Gulp. I think we all expected another tough season but I don’t think many anticipated the R word might become a possibility at any point. In true modern-day United fashion, everything that can go wrong is currently going wrong and the team (predictably) looks utterly bamboozled by the demands of the new manager. If Ruben Amorim wasn’t aware of the size of the task ahead of him when he first joined the club then he certainly is now.
Talk of relegation is probably being dramatic but it’s fair to say the club has sunk to its lowest ebb since the late-80s. Changing the manager mid-season was incredibly risky, especially considering how Amorim was determined to impose a new formation on a group of players who routinely make the very basics of football look mind-bendingly difficult. The PL is an unforgiving environment to try out new ideas and opponents have been quick to capitalise on the general air of confusion. Honestly Ruben, a 5 minute chat with literally anyone who’s watched us for the last 2-3 years could have warned you of this.
Some of the things witnessed over the last month or so have defied belief. I’ve been following United for over 4 decades and I’ve never seen a goal scored direct from a corner – yet somehow we contrived to concede in this manner in consecutive games. This came after the debacle at Arsenal where Onana, faced with Arsenal’s much vaunted corner kick routine, decided that the best way of dealing with it was to stand rooted to his goal line as opposed to attempting a clearance or god forbid, catching the thing. It was utterly pathetic.
Amorim’s attempts to rotate and give everyone a fair opportunity haven’t really worked and if anything, have only added to the chaos. It’s not entirely his fault as out of the squad he took over only Amad and Mazraoui have shown the slightest bit of form over the last few months. The rest of them have been mainly atrocious since the start of the season. Ten Hag got criticised for being aloof and taking the hardline approach and Amorim seems similarly unperturbed about ruffling feathers. I’m absolutely fine with that, personally – though I don’t expect it will end well for him.
The decision to remove Marcus Rashford from the starting XL came as no surprise as rumours about his discipline and re-fuelling habits have persisted longer than his decline in form. Although I appreciate Amorim trying to make it clear about what is and what isn’t acceptable, I don’t see him winning this particular battle. Rashford knows he has the club by the balls and is free to decide his own future. Whilst I’m sure the club are regretting that long term contract signed in July 2023 and would love to get him off the books, I don’t see anyone outside of Saudi willing to stump up £50M+ and take on his extortionate wages.
Rashford seems to be in full denial of his own shortcomings, hence the now trademark sulky demeanour and lack of application on the pitch. It’s Sancho all over again – mollycoddled player refusing to accept that responsibility is ultimately theirs despite the club bending over backwards to try and accommodate them. Multiple warnings, 2nd chances, pat on the back, arm round the shoulder, blah blah – all for nothing. Meanwhile the player’s personal failings remain unaddressed as their ‘advisors’, the people paid a huge chunk to guide these young millionaires through their careers, only enhance their sense of entitlement by convincing them their conduct is justified and it’s everyone else who’s in the wrong.
That’s essentially why I’ve lost it with Rashford and there’s no going back whatever happens in future. It’s nothing to do with his skin colour, dress sense or choice of holiday destination. I couldn’t care less about where he was born or the fact he’s been at the club since he was a toddler, it just makes his career decline all the more disappointing. Compare and contrast with Diogo Dalot, a limited talent by comparison and often a defensive liability but you could never question his commitment or desire to play for United. Yes, he’s a bit of a knobhead going round hi-fiving all and sundry but if his more-esteemed colleagues matched his energy and enthusiasm I suspect we’d be a lot higher than 14th in the table.
The Rashford contract was another Arnold/Murtough cock-up that will continue to have repercussions until it expires in 2028. And it will expire, because he’ll never sign another like it unless he decides to accept the Saudi lucre earlier than planned. The latest round of briefings from his camp were careful to state that as well as rejecting 3 offers so far he is also (surprise, surprise) “open to staying at United”. Of course he is. We can only hope the club holds its nerve and continues to back Amorim during this current stand-off. Ineos haven’t got very much right in recent months but they at least backed Ten Hag after he decided to dispense with Sancho under similar circumstances.
The Newcastle game was another low point, one that most would have predicted once news broke that Amorim was starting Casemiro and Erikson in midfield together. Again, a deeply flawed decision that was always likely to backfire spectacularly. Zirkzee was hooked and bore the brunt of the OT crowd’s frustration, unceremoniously booed off after only half an hour. Obviously, this was out of order and provided terrible optics to amplify what was an already dire situation. I mean, it’s not his fault is it? He might well be useless and not last very long here but he’s just the latest in a long line of questionable signings. I know everything is crap at present, but let’s not lose the plot completely.
The almost relentless doom of the last month was at least punctuated by a couple of encouraging performances. The unexpected injury time win at the Etihad was possibly eclipsed by a very credible point at Anfield where the team demonstrated what they can achieve once everyone applies themselves. It was our best performance of the season by a distance with players snapping into tackles and leaving everything out on the pitch. We very unlucky not to sneak the 3 points in the end and hopefully sets a benchmark for what needs to be repeated over the coming months.
These are still the early days of Amorim’s reign and it’s been a rocky start to say the least. He’s taken over a struggling team that’s an uneven mix of kids, new signings and a fair few who know they’ll be shipped out once their contracts are up. I don’t think we’re as bad as the league position suggests but it’s clear he has a job on his hands trying to build a team out of what he’s inherited. Honestly, I don’t know where we go from here given the schizophrenic nature of most of these players. I hope they step up for him but honestly, it wouldn’t be a shock if it blew up in his face and he was canned before the end of the season. Who knows what’s coming next.
Copyright Red News – January 2025
carlosartorial 