Manchester United were ripped apart by Brighton & Hove Albion in their 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford yesterday.
Goals from Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro forced some Man United supporters to exit the stadium early.
After five Premier League games, the Red Devils stand in 13th spot in the Premier League with just six points on board.
The players must be blamed for the catastrophic start, but Erik ten Hag has to share the responsibility.
He made a few terrible calls that helped the Seagulls blow United apart yesterday.
We believe these three decisions made it easy for Roberto de Zerbi’s side to thump United in their own backyard.
Starting McTominay, switching to diamond midfield
With Antony and Sancho unavailable, Ten Hag opted to tinker with the formation.
He chose to field a diamond midfield, with McTominay and Eriksen on the right and left, respectively.
It was too easy for Brighton players to run past the duo on multiple occasions. United midfielders failed to track their runners for all three of the goals.
It would have been more sensible to keep the same 4-2-3-1 formation and start Facundo Pellistri on the right wing.
Substituting Hojlund for Martial
Rasmus Hojlund made his full debut yesterday and looked lively. He put the ball in the back of the net, but VAR intervened to rule out his strike.
Hojlund looked threatening and was a dynamic figure up front. With Brighton leading 2-0, Ten Hag surprisingly substituted the young striker for Anthony Martial in the 64th minute.
Loud jeers rang around Old Trafford in reaction to the Dutchman’s decision.
Martial remained anonymous in the remaining half hour and offered nothing going forward.
Late introduction of Garnacho
Alejandro Garnacho saved the Red Devils several times after coming on as a substitute last season.
He did the same against Arsenal before the international break, scoring in the 88th minute of the game.
That could have been the match-winning goal, but VAR ruled the goal offside.
The manager waited until the 85th minute to send Garnacho on the pitch. Five minutes were not enough for the Argentine to inspire a comeback.
If Ten Hag had to remove Hojlund at the hour mark due to fitness concerns, Garnacho should have been his replacement, not Martial.
