This was the word that appeared most frequently in British media reports after Leeds United beat Manchester United 9-0.
Almost all media believed that Manchester United had experienced a humiliating and complete defeat.
As Martin Taylor, the famous British Sky TV game commentator, said in the post-match analysis and summary, this game is of great significance to Manchester United. It is completely different from the previous 1-6 defeat to Tottenham at home.
Losing to Tottenham can be said to be an accident.
At that time, the league had just started, Manchester United had just reorganized, many things had not been straightened out, and the team had not yet found a rhythm and entered into a regular state. Coupled with multiple accidents, the team suffered a sudden and tragic defeat in the game.
But today, there was a 9-0 defeat to Leeds United, which was fundamentally different.
Manchester United was carefully prepared for this game. After everyone was adjusted to the best condition, they faced Leeds United at Old Trafford. It can be said that this is the strongest Manchester United!
In the past six games, Manchester United has gone through six unbeaten games, winning five of the six games. The performance can be described as quite brilliant, making everyone firmly believe that Manchester United is on the right path to recovery.
But at Old Trafford, Manchester United experienced a humiliation.
Whether it was pre-match arrangements, adjustments during the game, or the tactical execution of the players, Manchester United was completely defeated by Leeds United. The White Rose showed its mortal enemy the efficiency and speed of modern football.
Martin Samuel believes that Solskjaer was more conservative in his formation in this game.
The double midfielders of Matic and McTominay are to ensure the stability of the team's midfield and backfield. However, in the game, the double midfielders did not play a protective role. Manchester United's defense was exposed to Leeds again and again.
Under the attack artillery fire of the United States.
"Obviously, there are serious problems in Manchester United's midfield."
Matic is old, and both defensive midfielders are tall players, so there are obvious deficiencies in running coverage.
Martin Samuel believes that Solskjaer's formation can indeed perform well when facing some teams that are weaker than Manchester United, or when they are extremely embarrassed by Manchester City.
Effect.
But Leeds United played smarter in this game.
"Pochettino has obviously learned from Guardiola's experience and lessons. He did not blindly press Manchester United near the penalty area, but allowed Manchester United to press out appropriately. This certainly adds pressure to his midfield and backfield, but it also puts pressure on himself.
The frontcourt leaves room for attack.”
"What's more important is that Leeds United have such confidence."
Martin Samuel listed a statistic, which is that Leeds United grabbed the ball a total of 25 times in Manchester United's half, 15 of which were converted into shots within 20 seconds of grabbing the ball.
On the other hand, Manchester United only had 4 shots in this data, and none of them could be converted into a shot within 20 seconds.
The reason why it is 20 seconds is because if this time point has passed, the defensive formation has usually been established.
This is a very obvious contrast.
It proves that Leeds United exerts enough pressure on Manchester United in the frontcourt, and it is concentrated in the area from the center line to the outside of Manchester United's penalty area. After grabbing the ball, it is easy to form a shooting opportunity.
Martin Samuel also said that it can also be seen from this data that Manchester United did a very poor job of pressing in the frontcourt.
"Solskjaer played too conservatively in this game and did not even put the slightest pressure on the opponent from the front. As a result, both Leeds United's full-backs were able to actively advance forward and participate in the attack."
"In the entire game, Manchester United only grabbed the ball 4 times within Leeds United's half. How could Leeds United not dare to press forward boldly?"
In addition to the head coach's conservative formation, Martin Samuel believes that Manchester United's defeat also comes from the shortcomings of the team's lineup.
Since it was a defensive counterattack and the team retreated as a whole, there was a lack of a stable ball-taking point in front of them, which made Manchester United almost unable to launch even a threatening attack.
"Manchester United tried various methods during the game, including long passes, including passing and receiving, but they failed to turn into a threat."
Martin Samuel believes that many people may think that such a big score has no reference value, "but what I want to say is that this is the second time Manchester United has suffered a disastrous defeat this season."
"The previous time could be said to be an accident, but this time it was a complete failure."
"Maybe the strength gap between the two sides is less than 9 goals, but there is no problem at all for Leeds United to beat Manchester United."
As for Manchester United, after encountering such a disastrous defeat, the six-game unbeaten record that the team had managed to achieve was completely destroyed.
"Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team must readjust and regain confidence."
"In this game, Leeds United not only captured the Old Trafford Stadium, but also completely destroyed the confidence and fighting spirit of the Manchester United players. It can be seen from their performance on the pitch that they have completely collapsed.
.”
"This is the biggest blow to Manchester United!"
