of the club’s dearest son, Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus. It marked a new era of world-class players at the club and Solskjaer was more than happy to land all of his targets.

The Shocking Loss Against BSC Young Boys:

Last year, on the 14th of September, Manchester United traveled to face BSC Young Boys, in an exciting Champions League opener.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the Champions League for Manchester United got off to a good start when he scored in the first minute. Then came Aaron Wan-red Bissaka’s card, which sent United into a tailspin.

United threw on an additional defender and attempted to defend a 45-minute advantage, which was doomed to fail since Ronaldo was too isolated up front. Solskjaer’s substitution of Ronaldo for Jesse Lingard, who ended up helping Young Boys’ winner, turned out to be a textbook in in-game mismanagement.

This game came just days after Ronaldo’s comeback against Newcastle, and it entirely squandered the momentum from that historic occasion.

It wasn’t the first time that doubts about Solskjaer’s replacements had been raised, and the Norwegian was under even more pressure after losing his first match in the Champions League group stages.

David de Gea’s Near-Miraculous Penalty Save Against West Ham United:

In the 2020/21 season, David de Gea was unable to save 11 consecutive penalties in a penalty shootout against Villarreal before missing his own.

De Gea then started keeping penalties out, reversing a tendency of conceding every penalty he had conceded since 2016. The difference-maker was a remarkable stop from Mark Noble’s penalty for West Ham, which earned Europa League qualification for his club.

Manchester United was playing against West Ham on the 19th of September. They were already heading to the final whistle with a 2-1 scoreline and things were in our control. But the happiness didn’t last long, as West Ham was awarded a penalty in the 95th minute of the game.

Mark Noble was brought on by David Moyes as a tactical switch. He trusted the midfielder to take the penalty and score from his first touch. However, De Gea had other plans as he brilliantly saved Noble’s weak penalty and made sure United take all three points from the match.

He subsequently saved two penalties against Watford, one of which he had to retake, but he couldn’t prevent United from an embarrassing defeat.

De Gea’s freshly rediscovered penalty-saving technique was impressive, but it would have been even more impressive if he could have done so in Gdansk in May 2021.

Manchester United’s Seven Month-Long Corner Crises: 

From August to February, every single corner kick taken by Manchester United’s players was never turned into a goal. Only for Manchester United to hire a dedicated set-piece coach and get worse. Eric Ramsay was brought in to assist United in these specific circumstances.

While United’s set-piece defense improved, Ramsay became a punchline as a result of the club’s inability to score a single corner kick between August and February.

Harry Maguire finally broke his duck against Leeds, nodding in a corner. Cristiano Ronaldo went on to score hat-tricks against Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City.

Manchester United losing out on Antonio Conte: 

Manchester United’s dream scenario would most likely be to land Erik ten Hag. When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side beat Nuno Santo’s Tottenham 3-0 in October, it felt like United had won a battle but lost a war.

This victory lightened Solskjaer’s issues, but it was the final straw for Santo. Tottenham quickly sacked him and replaced him with Antonio Conte.

Manchester United was running behind Antonio Conte for months and the fans wanted to see the Italian manager take over at Old Trafford. But, Tottenham made a quick move and hired Conte way before United could even start negotiations.

This put an end to the growing Conte-Manchester United ties, and Spurs were able to move forward. Conte went on to lead Spurs to a Champions League berth, while United finished sixth. It seems that losing that game against Manchester United was a significant victory for Tottenham.

The Hammering By The Hands Of The Hornets:

Watford has been poor this season, so the fact that Manchester United only stole one point from them says a lot.

Claudio Ranieri, who only won one match throughout the season, was one of the Hornets’ new coaches. It was, of course, against Manchester United, where he had the big task of taking crucial points.

Watford was already in the relegation zone and everyone thought that this could be an easy victory for Manchester United. But the cruel world had some other plans.

Watford dominated, with a 4-1 result which was the final game for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was fired 24 hours later. The fans went berserk as they couldn’t believe some drop in standards from their team.

After some negotiations, Manchester United chose Ralf Rangnick as an interim manager, but he was only able to draw 0-0 at home to Roy Hodgson’s Watford later in the season.

UEFA Trying To Act Funny In The Champions League Draw:

Manchester United was at the center of a very absurd moment in recent UEFA history. In the Champions League, Manchester United was drawn up against Paris-Saint Germain in the round of 16.

After admitting that they had made a mistake since not all of the balls were in the draw, UEFA had to quickly reschedule a second draw.

United was subsequently drawn against Atletico Madrid and eliminated, while PSG was eliminated by Real Madrid in the final 16.

Both teams would have preferred a United-PSG tie, with fans denied one final Ronaldo-Messi showdown.

Middlesbrough Throwing United Out Of The FA Cup:

By the time the FA Cup began, it was clear that it was United’s only realistic chance of winning a trophy. By early February, this was no longer an option.

After Cristiano Ronaldo had put one wide in the first half, United has eliminated at home to Championship side Middlesbrough, resulting in yet another penalty shootout heartbreak.

United’s finishing was poor throughout the game, with 30 shots on target and only one goal. Boro’s goal was assisted by a bizarre refereeing decision, but this was a defeat in which Ralf Rangnick’s team had to look in the mirror.

Fans Witnessing The Gap In Class Between United and rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City:

In four games this season, United has been hammered by Liverpool and Manchester City, with a combined score of 15-1.

What’s worse, if you look back at the performances (which we don’t want you to watch for sure), United got off easy in every match.

