Manchester United suffered another damaging defeat when they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal on Sunday at Old Trafford.
Not only are Manchester United heading towards a season without European football, but they are also preparing for the FA Cup final against Manchester City in the worst possible way.
Arsenal weren’t really at their best at Old Trafford, yet they did enough to get the goal, three points and secure another clean sheet in their pulsating Premier League title race with Manchester City.
From Marcus Rashford to Bruno Fernandes, there were several key attacking players missing for the under-fire Erik ten Hag.
So, that put the onus on the likes of Rasmus Hojlunad and Alejandro Garnacho to step up and showcase their worth for Manchester United.
But they failed to make an impact, even though, Garncho in particular, got on the ball a lot, but he just couldn’t get the better of Ben White.
Peter Schmeichel was left frustrated with the 19-year-old because he has shown so much promise this season, not forgetting that outrageous overhead kick goal at Goodison Park.
The legendary Manchester United goalkeeper stated that the versatile forward ‘needs to be coached’ because he keeps doing the same thing on that left-hand side, as he told Premier League Productions (12/05/24 at 6:50 pm).
This wasn’t a case of Garancho not getting the ball, he saw plenty of it, he just hardly made a dent in the final third or caused Arsenal any real issues.
Despite all of that, Schmeichel was keen to point out that the rising youngster is still hugely talented and can become ‘one of the best players in the Premier League’, but there are issues in his game.
Alejandro Garnacho struggles against Arsenal
“They (Manchester United) do (also attack as individuals),” said Schmeichel. “It’s all about when you get the ball, I am going to try and score a goal. I am not going to look at any teammates. I am just going to try myself. There doesn’t seem to be a system or an idea of when we do this, these are your options and this is what you can do or that is what you can do.
“I think someone like Garnacho today is a great example that doesn’t work. I am watching Garancho, who had the ball so many times on the left, and I am hoping for him, for now and again, to do something different. But, every time, he is trying to finish it himself – He needs to be coached a little. You can’t do the same thing every time. Everybody knows what he is doing to do now, he is going to go left and try to cross the ball. He has pace, yes, but he has players up there that are options. Other options. If you look at how easy it is for Arsenal’s defenders. He is going towards goal and It’s so easy to defend against. He’s not challenging or changing his angle.
“I am not criticising him as such because he is a young man and full of energy. But he is up against possibly the best defenders in the league. They will suss him out like that very quickly, therefore, you need to put some variation in what you are doing. He is a great player and prospect. He could be one of the best players in the Premier League, without a shadow of a doubt. He has done so many good things, but in the last month or two, it kind of feels like every time he gets the ball, he thinks he has to finish it.”
Manchester United environment
You do worry about players like Garnacho because they simply can’t be in a very healthy environment at Manchester United.
From the culture of the club, how the team prepares in midweek, the mood in training, and the lack of leaders. Much of it is going wrong, with no signs of stopping.
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Yes, that then affects the team’s performances, but it also halts the progression of young stars.
That isn’t down to a player like Garnacho and what he does out on the pitch, that’s him being let down by what is around him.
It wasn’t so long ago that Jeff Stelling rightfully pointed out that Garnacho is one of two players who has had a good season for Manchester United.
The post 'He could be one of the best': Peter Schmeichel says Man United star 'needs to be coached' after Arsenal loss appeared first on HITC.
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