Yesterday's game between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford was a strange affair.
The visitors dominated the vast majority of the contest, although they failed to take most of the chances they created. In contrast, Erik ten Hag's side did not play well, but they would score two excellent goals. In the end, neither team could argue with the 2-2 scoreline.
Manchester United will probably be the happier of the two sides with the result. They played incredibly poorly in the opening half, and while they did have the lead going into the final ten minutes, they will be relieved to have come away with a point considering the overall balance of the game.
Their supporters would not have been thrilled with the way their team played in this fixture, although their manager had a somewhat more optimistic view.
He would praise his team for their resilience in the game, especially in the first half (a 45 minute where they did not have a single shot on goal). The Dutchman would also big up his side's organisation and approach out of possession, despite the fact that they were criticised heavily by Gary Neville on commentary duty in both of those areas throughout the contest.
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Roy Keane baffled by Erik Ten Hag demeanour after Liverpool draw
Roy Keane was complimentary of the spirit showed by Manchester United to get back into yesterday's game, but that was not to say he was impressed with their overall performance.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the Irishman admitted that he was a bit baffled to see Erik ten Hag be so positive about the display his team had produced on the day.
"Maybe that's just me being a bit old and grumpy" 😅
Roy Keane says he doesn't understand Erik ten Hag's positivity after the performance against Liverpool 🤨 pic.twitter.com/AgJIt2igLU— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 7, 2024
I don't know if he's had a couple of glasses of wine after the game or how strong that is, but he seemed really upbeat. I admire him for it, because he's obviously seeing something that I'm not seeing at this moment in time.
I'm not saying there's not potential at the football club or with these young players, but in terms of competing with Arsenal, Man City, and Liverpool, they are way off it.
They're competing at this moment in time with Aston Villa and Spurs for that fourth or fifth position. At this stage, they're well behind them.
I don't get his positivity, but maybe that's just me being a bit old and grumpy. He's upbeat, but I certainly didn't see that upbeat performance.
It was two very good goals for Man United and they stuck in there and stayed at it, I'll give them credit for that. But if you're looking at the bigger picture, I'm not sitting here going 'Man United are on the way back', far from it...
They play in moments, I'm not sure it's a real team out there. I'm not sitting here thinking 'next season Manchester United will be challenging for league titles'. I just can't see it.
Manchester United's lack of organisation out of possession has been a major issue this season, especially when it comes to stopping opposition counterattacks. Liverpool created a number of chances in this manner yesterday, only to fluff their lines when they got into promising positions.
Roy Keane said that the current United side is playing at a standard that you would expect to see from a mid table team.
"The way Man United are playing is like a mid table team, a small club."
Roy Keane says Manchester United are nowhere near good enough 😤 pic.twitter.com/ow52w9Q7Ec— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 7, 2024
You need those characters, you need those leaders. I keep repeating myself every week on here, but that's what you need from a group of players.
The way Man United are playing is like a mid table team, a small club. You don't know what you're going to get, there's a bit of excitement, but if you want to compete to win the big prizes, you've got turn up week in and week out.
These players don't, the stats tell you that. They've lost 12 games, their goal difference is minus-one or whatever. It's nowhere near good enough.
While this result was a decent one, it did not do much to improve Manchester United's prospects for the remainder of the season. They remain well behind both Aston Villa and Spurs in the race for a Champions League spot.
Erik ten Hag will need to display a real improvement in their performance levels if he is to remain as manager beyond the end of the current campaign.
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