Former Manchester United defender Phil Jones has explained the real reason Rúben Amorim’s men fell to defeat against Grimsby Town on Wednesday evening.
Manchester United crashed out of the Carabao Cup second round as Rúben Amorim’s side suffered a dramatic penalty shootout defeat to Grimsby Town.
The hosts began on top, peppering André Onana’s area before Charles Vernam fired them ahead. Soon after, ex-United trialist Tyrell Warren doubled the lead following a poor punch from Onana. Amorim responded by introducing Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes, and Matthijs de Ligt after the break.
As heavy rain fell, United piled forward and Mbeumo pulled one back from a Kobbie Mainoo assist. In stoppage time, Harry Maguire equalised with a header from Mason Mount’s corner.
But in a marathon 26-penalty shootout, misses from Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo proved costly despite Onana’s earlier save, sending United out of the competition.
United failed to do the basics against Grimsby
The loss against Grimsby is undoubtedly one of the many low points in United’s recent history, with it feeling as if the club has at least one irrefutably shocking defeat every season, although it feels as if this may be the worst of the lot.
Phil Jones was present for some of United’s darkest years after Sir Alex Ferguson left his position as manager, but also saw the latter years of the Scotsman’s success at Old Trafford.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former defender explained that while a lot of the talk may surround Amorim’s formation and tactics, the real reason United lost is that the players failed to do their basic duties on the field.
“We’ve had a really, really difficult night,” Jones explained. “Tough night. I just think in games of football like this, when you play lower league opposition, if you don’t do the basics well, you’re going to come unstuck.
“And in a game like tonight, you can talk to me about tactics and systems and formations, just you have to do the basics well.”
United being held back by Amorim’s set-up
When assessing United’s first-team squad, it is clear that many of the individual players are talented, but as is often the case at United, the team appears disjointed.
After a positive display against Arsenal, Amorim’s team has looked disconnected against Fulham and Grimsby, and this is baffling, considering United have had a full pre-season to work on the instructions on the field.
United have very quickly arrived at a point where there is no other conclusion to draw other than that what the head coach is instructing his players to do clearly is not working.
Jones is right, some of those on the field did not do the basics of being calm, playing simple passes, and staying confident on the ball; but considering the shocking gaps that opposition teams consistently find against United, it all comes back to a dysfunctional system.
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