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On Tuesday, Manchester United was eliminated from Europe as they were defeated by Bayern Munich in their last match of the Champions League group stage.
This is their sixth unsuccessful attempt to advance to the knockout rounds and only their second time placing last in their group, with the previous instance occurring in 2005-06.
The current struggles of United are being compared by the PA news agency to those faced 18 years ago.
Results
In the 2005-06 season, United was required to earn a spot in the group stage after coming in third place in the Premier League the year before. However, they accomplished this task easily. They were placed in a seemingly advantageous group with Villarreal, Lille, and Benfica.
After beginning with a tie against the Spanish team, they managed to defeat Benfica, but then faced setbacks. They only earned one point in two matches against Lille, drew once more with Villarreal, and were ultimately eliminated after losing to the Portuguese team.
The current group of failed players from United faced a tough challenge from the start, losing their first two matches to Bayern and Galatasaray. Despite a win at home against Copenhagen, they were unable to maintain their success in the rematch and ultimately lost in Turkey, indicating their downfall.
In the final group game, Harry Kane’s Bayern dealt a crushing blow that prevented United from even falling into the Europa League.
Squad
The 2005-06 team of United was undergoing a period of change, but they still possessed prominent players, particularly in the offensive line with Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ryan Giggs was at the peak of his career, and Rio Ferdinand was recognized as one of the top defenders in Europe.
The team was not expected to advance to the group stages.
The selection process for the 2023-24 United team has received a lot of negative feedback, as many players have not met expectations and are considered average. The inconsistent performance of Andre Onana as goalkeeper has been a major factor in their downfall, while Marcus Rashford has not performed as well as he did last year.
It seems that Antony has not proven his expensive value, while Scott McTominay, Diogo Dalot, and Viktor Lindelof may not meet the necessary standards.
League form
United were trailing behind Chelsea and Arsenal, as their complete control of English football was no longer a reality.
However, they maintained their performance and ultimately placed second in the league that year, right behind the Blues. United only suffered five losses throughout the season, with four of them occurring on the road, and ended with a total of 83 points.
This team has suffered seven defeats in their 16 matches this season, with four of those losses occurring at Old Trafford. The stadium is no longer as strong as it used to be. Not having any draws has put them in a position where they could potentially compete for a top-four spot in the latter half of the season, but they would need to drastically improve their consistency.
Manager
Despite a disappointing performance in Europe, Alex Ferguson maintained complete authority at Old Trafford. He was actively reconstructing a team that would go on to secure both the Premier League and Champions League titles in the future. His players and opponents continued to hold him in high regard and viewed him as the ultimate leader.
Erik ten Hag has some similar traits to Ferguson, especially surrounding discipline, but he is being undermined by poorly performing players. A promising start to his reign last season has capitulated this time around and he now appears to be in a fight to save his job.
Source: independent.co.uk
