Erik ten Hag should have ‘dropped’ Casemiro like Paul Scholes advised (hmmm) and then maybe the title race would still be on.
Erik tense Hag
Manchester United drew with Southampton on Sunday – though they remain six points clear of fifth so it’s hardly a disaster – and Casemiro was sent off.
But according to the Mirror website, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag brought it all on himself, the daft sod.
‘Erik ten Hag ignored Paul Scholes’ advice – and Man Utd will now pay the price’
It seems pertinent to point out that said advice was not sought and indeed not even proffered, but that’s seemingly not important in the search for Manchester United clicks, and specifically clicks from anybody who might want to pin some blame on the Manchester United manager.
‘Erik ten Hag ignored advice from former Manchester United star Paul Scholes to rest players for this weekend’s Premier League action.’
Did Scholes advise him to rest players for this weekend’s Premier League action? Did he balls. This is what he actually said:
“He likes players having rhythm, but with the schedule and the amount of games they’ve played, some of these players need a rest now.
“I thought Shaw looked like he needed a rest tonight, Casemiro looks like he needs a rest.
“They can give a few young players a taste of European football [next week] and hopefully that will stand them in good stead for the future.”
It sounds very much like Scholes was suggesting (‘advice’ is definitely too strong a word here) he rest players for the second leg against Real Betis. Which would make a hell of a lot more sense.
Oh and Mediawatch is very firmly in the camp of blaming Casemiro for Casemiro’s red card.
Drop the boys
What Paul Scholes said after the Betis win was not in the least bit controversial and yet on Monday morning it was still the most-read story on the Express football site. Why? Because of this bollocks:
‘Man Utd hero Paul Scholes wants Erik ten Hag to drop two stars after Real Betis win’
The word you were looking for there, guys, was ‘rest’.
Scholes! Scholes! Scholes!
In the absence of any other real talking points, the Reach trend boys are jumping two-footed into the Scholes/Casemiro confected nonsense, with this in the Manchester Evening News:
”’Paul Scholes was right’ – Manchester United fans react as Casemiro sent off vs Southampton’
Is that all Manchester United fans said after Casemiro was sent off? Was it balls.
That’s not even what all the Manchester United fans quoted in this nonsense story said after Casemiro was sent off.
Indeed. this whole story – which somehow needed two people to write – is literally based on ONE tweet. This tweet:
Paul Scholes was right. Should have rested Casemiro today. He prolly got a premonition
— サニー👁️👁️🗨️ (@SunnyWizTaylor1) March 12, 2023
Yes, that’s a Manchester United fan with 446 followers. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is enough for a ‘news’ story in the wild west of 2023.
I’ve got a feeling..
Elsewhere in the Manchester Evening News, we are told that ‘Antony and Lisandro Martinez make their feelings known after Casemiro’s red card in Manchester United draw’.
And how did they make their feelings known? Did they say something on social media? Did they confront the referee? Or did they, well…
‘Casemiro was consoled by Antony, Martinez and the Southampton striker Che Adams.’
So they ‘made their feelings known’ and their feelings were mostly empathy. Thanks. For. That.
The quad game
Over at MailOnline, they’re still pretending that Manchester United were ever title contenders.
‘CHRIS WHEELER: Losing Casemiro – the talisman of his four ever-reliables – is Erik ten Hag’s nightmare… Having tumbled from title race to top-four fight, Man United must avoid another spirit drain’
They have ‘tumbled’ from being eight points behind Arsenal and yet somehow in a title race two weeks ago – when they were 12/1 at best to win the Premier League – to a ‘top-four fight’ when they are six points ahead of Newcastle in fifth and still 1/10 to finish in the top four.
It’s almost like they were never in the title race.
‘Dropping five points in the last two games against Southampton and Liverpool has seen United fall out of the title race and back into a battle for the top-four. It seems foolish now to think that Ten Hag’s side were ever considered serious contenders for the Premier League, but qualifying for the Champions League was a clear target for his first season in charge and that cannot be allowed to slip away.’
It ‘now’ seems foolish? It seemed really sodding foolish then.
One man’s meat…
The Sun‘s Neil Custis on that draw: ‘While it was a goalless draw it was a game full of action with the woodwork hit at either end, some fantastic goalkeeping and penalty appeals aplenty.’
The Sun‘s Martin Blackburn on that draw: ‘MANCHESTER UNITED saw key player Casemiro sent off in a dismal draw against bottom-place Southampton.’
