Manchester United were knocked out of the Champions League after succumbing to defeat against another Spanish team. This time, it was Atletico Madrid who inflicted the damage on a team that has lacked that killer instinct throughout the season. This follows other European campaigns being ended by Villarreal back in 2021, Sevilla in 2020 and 2018, and Barcelona in 2019. The defeat encapsulated everything that is going wrong at United and it now begs the question, what is next for this great club.
Limitations laid bare
Our limitations were laid bare once again on the big European stage. It shows how far we are away from competing at the top table both in Europe and domestically. The Champions League represented our last hope of achieving a trophy in a season that has otherwise failed to deliver on every level.
Whilst, you cannot fault the effort given, we lacked that quality to break down a well organised Atletico Madrid. This has been the case against other teams across the season. If you look at Atletico’s manager Diego Simeone, he has built a team to play a certain way who have been together for a number of seasons, won trophies, and knows how to win in those important games. United have lacked cohesion in their style of play and at points during games lacked the final bit of quality to see it through in the end.
The fans and the team knew this was the last chance of obtaining silverware. In terms of this season, it is virtually all over. The Premier League sees us fighting for the top four, though we are relying on other teams around us to drop points but also that United managed to go on a winning run until the end of the season.
What next for United?
The defeat casts a watershed moment for the club as a whole. There are many issues that need to be dealt with that you think where do you start to fix it. In terms of those above the manager and the players, there are people working across many different departments within the club but can they effectively do everything that needs to be done to change our club.
People within the club need to be given certain roles and criteria to know exactly what the strategy is and where we want to be in both the short-term and long term. Ed Woodward, who left the club back in February made a string of poor decisions in his time as executive vice-chairman. It is now in the hands of his successor, Richard Arnold to pick up the pieces and turn the tide around.
Consistency is the key for United going forward, which United has lacked the whole season. Long-term planning has probably been an afterthought amongst the hierarchy, which was clearly evident when Ralph Rangnick was appointed as interim manager until the end of the season. We have been linked with Ajax’s Erik ten Hag and Paris St Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino and so you do question why we weren’t able to bring either to the club when former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær was sacked. The decision-makers have some very important choices come the end of the season as we look to rebuild from top to bottom.
Recruitment
Manchester United have spent over £1 billion pounds on bringing in new players since Sir Alex Ferguson left back in 2013, and in which time four managers have come and gone. Whilst some players who arrived were successful, others failed to live up to expectations. Once the summer transfer window opens, United need to be at the forefront in getting the right players that would enable us to compete at the highest level.
An area that needs to be resolved is recruiting a central defensive midfielder. It remains to be seen who will come in as United continues to be linked with West Ham’s Declan Rice and Brighton’s Yves Bissouma. Our attacking line will need to be addressed if Ronaldo decides to leave if we are unable to secure Champions League football next season.
In addition, the future of certain players will be decided as a number of players i.e Pogba, Lingard, etc are out of contract. The new manager will have to decide who is right for this team and those who will have to seek pastures new.
Are the players we have good enough?
If you look at our captain Harry Maguire, whose form has dropped since he returned from the Euros with England. You can see on the pitch that he is playing with low confidence and unsure what to do at times. This is leading to panic and thus the United faithful start to groan when he is in possession of the ball. I’m not sure taking away the captaincy from him is such a good idea as this will dent his confidence even more. Some time out from the starting eleven for Maguire might prove beneficial as he seeks to rediscover his best form.
Another player who seems a shadow of his former self is Marcus Rashford. Whilst Rangnick has said that he is doing all the right things in training, it is not translating onto the pitch. United need to work to rediscover his game that saw him burst onto the scene all those years ago.
A long road back to the top
David De Gea’s honest reaction after the Atletico defeat sums up where United are at the minute as he said, “I’ve been here many years, I love the club. You saw the fans, they have been amazing in a difficult season again so I really believe, I don’t know when, this club is gonna be back at the top and we are gonna be fighting for big things.”
As Sir Alex Ferguson once said, “for United to be successful off the pitch, it needs to be successful on it“. There has been talk recently on the future of Old Trafford, however, the more pressing problem is assembling a squad capable of challenging for trophies. At this moment in time, we look further away than ever.
Going out of the Champions League was a big disappointment for everyone. With United now out of the FA Cup too, it means we have over two weeks before our next league fixture to reflect and decide where we go from here.