Forget Storm Ciaran, it’s been raining over Manchester United all season and the latest downpour, a 3-0 beatdown in the Carabao Cup by Newcastle, has done little to lift spirits.
The issue facing Erik ten Hag and his players is that things look set to get even worse before they can get any better.
Their schedule between now and Christmas includes a number of incredibly daunting assignments, not least visits to Galatasaray in the Champions League and Liverpool in the Premier League.
Players fear Ten Hag’s hardline approach to the job is hurting team morale, while Gary Neville has hinted the Dutchman could well be sacked at the rate it’s collapsing.
Mail Sport runs through United’s fixtures through to Christmas and picks out a danger rating…
Manchester United’s miserable season hit a new low with their Carabao Cup exit this week
FULHAM (A)
Saturday, November 4 – 12.30pm
The only blessing about this early kick-off on the road is that it will be over in enough time for fans to try and salvage the remainder of their weekend.
Of the five away games across all competitions this season, United have won just two, losing the other three to an aggregate score of 9-4.
The wins – 1-0 away to Burnley and 2-1 at Sheffield United – were far from vintage and it could take something similar this weekend in a bid to ease some of the heat around Ten Hag.
Fulham have had an indifferent start to their season with just three wins from their first 10 league games – but at Craven Cottage they will smell blood.
They have lost just one of their last five home games in all competitions and Marco Silva will believe his 4-3-3 can cause numerous headaches for this jumbled up United XI.
Danger rating: 3.5/5
Fulham will fancy their chances of causing plenty of problems in this week’s early kick-off
FC COPENHAGEN (A)
Wednesday, November 8 – 8pm
A must win, it’s as simple as that.
Rasmus Hojlund returns to his homeland for a game that United simply have to win if they are to keep hopes alive that they can reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.
While United should, on paper, make light work of FC Copenhagen, they sure failed to do that at home, needing a last-second heroic penalty save from Andre Onana to get them over the line for a much-needed victory.
Again, it will be a different prospect on the road and in spells Elias Achouri on the left side enjoyed plenty of success.
Lose and there will be a feeling United’s season is over and done with.
Danger rating: 4/5
FC Copenhagen got lots of joy down United’s right side and know they can hurt Ten Hag’s side
LUTON TOWN (H)
Saturday, November 11 – 3pm
The sense of doom and gloom around Old Trafford is unlikely to be lifted in the short term, but facing a team with one win from 10 games at this moment in time can help.
Luton won’t head to Old Trafford with the fear and trepidation synonomous in the Sir Alex Ferguson years but they will still likely find themselves short.
Away at Chelsea, Luton managed one shot on target, and lost 3-0. Make it two shots on target at Fulham when they lost 1-0. Their most recent match, a 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa, they managed just the one on target.
And so in comparison to other games on their schedule, Luton should – and that is the key word here because who truly knows the depths United could plunge – pose the least amount of threat.
In this run this is circled as one of the ‘easy’ games.
Danger rating: 1/5
Luton Town are struggling to adapt to life in the top flight and United will be expected to win
EVERTON (A)
Sunday, November 26 – 4.30pm
With five wins from their last season, it appears the penny might finally be dropping for Everton under Sean Dyche.
The Toffees are another club that never feel far from an inquest but back to back wins over West Ham and then Burnley in the Carabao Cup, with two clean sheets to match, show a solid foundation on which to build on.
‘I think they are beginning to believe more and more,’ Dyche said on Wednesday after reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
‘Five in seven wins is a good marker and we have been a bit unfortunate somewhat – the incident at Liverpool, you never know if that goes in our favour.
‘The staff and players deserve it, they are working very hard on the training pitch, and they are delivering in the games.’
It’s the exact type of togetherness that seems to have fractured and waned over at Old Trafford. A trip to Goodison Park to mark the return from the international break is far from ideal for Ten Hag.
Danger rating: 3/5
Returning from the international break to take on a rejuvanated Everton is far from ideal
GALATASARAY (A)
Wednesday, November 29 – 5.45pm
Welcome to Hell.
Should United successfully navigate their trip to Copenhagen to keep knockout stage hopes alive, they are going to need to go to Istanbul and pull out a win – and right now that seems so hard to envisage for United.
The atmosphere will be intense and with the way United are performing, many expect this group of players to crack under it.
