Manchester United’s bad performance in their 1-1 draw against Brentford has upset the club's new minority owners as pressure continues on Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils were extremely lucky to leave west London with a point after being on the defensive throughout Saturday’s match, with Brentford taking an astonishing 31 shots before finally scoring in the 99th minute.
Thomas Frank's team hit the woodwork three times and had 80 touches in the penalty area, while United have now given up 106 shots in their last four matches – or 26.5 per game on average.
A dramatic 4-3 victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final just before the international break had suggested that United had made progress, but now it seems like the result was just covering up the problems.
According to The Telegraph, United's poor performance against Brentford has not been well received in Sir Jim Ratcliffe's camp, with Ineos worried about several recent performances.
In addition to the weak showing at the Community Stadium, which ‘went down badly’, United’s performance in a 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham five weeks ago was also ‘dimly received’.
On that occasion United were cautious for much of the first half and fell behind to a Calvin Bassey strike in the 65th minute, before putting heavy pressure on their opponents’ goal and finally breaking through thanks to Harry Maguire in the 89th minute.
But a sudden attack right at the end saw Alex Iwobi take all three points in the seventh minute of added time.
United actually performed quite well statistically in that particular match, taking 21 shots (nine on target) and enjoying 57% possession, though a lot of that pressure was applied in the closing stages and Fulham were ahead on rolling xG (Expected Goals) until the 75th minute.
Ten Hag now faces two more crucial matches this week against Chelsea and Liverpool and losing both could end their top-four hopes for good, though the under-pressure Dutchman has been firm about his team's below-par performances and the vulnerability of their defense.
Asked if he is worried about how many shots his team are conceding each game, Ten Hag said after the Brentford draw: ‘As long as we get results, no.
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‘I'll explain it again. We defended deep at times, because Brentford are very direct, we lost many second balls, and then you have to defend the box and that is what we did quite well.
‘And we had a great goalkeeper, he was excellent as well, so we have to acknowledge that.
‘I think our results have been quite consistent since January, but yeah we concede shots. But we don't concede too many goals. And we're creating chances – with Rasmus Hojlund having big chances – and we scored a goal, and it's all about getting that over the line.’
Asked if a future title challenge can be sustained on such leaky performances against teams like Brentford, Ten Hag hit back: ‘Don't underestimate Brentford's performances, because I saw them against Man City and City were also lucky to win that game.
‘And I have witnessed them play against Liverpool, and in the first 35 minutes Brentford had a good chance to take the lead. So do not share this [opinion about Brentford].
‘We could have done better, I am not satisfied with the performance, there should be no misunderstanding [about that]. And the players are also unhappy with the performance.
‘We need to be consistent in how we approach a game, and enter a game, and display more aggression in particular.’
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