Hi I’m Masa United.
21-22 Premier League Matchday 38 (Matchday 38) United faced Crystal Palace away at Selhurst Park. The match went at a United pace, with Bruno firing a shot in the eighth minute and Cavani and Elanga also involved in the attack. However, in the 37th minute, Bruno’s back pass went over Zaha and his shot was shot, which allowed Palace to take the lead. Momentum then energized Palace picked up the pace from aggressive pressing in midfield and United’s attack turned into a one-off shot. Still, Cavani, Mejiburi and McTominay all shot to tie the game, but couldn’t score. United lost their last match 1-0.
*Click here for match highlights
This time, the summary of this match is in column format. I wrote about the team’s performance and my thoughts after the final match!
Here’s today’s table of contents
👿 Lineup
(1) Lack of quality
It was the final match of the 21-22 season against the Palace. United couldn’t get the best squad.In addition to Pogba, Ronaldo, Sancho, Shaw and Rashford, Lingard, Henderson and Wan-Bissaka also mysteriously came off the bench. In terms of the Premiership, we haven’t been able to form the best squad since Shaw left for the Premier League game against Leicester on April 3, but against Palace we had to play with a line-up that even Ronaldo lacked. The successive departures of the main players also have the merit of giving young players (academy groups) opportunities to play. Against the Palace, 19-year-old Hannibal Mejibli was given the chance to make his first Premiership start.
Embed from Getty ImagesOriginally, Mejiburi often used in the No. 10 and No. 8 positions, but in the match against the Palace, he played on the left wing. He aggressively chased the ball and showed a decent presence in cooperation with Telles. It’s disappointing that he didn’t get a chance to score in the 61st minute, but he and Elanga led the team in 25 press sessions. You could see the willingness to appeal. However, there are scenes where he fights Zaha in the same way as against Liverpool (he fights Henderson and Keita on matchday 30), so he will need to learn a little more about how to show his fighting spirit. It was against the Palace that I got the impression that it would take a long time for my talent to blossom.
The seniors’ performances were terrible, but I think Bruno, Dalot and McTominay were pretty bad. Bruno moved around as energetically as ever, recording 88 touches on the ball, but had zero key passes. He has four shots, the most of any of them, but only one in the box. In addition, we are making passing mistakes that lead to goals conceded. Dalot couldn’t cope well with Zaha in the matchup. Despite recording a record of nine ball recoveries, it was a performance that once again exposed his defensive concerns. McTominay has a high winning percentage in both ground and aerial duels, but heading from the 74-minute corner was a must-score. Even in pinch times and in situations where goals are conceded, they come back jogging, and their lack of responsibility is also noticeable. In the build-up scenes, there is little awareness of positioning to help the teammates, and even if he have the ball, he can not see any growth, such as 90% of the horizontal passes that are safe. At this rate, McTominay could lose his position under Ten Hag next season.
Embed from Getty ImagesAgainst Palace, United couldn’t make the shots that Elanga and Cavani should have scored as strikers in addition to the three above. United could have scored three or four goals over the course of 90 minutes, but as usual, it didn’t happen. The lack of quality is clear and is the way United has shown many times this season. When it comes to United, people tend to say that the quality of the players is high, but I think United need to prove and show that next season whether that is correct.
(2) Who is goodbye for?
As it was the final game of the season, there was a player who played for United for the last time. Coach Rangnick confirmed Cavani leaving the club before the match, but Mata, who came on as a substitute, has not yet extended his contract, and it seems likely that he will leave. Although he didn’t score a goal, Cavani showed close shooting chances and dedication to pressing from the front, and Mata, who came out on the pitch in the 62nd minute and showed his face everywhere and managed to score goals, it was good in the sense that they could say goodbye to playing in front of the supporters.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, United, who will be under a new structure next season, are expected to have many players leaving. In addition to Cavani and Mata, Pogba, Lingard and Grant all left due to the expiry of their contracts. Matic has also announced his departure at the end of this season, and the six will be gone. In addition, will Bailly, Jones, Wan-Bissaka and Henderson also leave? (The possibility of a rental) is also said to be, and if you include the likes of Martial, Pereira, Amado, Peristri and Tuanzebe, who are currently on loan, at least 10 people are expected to leave United.
I don’t recall that many people would leave at the same time, but Lingard, Cavani, Bailly, Jones, Henderson and othershave beenvictims of exective blunders such as former CEO Ed Woodward, who has been quietly extending their contracts in a state of lack of planning. I can say that. Lingard, who was blocked from making both summer and winter transfers, and Henderson, who was stopped from making winter transfers. It’s no surprise that the likes of Bailly, who has just extended his contract but didn’t get a chance from either Solskjaer or Langnick (partly because of injury), are growing frustrated with the club.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn that sense, I sympathize with them, but on the other hand, Lingard and Bailey are also respected as characters in the team, and I cannot deny the possibility that their attitude influenced other members. There is no doubt that the treatment of the sub-squad who were not given the opportunity to play has been a flashpoint since the time of former coach Solskjaer, and I think it is partly to blame for the fact that Rangnick, who was unable to exert his centripetal force, led to the collapse of the second stage.
