Forget Maguire – Arsenal shambles shows Man Utd need a whole new defence
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 23 Apr 2022 15:07 BST
- 3 min read
Harry Maguire might have been made a popular scapegoat at Manchester United this season, but even he could take no share of the blame for the calamitous nature of the opening goal the Red Devils conceded in their crunch Premier League loss against Arsenal.
The England man was watching on from the bench when, less than 10 minutes into the vital match, each member of Man Utd’s back four made an error before Nuno Tavares was able to tap the home side into the lead.
It was a nightmare start to a match that ended 3-1 in the Gunners' favour, leaving the Red Devils needing a miracle to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Trending
Maguire had been left out of the starting XI on compassionate grounds after his home was the subject of a bomb threat, yet his recent poor form might have been justification enough for his place among the substitutes.
However, the manner in which Ralf Rangnick’s side fell behind at the Emirates would have had incoming boss Erik ten Hag in a cold sweat.
Man Utd's defensive disaster
Tavares crossed the ball from the left, having been given too much space around the edge of the box, then both Raphael Varane and Alex Telles contrived to make a hash of their clearances. Bukayo Saka’s strike was not clean, but with the defence sleeping, Tavares was alert to score at the back post.
Arsenal's second was little better from a defensive perspective as Telles was caught out in the concession of a penalty, while Bruno Fernandes was guilty of giving possession away in a dangerous area for the third just when the visitors started to be building momentum.
Prior to kick off Rangnick had compared the job that Ten Hag faces when he arrives in the summer to open-heart surgery, and the style of United’s defending only confirmed that. There was no understanding, no cohesion and no quality. As the German intimated, the rebuild will have to be complete.
Figures like Varane and Maguire, who should be pillars of the team, are making routine errors, and while they should ultimately be a foundation that Manchester United can rebuild themselves around, the process of regaining confidence will be a lengthy one.
Ten Hag’s recruitment task, meanwhile, has been made all the trickier by Saturday’s defeat. What slim chance Manchester United had of playing in the Champions League is now gone and there is now the genuine prospect of them being dumped into the Conference League, which would be a humiliation for the club.
Saturday’s loss to Arsenal was a chastening one for Man Utd, with Maguire arguably the club’s only winner as it was definitely proven that their defensive problems do not start and end with him.
