Man Utd in free fall: Must ten Hag fear for his job?

“Ten Hag’s empire is crumbling”. This was the headline of the major English sports magazine “The Guardian” on Tuesday evening after Manchester United lost their second group match in the UEFA Champions League against Galatasaray. It was already the sixth defeat in the tenth competitive match this season for the record champions. No wonder, then, that the head coach from the Netherlands has come under criticism and must deliver in the next few games at all costs to consolidate his job.

Just days after their bitter 3-2 defeat to the Turkish champions, the Red Devils get a chance to make amends on Saturday afternoon. In the framework of the 8th matchday in the Premier League, the United eleven, which has been completely unsettled lately, will meet an uncomfortable guest from the capital, who also did not bring the desired performance on the pitch in the most recent games. The fact that the odds on a home win in the Manchester United vs Brentford clash are still only 1.70 at the top end seems to be exaggerated or understated.

In terms of the table, it is a duel from the grey midfield. MUFC are currently only in tenth position after a messed-up start, while the Bees from London are 14th with two points less. However, if the prediction of an underdog victory between Manchester United and Brentford were to come true again, the Red Devils’ gap to the Champions League places would probably already grow to ten (!) points. In addition, a change of coach during the international break could at least be discussed…

Manchester United – Statistics & current form

Do you actually remember Rio Ferdinand? The long-time club icon, who now appears as a very opinionated pundit on English TV, did not spare his criticism of his ex-club on Tuesday night. Among other things, the ex-professional used expressions like “Sunday football”, “schoolboy football”, “shameful” or “Theatre of Screams” in reference to Old Trafford, which is actually known as the “Theatre of Dreams”.

Meaningfully, Ferdinand, formerly known as a hard-hitting centre-back, hit the bull’s eye as Man United lacked much of what it takes to compete at international and domestic level in a 3-2 defeat on matchday two in the CL group stage.

Add to that the summer signing goalkeeper Andre Onana’s repeated blunders and his “laissez-faire” approach to solving things playfully, leading to the sending off of key midfielder Casemiro, and it is clear that the Red Devils’ problems are extremely complex and complicated to fix at the moment. The fact that the suspended winger Antony made his comeback in the final phase even became a marginal note.

Does Man Utd lose three home games in a row for the first time in 45 years?

The situation at the English record champions is ominous. As already mentioned, they have lost six of their ten competitive games so far this season. In the Champions League, their backs are against the wall after two match days and the nine points collected after seven Premier League matches, which are currently only enough for tenth place, are also causing a lot of discontent. Rumour has it that the dressing room is also split, to say the least. One hundred percent backing for the coach definitely looks different.

That’s one of the reasons why we think it’s best not to make any predictions about the home team in Saturday’s match between Manchester United and Brentford. Incidentally, various statistics also speak in favour of this: For example, United have lost all three games against London-based teams this season.

In addition, ten Hag’s team has been 1-0 down in all three home games so far and has recently suffered two defeats in a row. Three successive defeats at home in the English top flight have not been seen since 1979! There is hope for Marcus Rashford, whose last four Premier League goals have come against London clubs, and Rasmus Hojlund, who scored twice against Galatasaray and is finding his feet in Manchester.

Predicted Manchester United line-up:

Brentford – Statistics & current form

For a month and a half Brentford Football Club have been waiting for a full Premier League win. The 3-0 away win at Fulham on 19 August was the only win the Bees have managed so far this season. However, they have only managed to pick up three points from their last five games. At least they managed to score again at the weekend at Nottingham Forest (1-1) after two defeats in a row.

Four points from three away games are still quite respectable, especially since the only away defeat came in a 1-0 defeat against Champions League participants Newcastle. In the League Cup, too, the Red and Whites only narrowly lost 1-0 at Arsenal FC. These two performances against top teams, who are also in better form than MUFC, underline our assessment that Thomas Frank’s team can definitely be expected to win a point at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, if you fancy the visitors to take all three points from their venerable home ground, the three-way market between Manchester United and Brentford offers great odds of up to 4.80 on the Bwin app.

Brentford could be much further up the table

The fact that the current 14th place in the table does not correspond to the actual performance of the Frank eleven is proven, among other things, by the statistic that the Londoners have already squandered eight (!) points after taking the lead this season. If only six of these eight points were credited to their own account, they would be in sixth place.

On a positive note, no other team in the bottom half of the table has scored more goals than the Red and Whites, who, however, continue to sorely miss their top striker of recent years, Ivan Toney. In his absence, Yoane Wissa has matured into a reasonably reliable replacement. However, the 27-year-old Congolese attacker has now also been without a goal for five Premier League games. Will he and the Bees tie the proverbial knot on Saturday?

Predicted Brentford line-up:

Manchester United – Brentford Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

There have only been ten meetings between these clubs in the Premier League so far. Manchester United lead the direct comparison with six wins, one draw and three defeats. The home side should be cautious, however, as Brentford have won three of their last four encounters with the Manchester club. Away from home, however, the Bees are on a run of five competitive defeats at Old Trafford. It is not out of the question, however, that this negative streak can be ended this weekend.

Manchester United – Brentford Tip

The mood at Manchester United is tense. Some experts assume that Erik ten Hag’s days are already numbered. In fact, recent performances give little encouragement that the Dutchman can turn things around after all. Last weekend, his team lost 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace, and during the week they lost 3-2 at home to Galatasaray. Now the third home defeat in seven days beckons….

Although the bookmakers see Manchester United as clear favourites against Brentford according to the odds, we find it difficult to place a win bet on the massively unsettled record champions. They have already lost six of their ten competitive games this season. MUFC have also trailed 1-0 in all three of their Premier League home games.

Since the Bees have sold themselves short so far and squandered many leads, their position in the table belies their potential. The Londoners are an extremely uncomfortable opponent who will definitely pose problems for United. Our preferred approach is therefore to tip double chance X2 between Manchester United and Brentford