Brentford 4 – 0 Man Utd

Erik ten Hag says he could have eliminated all of his “naive” players in the first half after a catalog of errors left them 4-0 down against Brentford.

In a stunning first half in the intense west London heat, Manchester United put on one of their worst performances in 30 years of Premier League football – with Ten Hag’s misguided side making Their new coach was not favored.

Goalkeeper David de Gea let Josh Dasilva’s simple shot slip into him in the near corner after 10 minutes before the keeper’s pass baffled former Brentford player Christian Eriksen, while Mathias Jensen captured the ball inside. penalty area for a simple finish (18).

The Bees attempted to double that advantage before half-time, with Ben Mee edging past Lisandro Martinez to go home on his home debut (30) before Ivan Toney brought Bryan Mbuemo to a close on a counterattack. Their fourth brilliant work after just 35 minutes .

Cristiano Ronaldo – recalled to the starting line-up – squandered three chances leading to a result that left Ten Hag’s side bottom of the Premier League table with zero points, with Liverpool their next opponents at Old Trafford in time. the next nine days Monday Night Football.

Asked about his three-man substitutions in the first half, which he eliminated defenders Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw alongside Fred, Ten Hag said: “I made three substitutions, but I could have We wanted to bring some fresh energy into the game, nothing specific to the people we subbed because I don’t think that’s all for them.”

“It’s naive, how we played today you have to be more direct. We said: invite them in. [to press] and play for a long time. We attracted them, the space was high on the pitch and we had to choose that option. That is something we cannot do. It’s not good, for sure. It’s not the standard of how we want to act.

“You can have a plan, but we put it in the trash. It has nothing to do with tactics – the first two goals. It’s about handling the ball. That’s one. And two, decisive. determined.

“They followed my instructions but they made bad decisions. It’s football, it’s a game of mistakes and we were punished.”

How Man Utd shot himself in the foot

United’s problems from back to front were resolved at the first whistle. In goal, De Gea blushed – and that has nothing to do with the intense 32 degree heat that hit west London at the start of the game.

Dasilva was about to shoot with his weaker right foot, but De Gea was unable to arrange his body to thwart the tame attempt. Eight minutes later, Ten Hag’s defense and midfield tried to entice Brentford by playing attack from behind – but were unable to produce the quality to stop the swarms from flooding in to get them.

Eriksen was fouled by former team-mate Jensen in the box, Brentford’s No 8 made his own before rolling the ball over De Gea’s feet.

To complete the game in the first half, United’s attack created little to challenge David Raya, even if Ronaldo was called back to start first. The 37-year-old created a couple of snaps that Raya was holding while flying over his bar innocuously.

Another incredible five-minute stint keeps the game going and actually overtakes United in just 35 minutes. Debutant Mee showed more tenacity than Martinez in the post after nodding in a productive Brentford corner.

Then, when United tried to find some routes back in the game, Brentford hit them at the break. Toney ran fast to find Mbuemo in the middle, who overcame a late Luke Shaw challenge from behind to steer the ball past De Gea.

Ten Hag showed his disagreement in the first half with a three-time substitution. Tyrell Malacia, Scott McTominay and Raphael Varane replaced Martinez, Shaw and Fred – and there were some small improvements after the break.

Ronaldo had two great chances to equalize as Dalot found him twice in plenty of space in the box – but headed off the post, then missed the post.

Eriksen himself twice dribbled the ball from close range when he headed straight for Raya before firing from inside the box. But Brentford has managed to keep United within reach – and there was no need to leave second gear after half-time.

Analysis: What must Eriksen be thinking?

Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz at Gtech Community Stadium:

Brentford has spent much of this summer waiting to see if Eriksen will return to them or try to find a replacement for him. They did exactly that by signing Mikkel Damsgaard on Wednesday – and now they’ve moved from Dane which has helped them continue to thrive.

What should Eriksen think after that performance? How did he go from the iconic status of the club at Brentford to getting involved in this embarrassment?

The difference in quality between the two teams – from the top of the pitch to the back – between the two teams is stark. Raya looked like he knew what he was doing at every turn while De Gea was throwing the ball into the net. Maguire and Martinez did not seek out the fight while Pontus Jansson and Ben Mee made their presence felt. Up front, Brentford showed a clinical finishing ability that Ronaldo and his teammates could not.

However, in the midfield, where Eriksen and United were bullied. Ten Hag is surprisingly set up with Fred often attacking at base, with Eriksen and Fernandes on either side. Dalot and Shaw came in midfield to assist them – but that only left Maguire and Martinez exposed.

The battle between individuals is chalk and cheese. Fred was unable to defend a back four, so was sent off at half-time, as Norgaard mastered Brentford’s backline with well-timed tackles or even tactical fouls. . Fernandes couldn’t compare the chances that Jensen and Dasilva could – while Eriksen’s involvement in Brentford’s second goal tells you all you need to know.

However, the comparison between the two teams went beyond the pitch. Brentford selects their players through a specific recruitment scheme that allows them to find gems like Jensen and Mbuemo from Europe.

Ten Hag faces the impossible mission

Sky Sports’ Dan Sansom at Gtech Community Stadium:

Criticism of Manchester United has become a weekly occurrence. There’s no denying that they’ve been playing badly for a while, but just when things couldn’t seem to get any worse, did Brentford come in.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is clearly the one with the problem. Then there’s Ralf Rangnick. Now Erik ten Hag is in the spotlight. The Dutchman, undoubtedly a brilliant coach given his success with Ajax, faces an almost impossible task in Manchester. His players are simply not good enough. He needs more signings, but there’s no guarantee he’ll get them.

Saturday’s heavy 4-0 loss in west London thrilled United. Brentford may have had just four shots on target in the first half – all successful – but that could easily be double. The home team is strong, robust and superior to the opponent.

The stats couldn’t be any worse. The result means United have lost four straight games for the first time since February 1979. They have also lost seven straight away games for the first time since losing 10 in a row between September and December. in 1936.

There have been embarrassing failures before – Brighton away from last season starts to come to mind – but this one in Brentford feels the worst of the bunch.

Despite the score and performance, though, United supporters are confident that Ten Hag is the man who can turn the tide of their side.

Down 4-0, the away fans – as they usually do – remained overhead. The chants of ‘Erik ten Hag’s army’ still live up to this day. But he gets another reminder of the mess he’s inherited since taking power this summer.

“I believe I’ll get the job done – I’ve done it everywhere,” he said Sports sky on Friday to the question of how long it would take him to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford.

But the 52-year-old became the first manager to lose his first two games in charge of United since John Chapman in November 1921.

He has the biggest job in football. And the early signs are not good.

United are at the bottom of the Premier League. It can’t happen, can it? Well, ask yourself this question: are there any worse teams than them in the league?