The 2023-24 season is over and it was pretty subpar as far as Manchester United are concerned. By their lofty standards, the campaign could be deemed disappointing, and that is despite their FA Cup triumph against Man City in the last match of the season which helped them to salvage some pride.
While city-rivals Manchester City celebrated their fourth consecutive Premier League title in style, United had a substandard campaign. The Red Devils performed really badly in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
How Manchester United Performed In the 2023-24 Season:
The Red Devils finished eighth in the Premier League, their worst-ever finish in the Premier League era, but their FA Cup triumph ensured their participation in next season’s UEFA Europa League. The club ended with 60 points in their 38 matches (18 wins, 6 draws and 14 defeats), their second-lowest points tally in the Premier League.
Astonishingly, their goal difference was -1 at the end of the season, another all-time low as they scored 57 and conceded 58 goals in all. To sum it up, the team’s performance was abysmal in the league.
In an even more disappointing performance, United finished at the bottom of their group in the UEFA Champions League. They earned only four points in their six matches in the group – by winning a match, drawing another and losing the remaining four. Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray were the other three teams in the group, with Bayern and Copenhagen progressing to the next round.
However, in the FA Cup, Manchester United won all of their six matches (one of them on penalties) to win the title. They beat Manchester City 2-1 in the final. On the other hand, Erik ten Hag’s men lost 0-3 to Newcastle United in the fourth round of the EFL Cup to bow out of the tournament.
Thus, in all, Manchester United played 52 matches in the 2023-24 season and won just 26 of them. They lost in 19 and managed to draw the remaining 7 matches. Their winning record was exactly 50% in the campaign. Rasmus Hojlund was the top-scorer for the club with 16 goals, including 10 in the Premier League (stats via Transfermarkt).
Playing Style, Tactics and Performers:
Manchester United predominantly played with a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout the season. However, there were occasions, like during the extra time of the FA Cup quarterfinal against Liverpool, when they played with a back-three.
A number of their players played in different positions throughout the season. Bruno Fernandes, who was supposed to play as the No. 10, played as a false nine at times, including in the FA Cup final. Scott McTominay also shuffled between playing as a defensive midfielder to playing as a No. 10.
Then there was Casemiro, who had to fill in as a centre-back, often with undesirable results. In fact, with prolonged injuries to the likes of Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez, alongside niggling injuries to Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire, Ten Hag had to use different permutations and combinations in his defense.
Jonny Evans, the 36-year-old centre-back, who was supposed to be a last-ditch backup for the team, ended up playing 30 matches in the campaign for the Red Devils. Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane also played in a lot of matches for them.
Moreover, the Dutch manager dropped last season’s star player, Marcus Rashford, from the playing XI during the latter stages of the campaign. Youngsters Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo and Rasmus Hojlund were played as the primary front-three.
However, United’s main style of play remained a counter-attacking one, with their defenders and midfielders playing long balls to the forwards, who had the task to put the ball into the net. Nevertheless, Ten Hag’s men often faced problems in breaking down defences of smaller teams in the Premier League.
At times, the Red Devils were undoubtedly second-best against lowly oppositions, with the latter managing more attempts at goal than themselves. Meanwhile, McTominay, Casemiro and Maguire, each of whom is primarily a player with defensive roles, scored 10, 5 and 4 goals, respectively, for United this season.
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One common feature for Manchester United in a number of matches in the 2023-24 season was the ability of their defensive players to score important goals like equalisers and match-winners from set-pieces. Without that happening, United’s season could have been even more disastrous.
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