The 2-1 victory over Chelsea is considered evidence that this is a Man United team fighting for each other and for coach Erik ten Hag. But there was no spirit and determination when Man United lost 0-3 to Bournemouth. This is Bournemouth's first win at Old Trafford in their entire history.
"As a team, we are not good enough to be consistent," Ten Hag said at his post-match press conference. "We have to show our best form in every game, starting with focus. If we start badly like today, we will lose. They are good opponents but we have to do better."
After the best match of the season against Chelsea, Man United is expected to continue to move up. But the match against Bournemouth was a sad reality that not every "Red Devils" fan wanted to see.
Man United could no longer maintain the high intensity of play as in the previous match. That was clearly shown through the first goal. Defender Sergio Reguilon missed a pass on the left wing, giving Lewis Cook the chance to drop the ball close to the sideline. More notably, Bruno Fernandes and Sofyan Amrabat saw the situation but did not run back, giving Cook time to pass Dominic Solanke close in.
"I expected something different," Ten Hag said. "I hope that before the match, the team can build on the performance and the result against Chelsea. So it was disappointing when we started the game. The way we started was not good, that was terrible. That should not happen.
On all the pitch, Bournemouth were faster and stronger. And perhaps the greatest joy for Man United fans in this match was when Anthony Martial was substituted. The French striker had an extremely weak performance.
Man United's second goal also came from a personal mistake, this time a missed pass from Luke Shaw in the middle of the pitch. Bournemouth counterattacked quickly, when Tavernier crossed the ball accurately for Philip Billing to head past goalkeeper Andre Onana. Billing took advantage of the space left by Shaw when he could not run back to keep his position. The English defender was also substituted after this situation.
It is now 11 losses in 23 matches, including 6 home defeats. And the next challenge Man United will face is the decisive match against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
If they lose, Ten Hag's team will officially leave this year's Champions League from the group stage, even finishing last. And if they continue to lose to Liverpool this weekend, there will be increasing doubts about Ten Hag's ability. Not to mention the Champions League, their ability to participate in the Europa League next season will also be difficult.
Ten Hag will be without captain Bruno Fernandes in the match against Liverpool, after the Portuguese player received 5 yellow cards. The midfielder will be banned from playing for 1 match after an unnecessary lack of discipline.
Ten Hag added: "I think, as a team, we're not good enough to settle down and we have to work as a team to improve that. We have to be stronger, ready for the match from the start."
The now-now question is which Man United team will face Bayern Munich: a team ready to fight for a place in the round of 16 of the Champions League or a team that lost to Bournemouth?
Solidarity and cohesion will almost be what Ten Hag said before the match against Bayern. This is no longer a strange thing in the Dutch strategist's press conferences since coming to Old Trafford. But what to do if the solidarity and cohesion are not shown by the Man United players on the pitch...
