According to Chris Wheeler, a correspondent for the English newspaper Daily Mail, he criticized Manchester United for playing disorganized football and not adhering to the instructions of manager Erik ten Hag in their 2-2 draw against Bournemouth in the 33rd round of the Premier League.

Wheeler mentioned that Bournemouth had previously defeated Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in December 2023, and they should have won by a similar margin in the rematch at Vitality Stadium on April 13th. He also pointed out statistics that showed Manchester United had conceded 253 shots from opponents in 2024, second only to bottom-placed Sheffield United. With Bournemouth having 20 shots in the match, Manchester United became the team that faced the most shots this year.

Wheeler further wrote that Ten Hag had emphasized the need for the players to learn from their mistakes, but once again, Manchester United did not play as if they were heeding the instructions of the Dutch manager. He highlighted the team’s lack of stability, especially in the first half. Wheeler mentioned that Ten Hag would complain about the ongoing ιnjury crisis, but that was not a reason for the team to perform like strangers playing together.

Jamie Redknapp, a former Liverpool and Tottenham player, also criticized Manchester United’s defensive weaknesses on the left side, where Willy Kambwala and Diogo Dalot were positioned in the first half. Redknapp commented that attacking that flank was easy for Bournemouth and questioned why Manchester United did not address that vulnerability.

Redknapp also criticized Casemiro, comparing his performance to that of a Soccer Aid match – an annual charity event in England that raises funds for UNICEF. In the match against Bournemouth, the Brazilian midfielder played the full 90 minutes, won five aerial duels and two contested headers, but lost possession 19 times.

The draw against Bournemouth dropped Manchester United to seventh place in the league table, which would not qualify them for the Europa League. They are tied with Newcastle on 50 points but have a lower goal difference and are ten points behind Aston Villa and Tottenham.