When Manchester United was eliminated from the Europa League by Sevilla on Thursday night, Paul Scholes stated that Bruno Fernandes was greatly missed.
The Reds were eliminated from the Europa League after losing 5-2 overall to six-time champion Sevilla, who advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-0 victory in the second leg. Despite holding a dominating 2-0 lead after the first leg at Old Trafford last week, Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire's two own goals allowed Erik ten Hag's team to come back.
Sevilla won the second leg handily and capitalized on a mistake by Maguire to go in front at the break. After the break, the home team increased their lead when Loic Bade converted from close range, making the situation even worse. David de Gea, who also contributed to Sevilla's first goal, then allowed En-Nesyri to score an empty-net goal for the Spanish team after he mishandled a high through pass.
As a result of Fernandes' harsh card in the match at Old Trafford last week, United were without the Portuguese star for the contest at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium. Scholes said that other leaders should have taken the initiative in the 28-year-old's stead because his absence was felt.
"We missed Bruno tonight - Bruno is one player who can take the ball and control play at times, he’s been in fantastic form over the last three or four weeks," Scholes said on BT Sport. "He was a big miss but there are other leaders out there.
"This squad can handle a lot of games - Forest on Sunday, great, handled it really well - but when it comes to the crunch games with big atmospheres, it seems that they just fall short."
Discussing United's squad depth issues, the former United midfielder added: "I think it comes down to quality - just a real lack of quality. To be fair there wasn’t a lack of quality on the pitch, there were some good players on the pitch - Casemiro, Erisken - but then you have to go to a Weghorst.
"The quality just drops a level when these players aren’t fit. The injury to Martial and Marcus comes on, again he’s probably not trained as he would have liked and he was a little bit not quite there. Luke Shaw was sloppy on the ball, it was just a disastrous night from start to finish"
"We’ve had these nights throughout the season where it’s been a bit disastrous, but I still feel ten Hag is doing things right and we’re going in the right direction. This will help him summer-wise, he knows just by looking at that game tonight - even the first 20 minutes - he needs better players to fill the squad."
When the Reds play Brighton in the FA Cup semifinals on Sunday, they will have a chance to avenge their devastating loss.
But before then, Erik Ten Hag has been advised to be ruthless when the next transfer window arrives in the bid to build his team.
Time to be ruthless Erik Ten Hag
Nunca te rindas, or "never give up," read the banner that supporters of Sevilla unfurled. Manchester United quietly abandoned their European campaign.
This is a humiliating dismissal for Erik ten Hag, who went from being up 2-0 to down 5-2 over the course of the two legs. Sevilla, currently ranked 13th in La Liga, still holds the curse over United and has won all five of their encounters.
Ten Hag, who spent the majority of the night scowling and folding his arms, cannot be blamed for his poor game management, the own goals in the first leg, or the large number of injuries. Barcelona, the defending Spanish champions, and Real Betis, who finished fifth on the ladder when they were defeated 5-1 on aggregate in the previous rounds, were defeated by United.
The extraordinary love story between Sevilla and the Europa League cannot justify United's cowardly surrender. If there is a lesson to be learned from this surrender, it is that there must be more outgoings than incomings. They started with at least five players they should dismiss in the summer.
United had a 2-0 lead in this game without Harry Maguire. They dropped 5-0 with him along. For Sevilla, Maguire provided an assist and an own goal. Prior to the game's start, Maguire and Victor Lindelof chest-bumped. Ten Hag could want to headbutt Maguire and David de Gea.
Youssef En-Nesyri's initial goal at Brentford was reminiscent of Mathias Jensen robbing Christian Eriksen of the ball inside his own area, so De Gea must keep his mind clear of the generational low point at Brentford.
Maguire was unaware of his surroundings and did not notice Erik Lamela breathing down his neck, in contrast to De Gea, who was unconcerned with the approaching white shirts. Before the ball arrived, he knew what he wanted to do with it, but Lamela also knew.
De Gea will be blamed by Maguire's supporters despite the fact that Maguire requested the ball while being encircled by a triangle of Sevilla shirts. All angles were addressed. Ten Hag actually moved away from Maguire during a break in play in the 28th minute as he reached the touchline to rehydrate.
In extra time of the first half, another errant Maguire ball in the Sevilla third demoted United from offensive to defense, and Diogo Dalot's sliding interception prevented Sevilla from attacking on the break. Prior to this, Maguire had been a lucky charm for United, having started the previous 11 games. At halftime, Maguire was the first red shirt out of the tunnel.
Maguire is an easy target, but there are many people to blame. The comfort of De Gea's inescapable contract extension undercuts Ten Hag's ruthlessness. De Gea, who was described as "multi-functional" by his manager in the press conference prior to the game, rushed out of his area to control one shot, miscontrolled, and En-Nesyri skillfully clipped the loose ball into the empty net.
If United is to fully realize Ten Hag's coaching potential, De Gea is not a reliable long-term keeper, and their readiness to commit to keeping him beyond this season is a sign of complacency typical of the Ed Woodward era.
Crosses were De Gea's other vulnerability, which Sevilla exploited. Loic Bade made touch with De Gea via his shoulder, but the connection's looping flight afforded De Gea plenty of time to respond quickly and claw it away. Just the ball crossed the finish line.
At halftime, Jadon Sancho and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were both hooked. Before the hour, Anthony Martial cried off again hurt. If any of them are to develop into legitimate championship contenders, they cannot all be included in the United team for the upcoming season.
United has delivered some performances and outcomes that are more in line with the disastrous 2021–22 season during this progressive campaign. Brentford, Manchester City, and Liverpool may all be classed under Sevilla. This was so disgraceful that Sevilla sent on-loan Alex Telles.
Ten Hag pushed Wan-Bissaka over to receive a 35th-minute throw-in more quickly because he was eager for United to rebound to the early setback. United took forever to do anything.
Since Martial had already skulked off behind the goal, Antony, the lone starter who shown respectable play, rollocked Wout Weghorst for not crossing the white line soon enough. By shooting instead of passing, Weghorst infuriated Antony once more.
The only United forward with any grit was Antony. Marcus Rashford's name was once again on the team sheet, and Sancho played as if he were playing on borrowed time. Rashford was called upon during the interval. It was unclear whether the sluggish Martial was hurt or not when Weghorst was told to warm up in the first half.
Sancho ducked. Sancho, a quick winger for Borussia Dortmund known for his directness, slows down assaults and is comparable to Dimitar Berbatov. Only it was Berbatov's personal style, and it had a purpose.
In both half against Seville, United continued its habit of conceding early. They were unable to regroup, and Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are better options than Maguire and Lindelof.
In both half against Seville, United continued its habit of conceding early. Maguire and Lindelof are insufficient replacements for Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez since they were unable to reorganize. It is not a coincidence that Varane's forced substitution at the break in Manchester signaled the start of United's demise in the match.
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