Normally, at the end of the season, there should be words of gratitude and congratulations to the departed players and a sense of loss for their disappearance, but this time it is difficult to have those feelings. It’s unavoidable to take this season’s results, but it’s a sad reality…
(3) Thank you to Rangnick
As with the feelings for the departing players,it is hard to say to Rangnick “well done”. Well, the situation is a little different with Langnick because he will be involved as a consultant next season, but even though he managed to secure a place in the Europa League by finally being saved by the Hammers, United conceded 57 goals in the club’s worst number since the Premier League was inaugurated in the 1992-93 season. 58 points, the minimum number of points, below the 64 points in the 13-14 season. And Rangnick is half of the blame for setting six consecutive away losses and a disgraceful record.
Why did it end up like this? It has been discussed in various places, but the fundamental point is that it was not accepted by the players. The status of being “provisional” and the perception of being an “outsider.” I didn’t have a sense of trust in the track record or the coaching staff I brought with me. Langnick’s desired coaching staff did not materialize due to various obstacles, and Chris Armas and Ewan Sharp were certainly not his first choice. What’s more, you can imagine that Rangnick’s theoretical talk during the interview, was well received by fans and the media, but not by the players. United’s players are not players who have been recruited under a policy of unwavering. They had different ideas, ways and motives, and it was very difficult to grasp them.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was revealed that there was a split on the training policy (tactical training with formations vs. fun training ), but it’s unfortunate that Rangnick gave up on his style early on and it was a compromise fight. Rangnick cited Ronaldo’s style of play as a major factor, but it is also ironic that most of the matches were saved by Ronaldo in the end, even though he was worried about how to use him.
There is a lot of sympathy for Coach Rangnick, who did not accepted by the player and did not get strong backup from his superiors, and I think he himself is unwilling, but I cannot deny the feeling of inadequacy as a coach, and in the sense that he led the team to collapse in the end, I do not feel like saying a word of honest condolence. But Rangnick has another chance. This time, I want Rangnick to do well in his area of expertise.
(4) Manchester United are no more…
The match against Palace was also visited by the new coach, Coach Ten Hag. Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McCLaren, who will join the Cabinet as assistant managers, are also present. And watched the battle. Although they weren’t the best squad, the rest of the squad has played with them many times this season. What’s more, 10 starters, excluding Cavani are likely to play for United next season as well. I think they knew that a new coach was coming, and it would have been a great match to showcase. Nevertheless, the result is as you know…
Embed from Getty ImagesDuring the broadcast, director Ten Hag shook his head when he was overtaken by the camera, but you must have felt the seriousness of the situation firsthand. On the 16th, one night after the end of the Eredivisie in the first place, working for United has already begun, delaying the vacation and watching the match against Palace is very encouraging, but it is also unusual and shows the seriousness of United. There are a lot of issues not only for the team and players, but also for the staff and the upper management, and I think that Coach Ten Hag, who wants to grasp the situation as soon as possible, misses every minute and every second. He is reported to have moved up the start of pre-season training. This time, we don’t need a player to complain about these hard push. I want to believe that the faces of the players who gather for pre-season training are full of motivation.
Personally, I watched the match against Palace with a strange feeling. Partly because of the unworthiness of the previous match against Brighton, I had a premonition from the beginning that the performance would not be very good, and because there was a gap of two weeks, there was an illusion that the season was over. I don’t know how many years I’ve thought that “the season is finally over…” No, it feels like the first time I’ve tasted it. At the root of it all is the feeling that “Manchester United as I know is no more…”, and I watched the match against Palace without emotion (lol). Just chasing a moving ball… But I think that’s okay. This is because it is a path that must be taken to be reborn. “We don’t have the Manchester United we used to be anymore” It may be a lonely feeling, but the flip side is that we will meet a new Manchester United next season.
*Click here for the previous leg against Brighton.
👿 Conclusion
The 21-22 United battle ended with a defeat against the Palace. Reports of locker room discord after another and Langnick’s struggles. I never imagined before the opening that it would collapse so spectacularly. I want to beat myself up for saying, “I can aim for the title this season!” (lol). I watched the match against Palace emotionless as I wrote above, but it was the only salvation to see Mejibri, Shoretire and Garnacho play. But if it was true, I would have liked to have put it out when the team was in better shape.
Embed from Getty ImagesUnited have been fiascos this season, but I feel like the club as a whole is about to change, and I have high hopes for the future of the young players and the skills of manager Ten Haag. It just takes time… So next season, at least in the final match, I think it would be good if I could say a heartfelt word of congratulations to the team (lol). “Well done, good job!” And….
Source: Premier League Official
Source: United official
In the final leg, the Hammers, who were in contention for sixth place, lost to Brighton and United qualified for the Europa League. The 21-22 season ended with United 16 wins, 10 draws and 12 losses, with 57 goals scored and 57 goals conceded and 58 points.
Even in a season like this, all the supporters who supported us until the end were really hard work! I would like to express my heartfelt “well done” to all of you (lol)!
Thank you for reading until the end!
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