Rio Ferdinand asserts that he will be "very surprised" if Manchester United does not place in the top four of the Premier League this year.
At the London Stadium on Sunday night, Erik ten Hag's team fell to West Ham 1-0 after David de Gea conceded Said Benrahma's feeble effort. With a game remaining, the outcome places Manchester United fourth in the Premier League, one point ahead of fifth-place Liverpool.
The Red Devils are currently in risk of failing to qualify for the Champions League, but Ferdinand is confident they will hold onto fourth place. Peter Crouch and Joe Cole, fellow BT Sport analysts, have also predicted a narrow victory for Ten Hag's team.
"The [Man Utd] players have to set the tone," Ferdinand told BT Sport after Sunday evening's game. "They haven’t been good enough in recent weeks and they’ve not closed games out. They’ve got to change that right now. This Liverpool are hot on their heels and I don’t think Liverpool are gonna lose any of their games."
"I think Liverpool will win all of their last three games to put the pressure on but I think Man Utd will probably just do enough to get in the top four, I’d be very surprised if they don’t."
The fact that Victor Lindelof was unpunished for handling in the box by referee Peter Bankes may have saved Manchester United from suffering a bigger defeat at the London Stadium. In the second half, West Ham also had a goal disallowed due to a soft foul on De Gea.
There are still four Premier League games left for United, the first of which being their matchup with Wolves at Old Trafford in six days. After that, they play at Bournemouth before concluding the season with two games at home against Chelsea and Fulham.
The last stretch for United is rather easy, but Liverpool's is too. Before the season is up, Jurgen Klopp's team plays Southampton, Aston Villa, and Leicester on the road. Crouch agrees with Ferdinand that Liverpool will prevail in every game they have left.
Crouch added: "I do [think Liverpool will win all three games]. They’ve given themselves a great chance a few months ago you’d have said Liverpool were out of the race. They’ve put themselves back in the equation and that’s all they can do. I agree with Rio, I think Liverpool will win those games but United will do just enough. I see United just hanging on."
Newcastle and Brighton are the other two groups that can reasonably aim for a top-four position. With a game still to play, Eddie Howe's team is three points clear of Liverpool in third place. From their remaining four games against Leeds (on the road), Brighton (at home), Leicester (at home), and Chelsea (on the road), they need seven points.
With two games remaining, Brighton is in seventh place, eight points behind Man Utd. The team of Roberto De Zerbi still has games against Everton, Arsenal, Southampton, Manchester City, and Aston Villa in addition to Newcastle.
Cole thinks Man Utd will maintain their fourth-place position due to their three home games. "They're fortunate to have three of their four games at home, given their away record has been poor," said Ferdinand.
Rio Ferdinand further highlighted that Erik Ten Hag utilizing Wout Weghorst as a number ten will be irritating to some Man United's players.
After West Ham's 1-0 victory over Manchester United, Rio Ferdinand has questioned what Wout Weghorst brings to the No. 10 position with other players in the wings.
David de Gea's ineffective long-range save allowed Said Benrahma to defeat Erik ten Hag's team at the London Stadium on Sunday. With a game remaining, the outcome places Manchester United fourth in the Premier League, one point ahead of fifth-place Liverpool.
In addition to Bruno Fernandes shifting to the right wing and Marcus Rashford playing center forward, Ten Hag prefers to deploy Weghorst in the No. 10 position. Ferdinand finds it difficult to understand how the strategy helps Man Utd's chances of scoring on offense when it has drawn criticism.
Ferdinand also thinks that by using Weghorst as a No. 10, Ten Hag will irritate some of Manchester United's more innovative players. While Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial, and Jadon Sancho will all be disgruntled at being benched, it is Fernandes' favoured position.
Ferdinand told BT Sport after Sunday's game: "I just think Man Utd’s No.10, a top team's no.10 doesn’t look like a Weghorst in my eyes. The attributes that he’s got.
"Let’s look at it another way, if I’m Sancho, Bruno, Garnacho, Martial and I’m sitting there watching him line-up as a no.10 in front of me, the no.10 shirt means something else, it’s a player that can create, has got guile, can get between the lines and get on the half turn and bring other people into play in that sense and get goals."
"He doesn’t offer all those things I’ve just said there... I think his best piece of play today was a tackle in his own box. That’s a no.10, that’s not what no.10s are known for doing."
Ferdinand's BT Sport colleague Peter Crouch is also baffled by Ten Hag's tactics. He added: "Weghorst is a good player but I just can’t get my head round what he gives in that position."
"I think if you play Weghorst you’ve got to play him high up so Rashford and Sancho can bounce balls off him, you can play one touch and then he’s in the box for any kind of crosses. If you play that way you’re not going to get the best out of him."
Neville tweeted: "The real disgrace are the Glazers... Members of staff on and off the pitch are in an uncertain position waiting for new owners! Let alone recruitment and what their budget is going to be! This should have been done! Classless to the end!"
Yet Neville's Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher has pinned the loss to West Ham on Ten Hag's tactics. He sarcastically replied: "Yeah, the Glazers decided to play Weghorst as a No.10, spent £90million on Antony and £70m on Casemiro (31) on a five-year deal!"
Post a Comment