It’s difficult to pick out many positives from Manchester United’s performance in the 1-1 draw against Brentford.
Yes, United nearly won it as Mason Mount opened the scoring late in the day before Brentford found a leveller just moments later.
The overall performance was immensely disappointing though as United just didn’t turn up.
Brentford haven’t exactly been in great form themselves, winning just three of their last 19 Premier League games.
The Bees were able to cut through United at will though, launching an astonishing 31 shots on Andre Onana’s goal.
Onana did all he could to try and keep Brentford at bay, but United just can’t keep allowing opponents to create this many chances.
United now sit eight points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and a further point away from fourth-placed Aston Villa.
The lingering hopes of Champions League qualification are dwindling and United now face a big week, taking on Chelsea and then Liverpool in the space of a few days.
Roy Keane on Manchester United
United did beat Liverpool in the FA Cup before the international break but Roy Keane isn’t sure that we will see the same kind of performance.
Keane has been speaking on Sky Sports (31/03, 19:23) and suggested that he just doesn’t know what kind of United side will turn up against Liverpool.
Keane feels that Liverpool let United off the hook in that FA Cup tie and a repeat performance may not be on the cards next weekend.
The Irishman also offered his verdict on United’s performance against Brentford, branding it ‘rubbish – absolute rubbish’.
Keane believes that United should have held on or the win at Brentford but is seriously concerned with how easy opponents find it to create chances against Erik ten Hag’s side.
“Who knows? You don’t know what United team is going to turn up. We have seen that over the last few weeks, the cup game where Liverpool let them off the hook really but United, to be fair, they got the job done. We saw them last night and they were rubbish – absolute rubbish – but they got a draw and they probably should have won it and held on at the end.”
“We’re having the same conversation about United every week – you do no not know what’s going to turn up. The point I’ve been making for the last few months, or longer, every team that plays against Manchester United find it very easy to open them up and get chances – it’s just a matter then of which team takes them,” he added.
Another false dawn?
How many times have we watched a positive United result and thought ‘this is it, this is the turning point’?
That was how we felt watching that dramatic win against Liverpool before the international break.
United then turn up after the international break and turn in a meek performance against a side battling against relegation.
United just can’t seem to follow up a big result with another one and the level of performance on Saturday was a huge concern.
Even if Mount’s goal had proved to be the winner, the performance as a whole was nowhere near good enough and Ineos know it.
Ten Hag is attempting to prove that he is the man for the long-term at Old Trafford but Saturday’s performance was poor – and it isn’t the first time this season.
United do have a chance to make things better this week but Ten Hag still has plenty to prove after another disappointing showing.