With half an hour to go at Old Trafford, Liverpool was 5-0 up and relaxed, while City dismantled United with a 4-1 scoreline as the visitors had only one shot on target.

The return fixtures were not much better under Ralf Rangnick. At The Etihad, City passed the ball freely while United was left to watch the ball, with replacement Jesse Lingard just getting two touches in 30 minutes.

The Red Devils then conceded four more goals in another painfully one-sided game against Liverpool at Anfield, thanks to their suicidal defence.

Paul Pogba’s Nightmare With Manchester United Coming To An End:

Paul Pogba’s Manchester United career came to a close when he limped off with an injury 10 minutes into an away game against Liverpool, with the team behind 1-0.

Pogba lasted a few minutes longer than he did against Liverpool at Old Trafford, where he was sent off quickly after going on at half-time.

This was the Frenchman’s final game with the club after a six-year stay in which he failed to win a single Champions League knockout game.

A big £100m move back in 2016 was a complete flop, Pogba never managed to establish his name at Old Trafford. He was always a big talking figure at the club and his relationship with fans soon started getting uglier.

Jesse Lingard’s Brother Going Mayhem On Twitter: 

This season, United made a mistake by keeping Jesse Lingard and then decided not to play him. This happened last summer and again in January. Many clubs were interested in signing him but United rather preferred to keep him with them.

Jesse Lingard’s time in 2021/22 was a complete waste, although it’s conceivable he didn’t help himself by failing to get along with interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

Lingard’s brother went mayhem on Twitter following the club’s final home game and he was disappointed by the fact that Lingard had not been allowed a farewell appearance at Old Trafford.

Ralf Rangnick retaliated by excluding Lingard from United’s final two games, with Lingard failing to even make the bench against Palace. A very painful end for the English midfielder.

Brighton Putting The Final Nail On The Coffin For Manchester United:

Manchester United fans hoped that by May, the worst of the season’s low points and absurd moments were behind them. Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Manchester United was thrashed 4-0 away at Brighton in one of the worst results of the post-Fergie era, and it could have been worse. The players were bored as well as absolutely unconcerned, and it was astonishing to see how low they had plummeted.

Nobody could have predicted a 4-0 loss away at Brighton just months after United began the season with such a thrilling 5-1 triumph against Leeds.

Manchester United Board Looking For The Angel In Erik Ten Hag:

The club’s board was under serious pressure to change the club’s fortunes by bringing in a new manager. After losing out on Antonio Conte, United was the favorite to land Ajax coach Erik Ten Hag.

The Dutch coach had won three Eredivisie titles with ajax and had also guided them to their first Champions League semi-final finish. He was viewed as the perfect candidate to lead this uninspired team and he has already started the rebuild process.

The club is expected to sign numerous players this season after clearing much of its deadwood. Also, Ten Hag has already warned that he needs a strong attitude in the dressing room and he will do everything to fight top rivals and win titles.

Ten Hag’s arrival meant the immediate dismissal of Ralf Rangnick, who scrapped his consultant deal to join the Austrian National Team.

The Mass Exodus Continues:

Manchester United have started clearing off all the unwanted players and they have increased their pace in the coming days.

Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly, and Axel Tuanzebe will leave the club as confirmed by the board. Also Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Dean Henderson could be next in line to head towards the exit door.

All the players that were part of the Europa League winning team in 2017, have left the club except Marcus Rashford.

It has already been stated that United would sign at least 3-4 players this season and have a budget close to £150m to make it possible. Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber are the two players who could head in very soon.

Also, a defender and a striker could join the ranks as Ten Hag wants to build a young, hungry squad at Old Trafford.

Manchester United 2021/22 Player Of The Season: Cristiano Ronaldo

The prolific striker scored 18 goals in the Premier League and six goals in the Champions League for Manchester United. These numbers would look rather decent for any person but mind you, these goals kept United in the contention for a top-four finish.

He was rightly awarded the player of the season award and he was also the fan’s choice of handing the prestigious honors. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t even have a match with any other player as all others were not concerned about lifting the club.

Also Read- Evra hits back on Cristiano Ronaldo criticizers

Be it Ronaldo’s wonder goal against Tottenham or his hattricks in decisive moments, he has stepped up when the team needed him the most. Even after the pundits started blaming him for United’s downfall, he didn’t stop scoring and soon made everyone realize that he has been a consistent performer for the team throughout the season.

As it is said, Ronaldo deserves more than he received from Manchester United this season.

Manchester United 2021/22 Goal Of The Season: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Thunder Striker Against Tottenham Hotspur

The 3-2 victory against Tottenham in March was the ultimate example of Ronaldo saving the day for United. The Red Devils were not the better team, but they did have the better player in Ronaldo.

He smashed home a screamer from well outside the box only 12 minutes into the game that was so good that it took attention away from the magnificent flip from midfielder Fred that made it possible in the first place. The goal even received the goal of the month honors and could be in contention for the goal of the season award as well.

In that match, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to lead United to a commanding three-point victory.

Our View On This 2021/22 Season:

We will call it a season to forget for Manchester United, where all the fans were unsurprised by the club’s results. But like it is said there is always room for improvement and Erik Ten Hag could guide the club towards the right path.

Solskjaer was sacked at a most undesirable time and Rangnick’s appointment didn’t bring any progress. Throughout the season, the fans witnessed their top rivals making it to the big stages and would want to see their team perform much better next season.

The players were rightly criticized as they were outclassed by many teams and were looking completely out of ideas. New players with a winning attitude could spearhead the club towards a new era and we would love to witness the big change that we all are craving.

Our Rating For 2021/22 Season: 4/10

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