Speaking of Manchester United this season, it is really love-hate. Last year's team that was able to play and make trouble, reached the finals of the two major cups and the top four in the Premier League, how did it change this year? In the end, in addition to the depth of the coach's bench and off-field factors, the real culprit is the bunch of headaches that are the injuries.
Let's talk about Luke Shaw first, this guy is almost out for the season, and then Hojlen is also out for a month. This is undoubtedly worse for Manchester United. Last season, we were able to dominate in the major competitions, but this year it was full of injuries, and the results naturally plummeted.
I went to FBREF to pull up the data and looked at the playing time of Manchester United players in the next two seasons. It was found that at least 11 of the 20 players who made regular appearances last season saw their minutes drop dramatically. No, goalkeeper David De Gea was replaced by Onana and left-back Luke Shaw's attendance went from 7462%** to 4262%, it's hard to believe. Not to mention the centre-backs, Lima and Varane's attendance has plummeted, and midfielder Casemiro has also been injured.
The situation in midfield and on the wingers is not much better. Eriksen's playing time has been greatly reduced, and wingers Jadon Sancho and Antony have not been in good form as before. Only Garnacho is a lad, whose attendance has soared, has become a bright spot on the wingers.
But what is the meaning behind these changes? Rather than building on last season's squad, United's squad has been weakened. Originally, our defence was built on the cornerstones of Lima, Raphael Varane and Casemiro, but that foundation was shaken; The attack on the left side relied on Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford and B Fee, and now that Luke Shaw is injured, the whole left side attack is not as good as before.
On the right side, Antony and Sancho's cooperation was also decent, but Sancho's state declined, Antony's state dropped significantly due to off-field factors, and the offensive on the right side also plummeted. Coupled with the impact of those pending transfer cases and the Greenwood incident, Manchester United this season is really laughable.
Looking at the injury reports, I can only sigh. As a fan, watching my beloved team struggle like this is really mixed in my heart. But even so, I still stay in front of the TV for every game, because the men in the red shirts are still my heroes. I will support them until the last minute, regardless of the grades. I hope Manchester United can get out of the haze of injuries as soon as possible and regain their former glory.