Manchester United winning seven points from five Premier League games and being dumped out of the League Cup by League Two Grimsby Town is in no way “remarkable”; certainly not in the way Rio Ferdinand suggests it is.
What’s actually “remarkable” is that one of the club’s most highly-decorated former footballers believes it represents a surprisingly good start to the season, which we’re guessing is what he’s using the word to mean.
“I am not jumping and punching the air, going crazy because we still lack that consistency,” he told Mirror.
“But I think the run of games that we have had, I think there is nobody in the league who has had a harder start to the season in terms of opponents. But, to get seven points like that was rather remarkable really and I think that’s a positive to take out of it.
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“At the same time, as a football club, you only really get taken seriously when you show a level of consistency with results and I think that is something which is a definite ask and demand of these players.
“Maybe [the start would look better if they hadn’t lost to Grimsby] but I think you are seeing a lot of positives in the games here and there but just not the consistency.
“You are seeing glimpses and moments that these players can introduce where you go: ‘Oh wow that is brilliant,’ but to be a successful side you need that consistency with that and that is what this team needs to do.”
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While we’re not as convinced as Ferdinand that there have been “a lot of positives” in the United games we’ve seen so far, we accept that point of view. There have indeed been small signs of progress.
But seven points from a possible 15 being “remarkable”, even with opponents considered, is damning evidence of just how far Manchester United’s stock has fallen in the eyes of a man who was programmed to accept nothing but victory in his time at Old Trafford.
Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in the first five is a difficult start to the campaign, but they squeaked past Burnley and only managed a draw with Fulham.
The only really positive result and performance came against Chelsea last time out and that was hardly an endorsement of Ruben Amorim’s formation or tactics, more an indication that his players are yet to down tools as Robert Sanchez and Enzo Maresca gave them a huge helping hand.
We’re not saying seven points is terrible; maybe par? It’s certainly not “remarkable”. This Is Manchester United.
