“We’ve shown in the last two years that we win and I’ve shown in my career that I always win.”
The words in bold of Erik ten Hag from the start of the season sounds more deluded than defiant with the benefit of hindsight. The Dutch coach did not make it to the November international break like his nightmare campaign it was concluded late before Halloween.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has also been promoted discardedmaking way for another new era as Ruben Amorim gleefully wraps his lips around the poisoned chalice. Before the club’s latest savior takes over, here’s a look at the state of the side he’s inheriting.
|
Games played (all compositions) |
win |
draws |
losses |
goal difference |
League position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
18 |
7 |
7 |
4 |
+12 |
13th |
To say that Manchester UnitedThe start of the season has been bad would be an understatement. After the first ten top-flight games of the campaign, United boasted just 12 points, the club’s lowest return in the Premier League era.
Van Nistelrooy signed his temporary spell with a win over newly promoted Leicester City, but the Red Devils are still in 13th place, closer to bottom-of-the-table Southampton than league leaders Liverpool.
One of the most recent issues Among the litany that blighted Ten Hag’s reign at Old Trafford is an inability to finish chances. United have scored just 12 goals in 11 league games, as many as Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has managed himself.
The three-time European champions have also fought continentally. After opening their Europa League campaign with three consistently underwhelming draws, United picked up a first home win against Greek side PAOK in November. With only half of the league stage remaining, United sit 15th in a 36-team table.
Picking the best player in United’s battered squad is like deciphering the hairiest bald man. In a summer that saw the return of the Manchester institution Have Hag with an investment of almost £180 million, the cheapest arrival has certainly been the best.
Noussair Mazraoui slotted instantly into United’s backline, putting in a solid if unspectacular display first weekend against Fulham just three days after his £15m signing was confirmed. Alexandre Garnacho came off the bench that night to set up Joshua Zirkzee’s winner and has established himself as a regular at the end of the pitch.
Although his relationship with the fan base It has been tense at times this term, the Argentine is the only player in the squad with more than four goals. Amad Diallo has bolstered his modest goal tally in recent weeks with a flurry of brilliant cameos while in goal Andrew Onan he has avoided the mistakes that defined his debut season.
United spent almost £100m on two players who only have three Premier League it starts with them. Although Leny Yoro has the justifiable explanation of a preseason injury to fall on, Manuel Ugarte he has no easy excuse.
Paris Saint-Germain’s £42m recruit started just once under Erik ten Hag, moving like a supermarket trolley with a broken wheel as Tottenham Hotspur went to a Victory 3-0. Ugarte had more chances under Van Nistelrooy, but it only served to expose his lack of confidence in possession under pressure. The former Sporting CP midfielder will be with great hope upon the arrival of his former coach, Amorim.
Bruno Fernandes He has enjoyed a recent upswing in form, but a penalty and three goals against the Championship winners does little to distract from a dismal opening three months. The Portuguese playmaker created just eight chances in his first eight league appearances of the season; by comparison, he averaged more than three per game last season.
Unlike Fernandes, Marcus Rashford he is still waiting to rediscover his old self. The desperately untidy striker remains locked in a Premier League goal despite featuring in every game this season: 68 players have outscored Rashford this season.
Matthijs de Ligt i Joshua Zirkzee they have not lived up to their high prices Anthony it is used as little more than a measuring stick for historical transfer failures these days.
Amorim hadn’t even landed in Manchester when it was lowering expectations. After leading Sporting to a 4-1 Champions League win over Manchester City at the start of November, the Portuguese sensation warned: “We can’t transport one reality into another. Manchester United can’t play like we play it and we will have to adapt.”
These adjustments may take some time, given the considerable difference between Amorim’s ideals and the current composition of United’s squad. Ten Hag certainly never implemented their preferred style of play throughout their two and a half year run.
while The arrival of Amorim will likely inspire some kind of superior production (history suggests that any bad run of results is invariably followed by regression to the mean); any sustained improvement will be difficult.
Amorim comes with a high reputation full of achievements. But, as Ten Hag was only too eager to point out, he also arrived at Old Trafford with a huge trophy cabinet.