Hojlund bagged a brace against Galatasaray in the home leg but the Turkish side would run out 3-2 winners.
United fans just seemed resigned to the idea that a trip to Galatasaray will yield anything more than misery and despair.
Danger rating: 5/5
Potentially the worst awaya game they could have been handed with pressure intensifying
NEWCASTLE UNITED (A)
Saturday, December 2 – 8pm
Capping off a nightmarish trio of away games after the international break is a Saturday night match-up against Newcastle United, who, with a much changed side on Wednesday night, comfortably turned them over at Old Trafford.
This time it will be up at St James’ Park – and we saw earlier this season how a Kylian Mbappe-led PSG folded under the pressure.
Eddie Howe’s side are scoring at will and United’s defence looks leakier than ever.
Add in the fact it is a few days after what is expected to be a bruising trip to Galatasaray and this feels like one of the worst possible games for United.
Danger rating: 5/5
Newcastle United are free-scoring, something that United seem to finding so hard to do
CHELSEA (H)
Wednesday, December 6 – 8.15pm
Presenting two teams in a major state of flux.
Chelsea have started the season even worse than United – and they don’t even have European football woes to use an excuse.
Mauricio Pochettino’s richly assembled side have flattered to deceive for the most part but they will be licking their lips in wide areas coming to United.
The likes of Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk will believe they can feast with United showing such a soft underbelly as they chop and change defensively.
Chelsea are there to be got at, too, but given United’s attack has managed just one goal – through Marcus Rashford – as a unit, Chelsea won’t be losing much sleep ahead of this match-up.
Danger rating: 4/5
Chelsea have their own problems to deal with but they won’t be daunted against Man United
BOURNEMOUTH (H)
Saturday, December 9 – 3pm
Along with Luton Town this is supposedly the ‘easy’ game on the schedule between now and Christmas.
Three points won’t come gift-wrapped though, Bournemouth will put up a fight.
But there is no escaping that the Cherries have performed worse than expected to open the season, with just one league win from 10 games.
Winless in each of their away league games so far this season, Bournemouth are prime candidates for relegation if they don’t buck their ideas up.
Even the most pessimistic of United fans will expect a maximum return from this one.
Danger rating: 1/5
Bournemouth are performing even worse than pre-season forecasts had anticipated for them
BAYERN MUNICH (H)
Tuesday, December 12 – 8pm
Depending on events in Istanbul, United’s Champions League campaign could well be over and done with by the time Bayern come to town.
Likely scenario is apathy hangs in the air as Harry Kane and Co putting on an attacking clinic and fans are left asking what might have been?
The 4-3 scoreline in the reverse group game flattered United given Bayern’s dominance and few are giving them a hope of upsetting Bayern, who won’t hesitate to kick United while they are down.
Galatasaray away and Bayern Munich at home to round out the group stage summed up in one word – brutal.
Danger rating: 5/5
Qualification for Bayern will be all sorted by then, but they will still want to put on a show
LIVERPOOL (A)
Sunday, December 17 – 4.30pm
Speaking of brutal scheduling, a trip to Anfield has all the hallmarks of being a Nightmare Before Christmas for Ten Hag and his players.
Beaten 7-0 there back in March, on a day where Bruno Fernandes was accused of quitting and trying to get substituted, United will still feel the scars from that day.
United are winless at Anfield in their last eight games there and have scored just once in that barren run.
In fact, let’s just run the stats. Anfield is Man United’s haunted house.
Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United
Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United
Liverpool 0-0 Manchester United
Liverpool 4-0 Manchester United
Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United
Two words to Ten Hag: Good Luck.
Danger rating: 5/5
Manchester United at Anfield is always a recipe for disaster – they lost 7-0 on their last visit
WEST HAM (A)
Saturday, December 23 – 12.30pm
With Christmas now a matter of days away, festive cheer may be on hold for United with a lunchtime trip to the capital to take on West Ham.
David Moyes’ side are an enigma; great one moment and then perplexing the next.
Beating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup was impressive but back to back defeats to Olympiacos and Everton highlighted some of their own problems.
Even so, playing Man United right now feels like a blessing, rather than a curse.
Danger rating: 4/5
West Ham are an enigma as they are so up and down, but they do hold plenty of threats
Source
No copyright infringement intended. All rights and credits reserved to respective owner(s).
Add Comment