Manchester United seem to have reverted to old ways, with club legend Roy Keane in total disagreement with Diogo Dalot’s take on the draw against West Ham.
Manchester United faced West Ham in their most recent Premier League fixture. While hopes were high going into the game, the side were unable to grab the three points, with Diogo Dalot’s goal undermined by an 83rd-minute equaliser from West Ham’s Soungoutou Magassa, leaving the game at 1-1.
Ex-United Midfielder Roy Keane was immediately critical of Ruben Amorim’s side’s performance, more specifically, over Dalot’s response when questioned about his goal contribution.
Despite being the first side to put a goal past the Reds, Dalot has admitted the Reds felt anxious after scoring, rather than what people might assume would be a confidence boost for the team.
This sentiment sparked a reaction from Keane, with the pundit arguing that when you’re playing for a club with the status that Man United hold, you simply can’t feel anxious after taking the lead and consequently lose your win due to this.
United is now finding themselves sitting at 8th as opposed to 5th if they were to win, with many arguing this is a game they should have won, with West Ham 18th in the table sitting in the relegation zone.
Keane: “What are you fearful of?”
Keane stated on Sky Sports: “The reason you’re playing for Man United is that you deal with these situations, you deal with one-up against a team in the bottom three.
“You try and deal better when you’re playing Everton with ten men. If you can’t deal with that, then how can you expect this team to compete at the top of the table?
“So it’s difficult after a match, some players make excuses… It’s not about controlling the game. Yeah, you can control the game, but you have to do better at set pieces. And the best way of winning the game when you’re one-and-up is, state the obvious, try and score the second and third goal.
“Because if they’re anxious and afraid of getting that second goal, then you worry about a wider pick for Man United. What are they fearful of? Fearful of West Ham? Why?”
Is fear a problem for United?
Even though United controlled large portions of the game, having several chances to create a further lead, they failed to convert these chances and therefore were unable to make any actual progression.
Read More: Roy Keane slams Man Utd stars for something they ‘couldn’t see’ in 1-1 West Ham United draw
Their apprehension after taking the lead ruined their chances to capitalise on their lead, allowing West Ham to claw back from a set piece.
Their poor decision-making in the final third and hesitance to make a real impact, with the squad more worried about not losing than being bold enough to win the match. The meeting in the middle simply is not good enough for a club that wants to be title contenders.
This then leaves people questioning whether the setbacks United have had in terms of their recent clashes against Everton and West Ham will knock the team’s confidence, influencing them to fall back into old habits, a mindset an apparent problem for the Portuguese coaches’ team.
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