In their last four games, United have won just one of them. In all the league matches to date, United have won just nine of their 20 games, with a winning percentage of just 45 per cent. For a team at United's level, such a winning percentage makes them look like a mid-level team, which is certainly unsatisfactory. In the Premier League table, Manchester United have reached a point gap of 24 points from the top of the table. Before the season, I am afraid that no one would have thought that in the middle of the season alone, the gap between the two sides would exceed 20 points.
Judging from the situation of the whole manchester United team, the whole team seems to be completely out of shape. They don't seem motivated on the pitch and most of the players lack confidence in winning the game, which gives them not enough confidence to win the game even against some teams at the bottom of the table. From the team's tactical point of view, the 4222 formation that Lonnick has been trying has not met expectations, and the players are not clear about their role on the field, or they are not willing to assume their tactical responsibilities. In desperation, Lonnick restored the formation to the 4231 formation that the team was accustomed to, but from the perspective of the game effect, the team's performance still did not improve much. It seems that Ronnick, who has been helpless, seems to have been powerless to bring the team out of the mire. That should be why the team has accelerated communication with Pochettino.
Judging from the performance of the players in the team, as the team's essential tactical core, Bruno Fernandez, although he scored two goals in the last round of matches, it was also the only game he had scored in the past five league games. Of those 5 matches, Bruno Fernandez had 4 games with a rating of under 7. Judging by his performance on the field, Bruno Fernandez's efficiency on the offensive end has dropped significantly, and he has been less decisive in terms of giving key passes to his teammates and scoring on his own goals. More importantly, Manchester United has repeatedly failed to do a good job in the transition between attack and defense this season, resulting in opponents looking for scoring opportunities. Bruno Fernandez, the team's offensive metronome, is to blame. In many games, he has been cut off by the opponent, which has led to a quick counterattack. Arguably, Bruno Fernandez's decline this season has been all-encompassing.
In addition, in terms of contract renewal, Bruno Fernandez has also been slow to reach an agreement with the team. In the current contract, the Portuguese star is paid £100,000 a week, which is only mid-level and lower-level within Manchester United. United's highest-paid player is Cristiano Ronaldo, who can earn £400,000 a week, De Gea is in second place, his weekly salary is £375,000, Pogba is £290,000, and even Martial can get a weekly salary of £240,000. Compared to the above players, Bruno Fernandez's treatment does seem a bit shabby. According to transfer expert David Ornstein, Bruno Fernandez hopes the team can significantly improve his treatment in the new contract, and he hopes to become the highest-paid player in the team. For United, in the event of the departure of players such as Cavani and Martial, they have the ability to provide Bruno Fernandez with a weekly salary of £400,000, but considering that his status has a downward trend, Manchester United seem to be a bit uncertain.
In terms of reinforcements, the shortcomings of United's midfield position are already obvious enough, and if the team hopes to get back on track in the second half of the season, they will need to strengthen this position. Furthermore, if the team wants to achieve a significant increase in midfield strength, it will even need to "replace" the team's main midfield players, including Pogba, Fred, etc. According to TA, Ronnick is increasingly interested in Leipzig Red Bull midfielder Heidara, who is keen to get the midfielder in the winter transfer window. On the transfer market, Hydara is worth around €24 million. However, even with the signing of Haidara, the strength of the team will not be changed. It is reported that at the end of the season, Manchester United are expected to complete a really large-scale transfer operation. They target two players, West Ham defender Rice and Dortmund talented midfielder Bellingham. The combined value of these two players amounted to 150 million euros. That is to say, if United can sign the above three midfielders, the transfer expenditure is expected to reach 174 million euros.
In addition, the departure of in-squad centre-back Phil Jones appears to have entered the countdown. This season, after a long period of injury, Phil Jones, who has returned from injury, has been as motivated as ever, but his competitive level has been difficult to meet the requirements of the team. According to the Post, several teams have extended an "olive branch" to Phil Jones. As long as they can receive a transfer fee of £15 million, United will agree to Phil Jones leaving the team. (The picture comes from the Internet, if there is infringement, please contact to delete)