Manchester United vs Brentford LIVE Football Score 13 Aug 2022
Erik ten Hag lost his first Premier League game in charge of United, as the 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton laid bare all of the issues the Dutch coach is trying to solve. United were all over the place defensively, had little creativity in midfield and lacked cutting edge up top. That is a lot to try and sort out whilst at the same time trying to usher in a new possession-based style and sign new players to fit that system.
Brentford host a wounded Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Both clubs began the new Premier League season last Sunday afternoon and swiftly found themselves trailing 2-0. Thomas Frank’s tactical rejig on the hour-mark managed to earn Brentford a share of the spoils but the ace up Erik ten Hag’s sleeve of Cristiano Ronaldo failed to overturn the deficit at Old Trafford.
Here’s everything you need to know about a match which both teams can’t start as badly.
Brentford have once again recruited smartly, signing Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter and Mikkel Damsgaard to strengthen their squad. Yes, losing Christian Eriksen (who is now at Manchester United) was a blow, but the team unit that Thomas Frank has created is extremely strong. Brentford are determined to prove they weren’t just a one-season wonder in the Premier League and getting off to a fast start to the season was so crucial to their eventual 13th place finish last term. The Bees have caused problems for the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool at home in the past and they will hope to do the same against United, although they did lose heavily to United on both occasions last season
Manchester United have so many storylines swirling around them on a daily basis it is hard to keep track. And most of them aren’t positive. From Cristiano Ronaldo wanting to leave and now being stuck at the club to Erik ten Hag tasting defeat in his first game in charge and the botched attempts to sign Marko Arnautovic (fan unrest reportedly brought that deal to its knees), it remains a bit of a mess. On the pitch Erik ten Hag didn’t see many positives as his side were dominated by Brighton and deserved to lose their opening game. One of the big question marks is around their defense and whether or not captain Harry Maguire will start with Raphael Varane waiting in the wings.
Also, the summer-long pursuit of Frenkie de Jong seems to have been fruitless so Adrien Rabiot is the man United now want to sign to dictate the tempo of their play from midfield. It seems like it will not be smooth sailing in Erik ten Hag’s early days in charge and this trip to Brentford has an upset alert flashing all over it. It also seems like Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, will come back into the starting lineup to try and spark United into life with some of his trademark magic.
Even before Brighton began to run riot at Old Trafford, Ten Hag’s omission of Ronaldo heaped scrutiny upon the new incumbent. Ten Hag deemed Ronaldo only fit enough for a second-half introduction last weekend after unsuccessfully fielding Christian Eriksen in an advanced role while Anthony Martial watched on from the sidelines.
The French forward sustained a hamstring injury on the eve of the season and his involvement this weekend remains shrouded in uncertainty. Both Facundo Pellistri and Brandon Williams are also doubts
Man United lost to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford last weekend as Erik ten Haag’s reign at the club ended in a defeat. The Dutch manager left Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench and instead opted for a front three of Jadon Sancho, Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford.
The match between Brentford and Man United will be available on MUTV, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR in the United Kingdom (UK) and NBC in the United States (US). Viewers can also catch the live action on the Man United App ManUtd.com
Bryan Mbuemo and Ivan Toney continue to look a real handful and the latter scored at Leicester last time out. Keep an eye on new signing Keane Lewis-Potter as he looks a real talent.
For United, well, nobody is in decent form based on their opener but the likes of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford will be hoping to try and bring some of their decent preseason form to the PL
Manchester United Starting 11: De Gea; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Fred, Eriksen; Sancho, Fernandes, Rashford; Ronaldo
Bench: Heaton, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Malacia, Van de Beek, McTominay, Garnacho, Elanga, Garner