There will be talk of Ruben Amorim needing ‘four or five transfer windows to turn things around at Manchester United’ but the embarrassing weeds must be removed before anything is planted.
That there exists an actual group of sentient beings who, when encountered with this shameful iteration of Manchester United, feel compelled to apportion any responsibility on Ruben Amorim is incredible. The way they believe it is in any way normal to have ‘lost faith’ in a coach who responded to this dumpster fire emergency call 45 days ago is astonishing.
The only thing Amorim can possibly be blamed for at this early juncture is his enthusiasm in drinking so readily from a poisoned chalice overflowing with incompetence and ineptitude. From pitch to boardroom, Manchester United are a shuddering shambles of a football club.
“We are going to have difficult moments and we will be found out in some games, I know that,” said Amorim after the 4-0 win over Everton at the start of December. His reiteration that “the storm will come” was translated in most quarters as a typical cliched warning from a coach wanting to keep expectations in check, but Amorim knew his forecast was based on precise information: he had these players bang to rights before he inherited them.
Even in the obscured and foggy Molineux conditions the innumerable faults in this team were clear. Its mere composition is a mess of ideas but wrapped within that are subplots of negligence, individual anecdotes of failure.
Andre Onana, far from their biggest problem, has nevertheless retained an infuriating knack for individual mistakes. Harry Maguire should be commended for his resilience in bouncing back to regain his starting place but the fact he has been able to should embarrass a handful of teammates. Kobbie Mainoo has been leaned on so relentlessly at such a precocious stage in his development as to render him a shadow of his former self. Rasmus Hojlund was breathtakingly anonymous with no support, a clause which has seemingly been written into his contract to prevent any viable alternatives from ever being signed.
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Amad has had his brilliance and exuberance neutered in remarkably quick fashion. Alejandro Garnacho similarly once looked like a silver lining to this dark cloud of a club but a humiliating cameo saw him muscled off the ball for the second goal when he was going nowhere. Antony being given meaningful minutes and actually looking like Manchester United’s best forward is a damning indictment on all involved, not least the exiled Marcus Rashford.
Manuel Ugarte was good but received a suspension-incurring fifth booking of the season for needlessly delaying a free-kick, while Leny Yoro impressed in flashes but was also given a yellow after being beaten by Matheus Cunha.
There can be frustration that the man of the match should not really have been playing. That Cunha remains eligible despite quite obviously being in line for some sort of ban after his actions against Ipswich is some fine FA nonsense. But he has maximised his minutes by inspiring victory over Leicester before tormenting Manchester United.
A goal, an assist, as many completed dribbles (four) as the 16 visiting players managed combined and more tackles (four) than all bar Ugarte, Toti Gomes and Andre represented a fine evening’s work even before taking into account it was he who bought the bookings for Yoro and Bruno Fernandes.
A teenage defender with fewer than 70 senior career appearances walked that disciplinary tightrope for more than 90 minutes but the humbled captain of this sorry ship was desperate to jump off the deep end within about half an hour. Any sympathy due to Fernandes for a soft first yellow was rendered moot with a frankly stupid challenge on Nelson Semedo straight after half-time, an additional plan-ruining flourish Amorim would no doubt have greatly appreciated.
The role of a captain is hilariously overblown in the modern game but equally Fernandes being Manchester United’s in 2024 is incredibly apt. Rarely is such an obvious talent undermined by itself out of eagerness to be seen to care. Nowhere else is consistent petulance and a costly temper rewarded so handsomely. Fernandes set his own trap with a dreadful first touch but he was itching to dive in, studs first to Semedo’s leg and ankle, just to show the supporters that he is trying to do something.
Beyond the question as to whether Fernandes fits into the Amorim regime tactically, a conversation must be had to decide if he is a good enough fit temperamentally and in terms of character.
The only unknown from there was how this latest implosion would play out, because Manchester United were struggling with their best creator and 11 men, never mind ten who were willing to run off the ball but had no idea on it.
It was no surprise to see Arsenal’s latest transfer obsession play a starring role. There was a deliberation about the corner Cunha planted over Onana’s head and an unselfishness which defined his square pass for Hwang Hee-chan to finish Manchester United off in stoppage-time.
But those were welcome addendums to the overall package. Cunha was as tireless in defence as he was tremendous in attack. The first half ended with a Manchester United move breaking down when he tracked back to head the ball to a teammate, while second-half stoppage-time started with him relieving increasing pressure by chasing an aimless pass out to the halfway line to win a throw-in from Noussair Mazraoui.
The first-time Cruyff turn to control a high ball from Jose Sa in his own defensive third when facing his own net to evade two players wasn’t half bad either. It was an uncomfortable enough comparison with Fernandes in a similar position before the match-deciding goal and assist.
Wondering whether Cunha is the sort of player Manchester United need to target moving forward is almost pointless because Amorim must remove the weeds before he starts to plant anything here. The rest of this season should be about finding all the problems before considering solutions. This squad has helped get a succession of managers sacked; at some point a line needs to be drawn and the common denominator divided rather than multiplied.
Amorim might be more pragmatic and deploy a system better suited to these players to get results. He could cater to them, identify rounder pegs for these gaping holes, pick based on talent rather than application. There should be little doubt he is capable of a far better record than four wins and five defeats from his first ten games.
But he knew his appointment represented an attempt to break the cycle and required an extended shot of short-term pain in the hope of long-term gain. Amorim expected nothing different and will assess the reaction of these players, although even he might have been caught off guard by how quickly his predicted storm has turned into a shower of shite.
