On Sunday, a Manchester United player did not give an interview to a member of the written press for the very first time this season. A few of the players mumbled their responses during the mandatory mixed zone debriefing sessions with the owners of the rights, but they avoided being scrutinized by the written press.

Erik ten Hag had already held court curtly with them in the dressing room, bemoaning the players' lack of self-belief and expressing frustration with their performance. In their unfiltered interviews, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes acted as obedient pupils by repeating their manager's words word for word.

Erik ten Hag showed "respect" to Cristiano Ronaldo during the press conference by providing an odd answer that legislated for Ronaldo's inactive status. The answer was given in the room where the press conference was held. The acquisition of Ronaldo's sweatless shirt was another way that Kevin De Bruyne showed his respect for "the king."

When asked about Eriksen supposedly following Erling Haaland, Ten Hag reacted angrily. Ten Hag appeared to be the only person in the Etihad who was unaware of Eriksen's attempt to control Haaland, which was about as resistant as plaster being able to withstand a sledgehammer. Ten Hag admitted that United were "hammered," and only time will tell if he decides to take out his frustrations on the team.

Ten Hag should already have a clear picture in his head of the lineup that he will use against Everton on Sunday despite the fact that their most recent adventure in their Europa League odyssey has allowed them to appease Ronaldo, give Anthony Martial a start, recall Casemiro, and test out other players. Those who were granted access to United's Carrington training complex quickly realized that the word "clear" is Ten Hag's preferred noun.

It is likely that the United team that will be competing at Goodison Park will confirm that decisions were made with City rather than Cyprus in mind. The Premier League serves as a barometer of United's development, and the derby was an afternoon of regression, resulting in a thrashing that was unexpected by most. Ten Hag being the last on the list.

The generational low point of Brentford was met with an authoritative response from him. The peculiar power struggle that had been going on between Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo was rendered moot when both players were benched for United's match against Liverpool. Additionally, United's defense took on a more continental flavor, and the team came out on top with a resounding victory.

Tyrell Malacia, the aforementioned recruit who excelled on his full debut against Mohamed Salah, was subjected to a more harrowing first half as City's left back than Patrice Evra was in 2006, but he did not receive any protection from Jadon Sancho due to the latter's carefree play.

It had been two years since Manchester United had last conceded six goals to Tottenham, and the Manchester Evening News reported in the aftermath that Spurs targeted the full-backs because, according to a source from Tottenham, "United's wingers don't like to defend." Tuesday marked the anniversary of that match. There hasn't been much of a shift.

There must be a special ingredient in the water that they use at United. The superstars of City play as if their lives depend on it, but they just can't seem to satisfy their demanding coach. United has evolved into a luxury.

Due to the fact that Ten Hag has been so decisive, it was widely considered to be in the best interest of the team to start Marcus Rashford, an unconvincing center forward, at the weekend's game instead of the game's greatest center forward. Even though he did not win the award given out by his club for player of the month in September, Rashford was still given the player of the month award last week. He finished the month with three goals and two assists. When they played City, he showed everyone why those goals came after he was moved to the left wing. He scored two of them.

After the newly printed teamsheets were passed out, numerous members of the press had a favorable impression of United. The best central defenders for City were on the substitutes' bench, and Rodri was not playing. Rashford is the textbook example of a false nine because he was unable to assert himself physically against Akanji and Nathan Ake.

Sancho has struggled through the majority of games this season, but he has saved a couple of them with important goals. United needs to keep their fingers crossed that Antony does not follow in the footsteps of Sancho and Rashford and become erratic after spending two years learning under Ten Hag in Amsterdam.

Even though Antony has only been playing for Old Trafford for a little over a month, his impacts have been all over the place. His goal against City did not protect him from another pointed post that Paul Scholes made on Instagram, in which he reflected on the protection that David Beckham and Ryan Giggs provided for their full-backs.

After Chelsea's elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Atletico Madrid in 2014, Jose Mourinho was criticized by some for expressing regret over Eden Hazard's unwillingness to track back after the match. It is now a requirement for elite wingers to be able to put in a shift in both halves, but United's wingers have not evolved to meet this requirement.

Once again, the most important problem at United is the most important problem, which is the lack of it. They have thrown hundreds of millions of pounds at the problem, but they have not been able to master a skill that is easy to choreograph despite the fact that the manager and the players are of any nationality. Martial, Sancho, and Antony were acquired by United for a total of £216.41 million.

On the preseason tour in Perth, a senior United source mentioned how impressive Martial timed his presses, and his availability merits a recall at this week's training session. After scoring only eight goals for United in the previous two seasons, the No. 9's time on the field may be coming to an end.

Martial scored his first goals for Manchester United in exactly one year on Sunday, and his last goals for the club came against Everton, the team he has scored more goals against than any other opponent. It is not surprising that he decided to stop in the Etihad mixed zone.