Manchester United vs Fulham should be one of the more predictable games in English football.
The London team had not won at Old Trafford since 2003. In the last 18 games between these two teams in all competitions, United have won 15 times and drawn the remaining three. Fulham had only won once away from home in the 2023/24 season, an opening weekend victory over Everton. No result in the Premier League is ever guaranteed. But when Erik ten Hag described United's remaining games in 2024 as a “final”, few believed a visit from Marco Silva's side would pose the same danger as a visit from Jurgen Klopp in April or Mikel Arteta in May .
United's hopes of qualifying for the 2024-25 Champions League were seriously dented after a 2-1 defeat highlighted their many long-standing problems.
A back and forth counter-attack in the first half led to Calvin Bassey opening the scoring in the 65th minute, taking advantage of weak defense from a corner. Alex Iwobi's goal in the 96th minute would be the second-to-last winner against Manchester United in the Premier League. The sight of Adama Traore overtaking Christian Eriksen and Harry Maguire to set up the goal was devastating. The reaction of Alejandro Garnacho, who collapsed on the pitch after conceding a goal, was telling.
United react to Iwobi's goal (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
United finished the game with more shots on target (nine to Fulham's five) and a higher xG (1.67 to 1.11) than their opponents, but that was thanks to a seven-minute rally on Fulham's goal after a hard-fought equalizer from Maguire the 89th minute. They remained passive during most of Saturday's proceedings; A starting XI full of square pegs in round holes was complicated when Casemiro had to be forced off with a head injury early in the second half.
“It was a big loss to lose Casemiro. “We lost a bit of stability in the team and conceded a very avoidable goal before we fought our way back in the game,” said Ten Hag. “I have to give credit to the team – they showed great character. Then we wanted to win, but in the end we let them run away.”
The United boss urged fans to “see the bigger picture” rather than focusing on the result, but his team are approaching a precarious position. Ten Hag has repeatedly argued that injuries have affected his team's ability to perform at their best this season, yet he appears unwilling – or unable – to deviate from a tactical formation that leaves them vulnerable to counter-attacks.
United have a weak pressing structure that can be easily bypassed by opponents even when the team is at full strength. United want to attack quickly but lack precise passing, which means the ball is often lost in the final third. They can't control games (and don't try to) and are often leaky on defense. They have conceded 100 shots in their last five games. With a goal difference of zero, they remain sixth in the table.
“We have made some changes,” Marco Silva said of Fulham’s approach on Saturday. “We knew what was coming and gave Andreas Pereira more freedom to play alongside Harrison Reed and Sasa Lukic for a few moments. Without Joao (Palhinha), who can cover a lot of kilometers on the pitch and large areas, we are trying to change some things to be more compact and change our setup. We won this battle, which is really important. Alex (Iwobi) didn’t always play on the left side, he also came inside to help.”
One of the reasons United lost at Old Trafford is because Ten Hag was convinced that a tactical system that gave opponents plenty of easy chances, even on a good day, would be enough to beat Fulham. Recognizing the weakness that would arise for Fulham as a result of Palhinha's suspension, Silva worked to minimize this and find a way to maximize the remaining talent in his starting XI. Injuries to Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Rasmus Hojlund have limited Ten Hag's playing options, but his continued insistence on a transition-heavy style of play presents dangers.
“Other players coming in have different identities and different skills that we have to adapt to as a team, but the processes and principles are still the same,” the United coach said when asked if he could change anything. He is not the first manager to prioritize refining Plan A over developing Plan B, but United have too few fit players who can execute their football at the level he wants. Matches in the FA Cup and Manchester derby next week could determine the rest of their 2023-24 campaign.
Manchester United are stuck in a tactical impasse and lack support from their best players. Something has to change. Only time will tell what that something is.
(Top photo: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)