For the first time this season, a Manchester United player did not chat to the written press on Sunday. A few players mumbled answers in their obligatory mixed zone debriefs with the rights holders but skipped scrutiny from the written press.
Erik ten Hag had already held court curtly with them in the dressing room, lamenting the players’ lack of self-belief. Like obedient pupils, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes echoed their manager verbatim in their raw interviews.
In the press conference room, Erik ten Hag offered his “respect” to Cristiano Ronaldo with a peculiar answer legislating for his unused status. Kevin De Bruyne also paid his respect to ‘the king’ by obtaining Ronaldo’s sweatless shirt.
Read more: Ten Hag gives injury update on three players
Ten Hag bristled at a question about Eriksen marking Erling Haaland. Ten Hag seemed to be the last person in the Etihad aware of Eriksen’s attempt to handle Haaland, about as resistant as plaster withstanding a sledgehammer. Ten Hag admitted United were "hammered" and time will tell if he takes a hatchet to the team.
As useful as the latest venture in their Europa League odyssey is to placate Ronaldo, grant Anthony Martial a start, recall Casemiro and trial other personnel, Ten Hag should already have a clear picture of his line-up at Everton on Sunday. Those invited into United’s Carrington training complex quickly noticed “clear” is Ten Hag’s favoured noun.
The United team at Goodison Park will likely confirm decisions were made based on City rather than Cyprus. The Premier League is the gauge of United's progress and the derby was a regressive afternoon, a thrashing few anticipated. Least of all, Ten Hag.
His response to the generational nadir of Brentford was authoritative. The peculiar power struggle between Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo was rendered moot as both were dropped against Liverpool, a new recruit was entrusted, the defence of a continental flavour and United won buoyantly.
Tyrell Malacia, said recruit who shone on his full debut against Mohamed Salah, endured a more chastening first-half at left-back at City than Patrice Evra in 2006, but was devoid of protection from the lax Jadon Sancho.
Tuesday marked two years since United last sieved six goals against Tottenham and the Manchester Evening News reported in the aftermath Spurs targeted the full-backs as "United's wingers don't like to defend", according to a Tottenham source. Not much has changed.
There has to be something in the water at United. City's superstars work like demons and cannot do enough to please their demanding coach. United's become luxuries.
Such has been Ten Hag's decisiveness it was widely regarded as advisable to start Marcus Rashford, an unconvincing centre forward, ahead of the game's greatest centre forward at the weekend. Rashford, last week awarded the player of the month award when he was not the recipient of his club's equivalent, had still tallied three goals and two assists in September. Against City, he reminded everyone why those goals came after he was relocated to the left wing.
When the freshly-printed teamsheets were distributed, many members of the press fancied United. City's best centre-backs were on the bench and there was no Rodri. Rashford failed to impose himself against Akanji and Nathan Ake; the very definition of a false nine.
Sancho has meandered through most matches this season, salvaging a couple with key goals. Sancho and Rashford are too fitful and United have to hope Antony does not go the same way after a two-year apprenticeship under Ten Hag in Amsterdam.
Antony's impacts have also been sporadic though he is barely a month into his Old Trafford career. His fine goal at City did not shield him from another blunt Paul Scholes Instagram post as he reminisced about the protection David Beckham and Ryan Giggs gave their full-backs.
Jose Mourinho was scolded by some for lamenting Eden Hazard's reluctance to track back after Chelsea’s ejection from the Champions League to Atletico Madrid in 2014. It is now a prerequisite for the elite wingers to put in a shift in both halves and United's have not modernised.
Once more, the pressing issue at United is the pressing, or lack of it. Whoever the manager is and the players are, they cannot master a skill that is simple to choreograph despite throwing hundreds of millions of pounds at the problem. United invested £216.41million in Martial, Sancho and Antony.
A senior United source noted on the pre-season tour in Perth how impressive Martial timed his presses and his availability merits a recall this week. The No.9’s number might not be up after only eight United goals in the last two seasons.
Martial’s goals on Sunday were his first for United in exactly a year and the last was against Everton, the team he has scored more often against than any other. Little wonder he stopped in the Etihad mixed zone.
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