Peter Schmeichel was never shy of pointing fingers at his defenders when he kept goal for Manchester United - and he's now not afraid to do similar as a pundit.
'The Great Dane' is an iconic figure at Old Trafford, as famous for his explosive temper as he was his imposing presence between the sticks. And in eight seasons with the club under Sir Alex Ferguson, he helped inspire five Premier League title wins, not to mention three FA Cup triumphs, a League Cup, and famously the Champions League in 1999.
So little surprise then, that the 59-year-old has grown frustrated by the erratic form of the current crop. Following the harrowing Europa League exit in Sevilla, he claimed the players "should be embarrassed" as they were dumped out 3-0.
And he again took aim on Thursday night, after United blew a 2-0 lead at Tottenham. Goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford had Erik ten Hag's men in control at half time, only for Spurs to dominate matters thereafter as Pedro Porro and Son Heung-Min struck to salvage a 2-2 draw.
"With Varane and Martinez out, defensively we are a bit vulnerable," Schmeichel told Premier League Productions, as he analysed Porro's goal: "First of all, there is no pressure on the cross, they should stop the cross at birth really, and then nobody follows in.
"Lindelof is half a centre-half, half a full-back and Luke Shaw is a full-back and they are drawn towards the ball, they are not drawn to marking spaces or players. And that second goal, I don’t know what Malacia is doing."
Indeed, the left back was beaten down the right by Harry Kane before the striker squared a pass across goal, leaving Son was the simplest of finishes: "The ball runs straight past him and he just looks at it," ranted Schmeichel. "You have just come on, you have to make some sort of impact, you have a job to do."
Ten Hag wasn't spared his wrath either. Introducing Malacia was one of four changes made by the Dutch boss whilst his wide were ahead, a move that confused the former stopper: "I’m not sure why he took Wan-Bissaka off because he was really good today," he said. "We’re 2-1 up, you don’t change it, it is not that bad where you take your best defender off."
United remain in pole position for a return to the Champions League though, lying fourth with a six point cushion over Thursday's opponents. And there's ample motivation for players still there, with each due a 20 percent pay rise if they dine at Europe's top table again.
