The FA Cup game against Sheffield United did not go as Manchester United would have expected, but they managed to a victory win even if it was under controversial circumstances. Winning 1-0 against a League 1 side isn’t a good result by United’s standards, and the fact that it took a last-minute penalty to grab the victory is absolutely absurd.
The Manchester don’t seem to have what it takes to go all the way in England’s oldest Cup competition and here’s why:
Lack of Consistency
As far as Consistency goes, United can be considered outsiders as they’ve by far been the most inconsistent top side in the Premier League this season, and a shabby 1-0 win over Sheffield didn’t help things one bit.
The FA Cup is as open as it gets with an upset or two popping up at every corner so, for United to claim FA Cup glory this season, they’ll have to be consistent, which is something United haven’t been identified within recent times.
The Approach
Over the years we’ve seen some unlikely FA Cup results, Bradford’s 4-2 thumping of Chelsea last season is a recent example that comes to show that no team should ever be underestimated.
United somewhat under-estimated Sheffield on Saturday, something that could have cost them the win.
Every clearcut chance in the FA Cup should be taken with the intention to score because one miss could cost a team that entire game and somewhere along the line I expect United to fumble and lose to an Underdog.
Lack of Attacking Edge
United possess a solid back four, Star-studded midfield and a lacklustre attack.
United’s attacking line-up looks good on paper, but their performances on the pitch would beg to differ considering the little amount of goals that the likes of Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial have scored this season.
United can’t win games with just 80% possession now can they?. They need to make their large chunks of possession count, or else one single opposition counter-attack could spell doom for them.
Lack Of Motivation:
Sometimes I wonder if the United players are well motivated regarding the team talks before the game and during the halftime interval.
In the FA Cup, it’s a simple case of ‘one loss, and you’re out’ so if United keep on playing the sort of tedious football we see every week it won’t take long before they make an untimely exit from the competition.
Injury Problems
Schweinsteiger seemed to be in some pain during the game against Sheffield, and if there’s the slightest hint of him not being fully fit ahead of their next FA Cup tie, United’s midfield could be in utter shambles.
Losing key players is something the Red Devils need to avoid the competition or else it could mean an Untimely exit
The Van Gaal Philosophy
Louis Van Gaal’s philosophy is the root of United’s problems performance wise considering how bizarre and Unorthodox his tactics have been In recent times.
We saw a hint of some good Fergie football In the past couple of weeks as United drew against Chelsea and secured a hard-fought win against Swansea but it seems like that cutting edge up front has vanished all of a sudden.
Simply put, the FA Cup is well known for its uncertainty and unpredictability.
United coming up against smaller sides with ‘nothing to lose’ could prove to be their downfall as those relatively smaller teams could muster up something special in the name of just getting on with the game.
Throughout the course of the competition, United may feel confined by the pressure that comes along with being a team of that sort of Calibre and as we’ve seen many times this season United tend to fail under tremendous pressure.
The ‘lucky’ 1-0 win against Sheffield has put Louis Van Gaal back under intense Pressure, and the sack might be just around the corner for the Dutchman.
United still have a good chance of winning the FA Cup this season but comparing them with the rest of the team’s left in the competition their chances look slim, so I guess it will take something special for United to sneak past the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal to win the prestigious competition.