…
Maguire is the captain of Manchester United in this game and is also a young player trained by Leeds United.
When he was interviewed after the game, he confirmed Martin Samuel's analysis.
The Manchester United captain said that he clearly felt something was wrong when he conceded the third goal in the first half.
The players' concentration and commitment when playing football, as well as their morale on the court, are obviously different.
"The shouting between us suddenly decreased a lot." Maguire said helplessly.
This shows that all the players are frustrated.
At halftime, there was also some lack of excitement in the Manchester United dressing room.
"We tried very hard to keep our spirits up, but right at the beginning of the second half, our opponents launched consecutive attacks. It felt really bad."
Maguire said that he is from Leeds United and he is familiar with and understands Leeds United's tactical style, so he reminded his teammates, but to no avail.
"In the past period, our team has played very well. Except for the zero-0 draw with Manchester City, we have won all other games. This has led to us being very motivated before this game. We all feel,
I can win Leeds United."
"But during the competition, we discovered that this was not the case at all."
Maguire believes that the huge gap is also an important factor in destroying Manchester United's self-confidence, not just from opponents.
"In fact, we felt pretty good in the early part of the game. We all felt that this would be a great afternoon and a great game. We can beat the leaders and we can move further up the rankings. We can
Welcome Christmas with joy."
"But, the reality is cruel!"
Maguire expressed his congratulations to Leeds United. He believes that Leeds United is indeed one of the strongest teams in the Premier League and European football.
"I have played for Leeds United for many years, and even now, I have regular contact with many people in this team, so I know that they have a group of outstanding young people who are really outstanding."
"I think Leeds United are strong contenders for the Premier League and Champions League this season."
Regarding Manchester United, Maguire believes that this disastrous defeat is both a blow and a spur.
"It tells us not to aim too high, we need to do better because there is still a huge gap between us and the best teams."
As for the championship that many people are calling for, Maguire said that this should not be an issue that Manchester United is considering now.
…
After a huge defeat at home, Manchester United fans "revolted" one after another.
There were even many Manchester United fans at the scene who applauded Leeds United after the game, which made everyone at Manchester United feel extremely embarrassed.
The winning slogan shouted by boss Ratcliffe before the game has now become a laughing stock.
The analysis system that Manchester United invested millions of pounds to develop was even ridiculed by the media as a "guiding light" because it was deduced hundreds of times and all of them were wrong.
"This is an impossible miracle!"
Many Manchester United fans expressed their anger on the spot and said in interviews that they would never watch the game again. Some extremely angry fans even threatened to cancel their Manchester United season tickets and memberships.
"Ratcliffe is ruining Manchester United!"
"This is the worst Manchester United ever!"
"It's hard for me to imagine that we invested nearly 300 million euros in this team this summer, not counting the original lineup."
If you add up all the current Manchester United lineup, they are the most valuable team in the Premier League and even European football. However, at Old Trafford, they were defeated by Leeds United 0-9.
This is simply unbelievable.
Ferguson also accepted an interview with the media after the game. Regarding this tragic defeat, the Manchester United coach said that it was in the past and there was no point in discussing it anymore.
"Now, the only thing we can say is, congratulations to Leeds United, they are the best team in the Premier League."
Regarding Manchester United, Ferguson said that Manchester United has indeed not shown a strong competitiveness in the dialogue between powerful players, and it is irresponsible to blame all problems on Solskjaer and the coaching staff.
"The situation is indeed very bad now, but we are not desperate yet."
Ferguson believes Manchester United still have a chance.
The transfer has been banned by UEFA for two windows, but next summer, Manchester United can definitely strengthen its recruitment in a targeted manner.
In fact, Manchester United's lineup is not bad, but it has quite a few shortcomings.
Manchester United has plenty of money; and influence, Manchester United is still the world's top club and the focus of countless media attention.
This is destined to ensure that Manchester United will not lack attention and attract good players.
Therefore, Ferguson believes that what Manchester United needs to do now is to adjust their mentality and recover as soon as possible.
"I believe that sooner or later, Manchester United will return to its peak."
Of course, there are also many Manchester United fans and media looking for comfort.
After a disastrous defeat to Leeds United, Manchester United dropped to 12th place in the rankings, but Manchester United is not the worst.
Among the traditional giants of the Premier League, there is another team worse than Manchester United.
That is Arteta's Arsenal. They are currently ranked 15th and lost to Everton 1-2 away from home in this round.
This is very embarrassing.
Arsenal is also Leeds United's opponent in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
This is also Leeds United's last game before Christmas.
The location is at the Emirates Stadium in London.
