You’re never too far away from a reminder of just how far Manchester United have fallen in recent times. For the fans, that even includes when their side aren’t playing.
Plenty of supporters would no doubt have been tuning in at Saturday lunchtime, finding themselves in the strange position of hoping Steven Gerrard could do them a favour. On the face of it, there was always a chance his Aston Villa side could help them out by getting a result over Arsenal – after all, they’ve taken four points off United this season.
There was to be no such luck for United. Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal proved enough to hand the Gunners victory as they succeeded where United had failed in protecting their lead at Villa Park. In so many ways, that 2-2 draw for Ralf Rangnick’s side back in January has felt like a pivotal moment in their season. Having taken a 2-0 lead, United could – and should – have closed things out.
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Just a couple of months later, there’s another uncomfortable reminder of United's failures this season. For Arsenal, a side who have been so infamously brittle in recent years, to be able to close a game out and protect a 1-0 lead, demonstrated how they’ve developed under Mikel Arteta, and highlighted United’s own frailties.
Throughout this campaign, United have looked fragile in defence. We all know about Harry Maguire’s problems this season, but he is far from the only issue they have right now. They’re in desperate need of a dynamic right-back, the options beyond Raphael Varane at centre-back aren’t at the level they should be, and that’s before you get into the players sitting just in front of the back four.
Nothing summed up their problems more than the manner in which they conspired to throw away their commanding lead against Villa a couple of months ago. Arsenal, in comparison, have addressed their long-standing issues, with the additions of Gabriel and Ben White making them look much more solid in an area that has been a constant source of ridicule over the years.
The tables have turned, with United now the butt of those same jokes, and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed during the summer. A lot of the focus may be on finding a new striker, but the defence can’t afford to become an afterthought.
We look as though we might be edging nearer to finding out who will be in charge of United next season. The club have identified their ideal candidate, with Erik ten Hag emerging as the preferred choice.
Should the Ajax boss be the man to arrive at Old Trafford in the summer, one thing is for certain, he faces a hell of a job to get this side operating properly once again. This isn’t just a case of a few tweaks in order to get United back on the right track, a major overhaul needs to be seriously considered.
We already know how far of a headstart Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have on the rest of the league, and now Arsenal look as though they’re on their way to beating United to Champions League football for next season. Given the position both sides found themselves in at the start of the season, that is a serious failure on United’s part.
If Ten Hag is to make his way to Old Trafford, he will need to be prepared to get down to work. Not only have the top three pulled well ahead of them, but now Arsenal are showing signs they’re getting themselves in order while United continue to slip away.
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