The Weekly Take, Issue 241: The Momentum Grinds to a Halt

After returning from the World Cup, Manchester United entered by far their best stretch of form this season. Many of their players turned in impressive showings when representing their respective countries in Qatar; they proceeded to take this form back with them to Old Trafford. The Red Devils would then register victory after victory, climbing the Premier League table at a rapid pace - so much so that they came from far behind to enter a tussle for second place with cross-town rivals Manchester City as well as this season's surprise package Newcastle United.

However, United's excellent run of form was derailed with a 3-2 loss against runaway league leaders Arsenal in the most recent league matchday. Marcus Rashford's opener for United was matched by Gunners striker Eddie Nketiah seven minutes later. Bukayo Saka put Arsenal ahead after the break, but United soon equalized through a Lisandro Martínez goal. In the last minute of regulation time, Nketiah scored his second of the match to clinch all three points for the North London club who have all but sealed their first league title in 19 years.

Although United have shown clear improvements as the season has progressed, this match clearly showed that any thoughts of winning the league for the first time since 2013 are clearly nothing but wishful thinking. United, who are now 11 points behind Arsenal despite having played an additional match, were outplayed for large portions of the match and were somewhat fortunate to have been hanging on until the closing stages.

A case could be made that United lost the match before it even began. In United's prior league match against Crystal Palace, defensive midfielder Casemiro received a yellow card. It was the Brazilian's fifth booking of the season; he was thus suspended for the match against Arsenal. Although his replacement Scott McTominay did not make any crucial errors or cost his team any major goalscoring opportunities, it was obvious that his level of play was not even close to what Casemiro would have likely provided.

Up front, United's new loan signing Wout Weghorst was extremely disappointing. The Dutch centre-forward who is spending the rest of the season on loan from Burnley struggled from opening kick-off to the final whistle. Many United fans were highly skeptical of the club's acquisition of Weghorst; unfortunately for them, their trepidation has so far been justified. While United have lacked a high-quality centre-forward for quite some time now, even just these two matches have clearly proven that Weghorst is not the solution. There is little to no chance that United will make Weghorst a full-time player at the end of the season.

For the second match in a row, United dropped points after conceding a late goal. In their match against Crystal Palace, United let a win turn into a draw after conceding a stoppage-time goal. If United are to overhaul Newcastle or potentially even City, they absolutely cannot afford any more of the like. United's recent poor play in the dying moments of matches shows a lack of focus and organization - something which will undoubtedly have to be addressed if United are to make a serious push back up the table.

There is still just over a week left in the January transfer window. Perhaps the time might now be right for United to make a key signing. Having likely already bungled their centre-forward spot, landing a new starting full-back should now be United's priority. Outside of Diogo Dalot, United do not have any full-backs who are up to the standard of a starter on a team challenging for a Premier League title. It's evident that none among Luke Shaw, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Tyrell Malacia are good enough to be the long-term solution at full-back.

For all the hype that Manchester United had deservedly generated in the weeks leading up to the match against Arsenal, the fact remains that this team is still a work in progress. However, if things do not change soon, United could be stuck in that limbo of "being one piece away" while never actually landing that piece for who knows how long. Though there were several positives to be taken away from this match, there were also as many, if not more, questions left unanswered.