Ross Grubi

🚨 Roy Keane on Manchester United’s humiliating 4–1 defeat to Como: “I’ve watched some dreadful Manchester United performances over the years, but this is right up there. Four one against Como, and I’ll tell you what worries me. It’s not even the scoreline. It’s how easy they’ve made it for the opposition. You watch Como, they’re moving the ball, pressing, winning tackles, getting to second balls. Then you look at United and wonder whether half these lads have ever played competitive football before. There’s no aggression. No urgency. Nobody taking responsibility. And the midfield? My goodness. They’ve started with 4 midfielders. Four. Mount, Tielemans, Santos and Fernandes. And they’ve somehow made it look like Como have an extra three players in there. How does that happen? I was watching one passage where Como lost possession. United won it back, played two passes, and gave it straight back. I thought, ‘Right, maybe that was just a mistake.’ Then they bloody did it again. And again. At one point I genuinely wondered whether United knew which team they were supposed to be passing to. And people will say, ‘Oh, Roy, Como are a good footballing side.’ I don’t care. You’re Manchester United. You’re not supposed to turn up to a Champions League game and spend 90 minutes frightened of the football. 36% possession in the first half. No shots on target. No big chances. Their first shot on target came in the 59 minute. Fifty-nine minutes! What were they doing for the first hour? Sightseeing? But the thing that really annoys me is the physical side. Every loose ball, Como get there first. Every 50-50 challenge, Como come away with it. United players are constantly arriving late, getting turned, getting brushed aside. You don’t need to be world-class to run, compete and make yourself difficult to play against. And then Carrick brings on Baleba. Here’s a lad who’s had injury problems. He wasn’t even fully fit when United brought him in from Brighton. He’s had to work his way back. But within minutes, he’s operating at a different physical level to lads who’ve been playing every week. He’s getting across the pitch, putting himself about, actually getting close enough to opponents to make tackles. And I’m thinking, ‘How is the lad who’s been injured looking fitter than the rest of you?’ That’s a disgrace. People will blame Carrick, and the manager has to take responsibility. The team looks badly organised, the pressing is all over the place. But I’m not letting the players hide behind him. I’ve played in midfield. Some days your passing is poor. You lose possession. Fine. But you can still run. You can still tackle. You can still get back into position. You can still have a bit of pride. These lads lose the ball and stand there watching Como play through them. Where’s the anger? When I played for United, if somebody went past me in midfield, I wanted to get back at him. I couldn’t stand somebody getting the better of me and thinking he could do it again. You look at these players and some seem perfectly happy to let it happen five or six times. And I’ll tell you what, if you’re a Como player tonight, you’d be disappointed when the referee blows the final whistle. Because when are you getting another opportunity to play Manchester United and have this much time on the ball? They’re four goals up and United are still making life comfortable for them. People keep talking about rebuilding Manchester United. New players, new systems, new managers. Before all that, find eleven footballers prepared to compete. Because if you can’t run, can’t win a tackle, can’t keep possession and can’t even make the opposition uncomfortable, what exactly are you bringing to the team? The shirt? That’s not enough. Four-one against Como. And the worst part is, nobody watching can honestly say United were unlucky. They got exactly what they deserved.”