Sure, we overperformed last year and we all expected a less successful campaign this time round. And sure we're underperforming this year due to a lot of very valid reasons - Rashford's goals have dried up, we have about 10 players injured at any point in time (including our key performers from last season in Casemiro, Licha, Shaw, Varane and new signing Mount), Onana decided to single handedly sabotage our CL campaign, the refs have been suspiciously card and decision friendly against us, and Sancho has checked out out of his footballing career. These are reasons most managers would truly struggle with.
But the bare minimum EtH has to show in the face of these adversities is competence with the tools at his disposal, and the ability to use them like a top manager would.
- Why did he stick so long with Rashford instead of understanding that his 'star man' was only make things worse, and more worryingly wasn't showing the body language you'd expect of your best player on the pitch?
- Why did he persist with Onana in every CL game instead of taking him out of the spotlight and trying to salvage something out of the group? In fact, he's not even tried another keeper to see how we'd fare if Onana continue the free fall.
- Is your standard for selection based on quality or effort? If your standard is quality, then Antony should not be given so many starts, and Sancho should be in the squad. If it is effort on the pitch, then Rashford shouldn't have been in the lineup for so long. Which is it?
- When he starts McTominay game after game even when other midfield options are present, the message it sends out is that he trusts more in McT's individual moments than his own tactical reading of what a good midfield looks like. That's inexcusable. The Mainoo sub today was inexcusable. How do you expect others to have faith in you when you don't show faith in yourself?
- He is not getting the best out of any single player who is fit and ready to play. Why did it take so long to see Garnacho on the right, for instance? Why did he buy Hojlund if he can't get his team to create chances for him? Why is it that this is the worst version of Bruno we've seen in a United shirt? Why is our football so shit, and every single United footballer looking so much worse than we know they are?
- He's not shown the mental fortitude to build on good games. Each time we have a false dawn, and each time he does something absurd after it. It is as demoralizing as getting thrased 5-0 or 7-0 by your rivals - the feeling that you can do your best and win a game, and it still won't matter as we will probably lose the next one nonetheless.
- He's not shown the ability to beat top sides away from home. Even keeping aside the 7-0 at Anfield as an aberration, he's not managed to have strong game away. It doesn't get better if you start breaking the wrong sorts of records at home to couple with that as well. You can't beat the likes of City, Liverpool, Arsenal or Spurs away, and now you can't beat Bournemouth and Forest as well? What can you do, then?
I said it before, ETH has had the opposite of the Midas touch, yes we're in dire straits as a club and as a squad - but he's somehow managed to make things even worse.
All this said, when he goes it won't be just his fault. Questions have to be asked of the recruitment team for overspending on such poor fits - Sancho, Antony, Onana, Mount - and making so many wrong decisions in one window. They have to be asked of players like Rashford - who unlike Sancho decided to give up on football on the pitch instead of at his PS5. They have to be asked of our medical team and fitness regimes - why did we have so many injuried in one season? They have to be asked of the management's vision of the club - what are your standards, and what determines whether or not someone meets them? What sort of football do you want to play? They have to be asked of our club's response to the terrible VAR and ref calls that have consistently gone against us this season - why is no one speaking up to call them out and prevent them from happening again?
Just a shitshow on every front.