On a day when Manchester United were to embrace Erik ten Hag’s philosophy to its fullest, the poorest of performances in a 3-0 defeat to Spurs was the result.
This United squad is a group of winners – some on the greatest stages in world football.
But, without going over the top, it appeared as though they had never met each other before – let alone kicked a football together.
In the wake of a mauling that could have been far greater, Ten Hag has little left stacked in his favour.
Truthfully, it is not his fault this group struggled to string two passes together and routinely offered possession with minimal interference.
Regardless of what you can or can not learn in training, professionals should be able to complete the fundamentals.
But this side is lacking in confidence and devoid of ideas in possession – that is certainly on the manager.
Leaderless, clueless, and disappointingly far less than ordinary, this was not Manchester United, and something must change drastically.
Where do you start?
Falling behind after three minutes is hardly ideal for any side, but how Micky van de Ven sailed through midfield has occurred one too many times.
Brennan Johnson couldn’t believe the ease at which he slotted the ball home at the back post – setting the tone for the most underwhelming fixture for the Reds in attendance.
From there, it was wave after wave of home errors and visiting assaults.
If not for the incapable final-third presence of Timo Werner, Spurs could have been out of sight within 25 minutes.
Bruno Fernandes, the subject of much scrutiny in recent weeks, continued to display his struggles.
His misery, frustration and heartache were sealed following a slip in motion, leading to an abruptly high foot grazing James Maddison.
The resulting Red card – approved by VAR – reduced United to ten after 42 minutes, with Mason Mount introduced in place of the injured Kobbie Mainoo moments later.
Somehow, despite an amalgamation of inferior football and playground errors, Ten Hag’s side went into the break trailing by a solitary goal.
Casemiro arrived in place of Joshua Zirkzee after the break, but the side fell behind within two minutes – Deja Vu!
Dejan Kulusevski capped an impressive display with a fine finish past the helpless Andre Onana.
To their credit, following an hour of something you could expect at a park on Sunday afternoon, United began to fight back into the fixture – profiting from the inevitable fatigue from the visitors pressing.
The veteran Brazilian came agonisingly close with twenty to play, but his effort sailed the wrong side of the post.
Inevitably, Dominic Solanke added a third seven minutes later, profiting from the forgettable defence of his side’s third corner.
On another miserable day for the Old Trafford faithful, Onana can hold his head high for an impressive outing, denying Spurs multiple times to limit the damage.
The Cameroonian has enjoyed a fine month and deserves recognition following a difficult start to his Manchester journey.
“After the red card, I just want to say something about my teammates – they did show some character,” Bruno told the media following the final whistle.
“They wanted to try to even win the game and to get a result from the game.
“It wasn’t possible, we ended up conceding another two goals, but I think the resilience and the character from the team was always there.”
For Ten Hag, further questions will surface, increasing scepticism about his future at the club.
Ineos hold a long-term goal, and previous communications appear supportive of the Dutchman.
But performances of this level, and seven points from a possible 18, see the mighty Manchester outfit four points above the drop zone after six fixtures.
With a trip to Porto on Thursday before a further away fixture against Aston Villa at the weekend, time may not be on his side.
Simply put, this was appalling, and an utterly disenchanting display from the 20-time English champions.
How do you feel about the state of affairs at Manchester United?
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