Former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fàbregas has drawn attention to Manchester United’s tactical shortcomings, emphasizing a lack of cohesive planning in their approach.
The Red Devils have faced challenges in maintaining consistency this season, with Erik ten Hag’s squad finishing at the bottom of their UEFA Champions League group and encountering struggles in the Premier League, currently occupying sixth place with 44 points from 26 matches.
Fabregas expressed concerns regarding United’s tactical direction, noting that they seemed to possess a clearer identity under Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
Speaking on the Planet Premier League podcast (via Football365), Fabregas remarked: “I have to say, with Ole, there were some good big games. He used to have a structure, they had a plan. At least you saw a plan which was to defend well and have great breaks and counter-attacks.”
He continued, highlighting the current state of Manchester United: “This is exactly what Man United don’t have at the moment. It’s not good to analyze only one game, but I have the perception Man City are still very strong but with Man United, I don’t have the perception that they are a solid team at the moment.”
Fabregas further elaborated on his observations: “Looking carefully at the counters that Fulham did to them and the way they were done, this makes the alarm bells go. It cannot happen that a top, top team gets done on counters so many times in one half or over 60 minutes.”
Concluding his analysis, he emphasized the significance of addressing these deficiencies: “This shows they are lacking something, I don’t know if it’s a game plan, I don’t know if it’s structure, I don’t know if it’s a message, but definitely if this happened to my team there would be a lot of alarm bells.”
Despite their challenges, Manchester United have displayed promising form in 2024, winning seven of their nine matches and advancing to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
