Manchester United's Poor Start to the Season Was a Deja Vu for its Long-Suffering Fans

I know you're laughing at us, and we understand why you're in such a good mood. Before the start of the new English Premier League (2022/23) season Manchester United's game against Brighton was the most talked about in the media. People think that since United had a decent run in the preseason, their opening day visitors could be a good experiment for the new Man United manager. Lo and behold, a packed Old Trafford was stunned because the Seagulls, Brighton, took all three points. Immediately, this generated a lot of talks. People have started making amorphous conclusions that the new Manchester United boss can't turn things around. Well, this argument could be valid. But with the season just starting, making such assumptions is very wrong. The transfer market is still open until the end of August. Therefore, the team has a chance to recruit the right players.

Regardless, Manchester United's hierarchy should wake up as quickly as possible because the team's overall performance against Brighton was below expectations. The team was unlike the one we watched during the preseason against Liverpool, Crystal Palace, and Ath. Madrid. The United defensive line couldn't keep up with Brighton's front players. The new defensive high line tactics were futile. The team was even more vulnerable when they were in possession.  Although I'll admit that new signings Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen were excellent on their home debut. 

Moving to the midfield, honestly, even the manager knows that Fred and Mctominay are not good enough in modern football. Even though they played very well during the recent preseason matches. This means that United needs new signings in this area. Ericksen is a good addition but he can't do it all alone. Furthermore, our front was not as lively as it was during the preseason. Although Anthony Martial wasn't available. However, today's performance has raised concerns over what may come in the future. Therefore, if you ask me to sum up Man United's performance against Brighton, I can confidently tell you that it was a nightmare. 

Thankfully, the owners were in the director's box during the defeat. This means that they have seen once again that these players can't compete for the biggest trophies. It's obvious that there is rot in the hierarchy and most of the current players are not good enough. Honestly, it's a shame that Manchester United owners are still living in the past and think that the current squad is strong enough to compete with the likes of Liverpool or Man City. It's heartbreaking to know that United has spent the most in Europe during the transfer windows. Over a billion euros was invested in new players but nothing has changed since Sir Alex Ferguson left the dugout. I'm delighted that the Glazers were in the building when sections of the home crowd chanted: "Glazers Out."

Just imagine this: You were once a winner; you dominated almost all of your competitors. But as life progressed, season after season, you started taking things for granted. Thinking that no matter how hard your competitors try they won't catch up with you. Suddenly, you were leapfrogged by the competitors. Therefore, after realizing how far you've been left behind, you promised to up your game so that you can catch up with the new leaders in the game. You began to take initiative by doing the "right thing" while you deeply know that it wasn't. This is the reality of the situation at Manchester United.

For example, if you take a critical look at Arsenal's transformation, you can see that the hierarchy of the North London club and their manager are completely in line with what each of them has to do to rejuvenate their status. If I am not mistaken, Arsenal's rebuilding began at the same time when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as Manchester United's new manager. But he [Olé] was sacked before his three-year contract was up. While Arsenal stays with Mikel Arteta because first of all they understand what is at stake and they are all keen to tackle it. Admittedly, you can see the difference in their transfer strategy this season. They know what they want and they don't waste much time getting the right things done. For this reason, the question Man United fans always ask is, if Arsenal can get the right deals done in a short period, why is it too difficult for Manchester United to do the same? Besides, Man United have the capacity, charisma, and the people who can get the job done, but too often these people have failed to deliver on their promises. 

From my point of view, I strongly believe that the owners, Avram Glazer and his brothers, should sell the club to people who understand how a team like Manchester United should be run so that United can restore its glory. Because it's a massive shame that a team of United's caliber is struggling to find a better balance on and off the field. We have to have the right people on board and make sure they understand what's at stake. But it's not fair that over the past decade we're still struggling to fill the void left by Sir Alex Ferguson. 

In summary, Manchester United's opening Premier League game against Brighton was proof that the United hierarchy still lives in cloud cuckoo land. The overall performance of the team today was terrible. Deliberately ignoring what should be done precisely. This shows that we still need a few more signings. 

In conclusion, I hope that the current players can put this first loss behind them and come back strong next week. We all know it's the start of the season but this is the right time to get things straight before the season gets intense. We've been on the sidelines for over a decade, the United hierarchy should come to the team's aid before feasibility gets out of control. The manager should be supported by giving him what he requires to build a new Manchester United side.