Manchester United conceded yet another stoppage-time equaliser, this time against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday.
What made matters even worse was the fact that Tottenham Hotspur were down to ten men before that. Once again, it was only after the opposition went a man down that the hosts chose to sit back and defend.
The coaching seems non-existent at this point. Why will the staff not urge the team forward? Why do the players drop deeper and deeper instead of going for the jugular?
There are too many questions and too little time for Michael Carrick. The head coach seems out of his depth and it is high time INEOS took action.
Senne Lammens struggled badly
Apart from him, quite a few players also let the club down, most notably Lisandro Martinez and Senne Lammens.
Both combined to allow Fulham to score before the international break, and the duo were at it again against the North London side.
It was weak defending from the World Cup winner as he was easily outmuscled for the goal, while the Belgian is starting to resemble David De Gea in his last few seasons.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Expected assists (xA) | 0 |
| Total saves | 2 |
| Goals prevented | 0.38 |
| Saves from inside box | 2 |
| Punches | 0 |
| Runs out (successful) | 1 (1) |
| High claims | 0 |
| Errors leading to shot | 1 |
| Key passes | 0 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 0 (0) |
| Accurate passes | 14/26 (54%) |
| Passes in opposition half (accurate) | 2/10 (20%) |
| Passes in own half (accurate) | 12/16 (75%) |
| Long balls (accurate) | 1/13 (8%) |
| Distance covered | 5.9 km |
| Top speed | 23.3 km/h |
| Running | 0.1 km (1.7%) |
| High-speed running | 0.01 km (0.2%) |
| Touches | 35 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 0 (0) |
| Was fouled | 1 |
| Possession lost | 12 |
| Total carrying distance | 14.7 m |
| Carries | 3 |
| Total progression | 5.5 m |
| Defensive contributions | 1 |
| Tackles (won) | 0 (0) |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Clearances | 1 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Recoveries | 6 |
| Ground duels (won) | 1 (1) |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Errors leading to shot | 1 |
| Total shots | 0 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
match stats via sofascore
The United shot-stopper has a damaging tendency to stay rooted to his line when crosses come in. He should have been far more proactive during stoppage time.
Passing was woeful
His passing was woeful once again, managing to find a teammate only once from 13 long ball attempts, and losing possession 12 times.
The 24-year-old also made an error that almost led to a goal early in the game. He made a total of two saves (all stats via sofascore).
Last season, fans were delighted to have the former Royal Antwerp goalkeeper after the repeated horror showings of Andre Onana.
But the Belgium international’s initial goodwill is starting to wear off. He is a decent shot-stopper, but he often fails to pull off world-class saves.
Senne Lammens’ poor form rubbing off on the defence
He mostly chooses to go long and, while that is not a concern, it is often aimless punts. With United struggling to keep the ball, losing it so easily is quite damaging.
Senne Lammens needs to get his act together soon. His poor form is not helping the leaky defence and Carrick could be about to pay the ultimate price.
Feature image Jan Kruger via Getty Images
