The injuries of some players are just an alibi, now the league is running but Erik Ten Hag failed to do something well. If there are players who are injured then the replacement must also be equivalent and he can also apply other strategies if it is very urgent. I think it is useless for United management who have spent quite a lot of money in the last few seasons but have not gotten a big change in the team's performance. And with the bad results obtained in the first two matches, it makes many people pessimistic again about the red devils in hunting for the EPL title.
Beside the injuries of some of the key players, I think something is fundamentally wrong with Manchester United. If it is not a psychological problem, it will not be far from it because it's been long they lost it already and it is taking them too long to bounce back to being the strong team they use to be. For several years now, Manchester United have been degraded to an average team that offers no serious fight against their equals. The Manchester United that was strong will not lose to Brighton and at the same time to Liverpool in a season that is as young as we have now. The coach and management have to do something about the mentality of the players.
I have my own ideas about Manchester United. Ten Hag probably wanted Hojlund at the center of their attack this season. And Hojlund's injury has put Ten Hag in big trouble. And this is why Manchester United's performance is poor. Hojlund's injury forced Ten Hag to change its formation and match strategy. Ten Hag are yet to find the right match strategy for Manchester United.
We've seen Ten Hag use Bruno Fernandes as Hojlund's replacement in a few matches. This poor decision by Ten Hag caused Bruno's performance to deteriorate. This is why we have seen inconsistent and poor performances from Manchester United's midfield and attacking players.
Perhaps we will see an improvement in Manchester United's performance after Hojlund joins the squad. But this team is not eligible to win the title. Even qualifying for the Champions League will be very difficult for Manchester United. Brighton's overall performance is still much more stable than Manchester United's.