Honest assessment: Fernandes slams lack of 'bravery' as Man United crumble at Newcastle
Manchester United were outclassed and humbled in a crushing 4-1 defeat to a relentless Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
Sandro Tonali fired the hosts ahead but Alejandro Garnacho struck back in the 37th minute to offer a glimmer of hope.
That hope, however, was swiftly extinguished after the break.
Harvey Barnes lit up the second half with a brace, before Bruno Guimaraes capped off the rout with Newcastle’s fourth.
Speaking after the game, United captain Bruno Fernandes admitted that his side lacked being ‘brave’.
He said to Sky Sports (via BBC Sport): “We are in this position because we have not been consistent in the performances we put out.
“We lack being more fearless, being more brave. Today was not the case because we ended up conceding goals by trying to be brave.
“Our position in the table is not where this club belongs, but unfortunately we are not getting the results.
“We need to look forward as we have a big game coming up, we need to clear our heads and go for it.”
Fernandes is spot on with his analysis that the current United side lacked bravery on the ball.
For all their history and expectation, many of these players simply don’t have the mentality required to wear the United badge.
Altay Bayindir, Victor Lindelof and Christian Eriksen received 3/10 ratings in our post-match analysis.
With one eye on Thursday’s Europa League tie against Lyon, Amorim chose to rest Casemiro, but the gamble backfired.
Kobbie Mainoo was not deemed fit to start, forcing Amorim to pair Christian Eriksen with Manuel Ugarte in midfield.
The Denmark international proved to be a liability for the entire game.
He looked off the pace and was beaten too easily in midfield.
He brought neither creativity going forward nor solidity in protecting the defence.
Lindelof started at the heart of the defence but barely acted like a leader.
His lethargic positioning and lack of urgency set the tone for a back line that was picked apart far too easily.
With this result, United are now guaranteed to finish with their lowest Premier League points total since the competition’s inception.
The upcoming Europa League clash with Lyon holds the key to United’s season.
Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .