The FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Manchester United ended in sadness for Manchester United this afternoon at Wembley Stadium, and Erik ten Hag will undoubtedly be upset with his team’s performance.
The Red Devils were on track to complete the domestic double after winning the League Cup earlier this year, but it wasn’t meant to be on the day as the unmistakable might of their local rivals manifested itself in only a few seconds of the match’s start in London.
With just 40% possession, fewer shots on target (3 v 5), fewer accurate passes completed (267 v 450), fewer duels won (40 v 48), and fewer tackles completed (11 v 19), United struggled to control any area of the pitch during the historic occasion. This demonstrated that Ten Hag’s team was outplayed in both attacking and defensive play.
Ilkay Gundogan’s breathtaking volley gave the Sky Blues the lead and set the record for the fastest FA Cup goal in competition history in the first half. No one could have expected that Man City would be smashing records barely 12 seconds into the Wembley match.
After the German goal, the spotlight was stolen by VAR and the officials’ decisions. Jack Grealish was given a penalty for a contentious handball in the box, giving the Red Devils the chance to tie the score in the 33rd minute through Bruno Fernandes’ conversion of the resulting penalty kick.
The Red Devils were punished by Gundogan early in the second half with a second goal, which he scored to retake the lead and ultimately win the game, giving the club its seventh FA Cup.
The Champions League appearance and trophy won by his team this season will make Ten Hag proud, but this afternoon’s game will serve as a reminder that the club is still in the midst of a rebuild and that some players must be offloaded.
In relation to Manchester City, how did Fred fare?
The Brazilian midfielder, who cost £47 million when he was acquired in 2018, has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford, and if rumours are to be believed, he may be one of the players who are shown the exit doors this summer.
Declan Rice, Manuel Ugarte, and Mateo Kovacic have all been mentioned as potential targets for the Dutch manager this summer, and the midfielder did himself no favours by staking his claim to stay in this afternoon’s game at Wembley. Fred has been linked with a number of midfielders who could be set to replace him.
Over the course of his 90-minute performance, the 30-year-old loser lost 81% of his duels (3/16), mishandled 100% of his crosses, misplaced possession of the ball ten times, was dribbled past twice, and failed in 100% of his dribble efforts.
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While Fred cannot be held entirely responsible for Man United’s lacklustre performance at Wembley, it is painfully clear that the team is in desperate need of a player with more vigour and who can better handle the ball moving forward.
To prevent their chase of trophies and supremacy from stagnating again the next season, Ten Hag must examine his starting players carefully and have them make improvements in crucial areas. Fred should be one of the players who never again dons the jersey.
