Christmas Circus at Manchester United
The festive period brought a series of interesting events for the Red Devils, chiefly the sacking of their ‘tactically rigid’ i.e. stubborn manager Ruben Amorim. It cannot be said that Amorim did not do his level best to bring the mighty Manchester United back to the promised land, but a loss in last season’s Europa League final should have been the final nail in the coffin for Amorim. As little as a few months ago football fans around the world were certain that Manchester United would never win another game and that Amorim couldn’t manage his way out of a paper bag. Then came the calm. Results began to stick, and the Portuguese coach’s adherence to his favored 3421 formation was buoyed by a slew of average results skewing to the slightly positive.
A 1-1 draw with West Ham that was uneventful outside of a rare strike from Diogo Dalot was followed by a reassured 4-1 thrashing away at Wolves, with a brace for Portuguese Magnifico Bruno Fernandes as well as solitary goals from Mbuemo and Mount enough to convincingly put away the match. The next match was a season-best contender 4-4 bout with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. Scoring four fantastic goals, including a stellar free kick from Bruno Fernandes, was not enough to hold the Cherries at bay and the Red Devils limped to their 2nd draw in 3 matches. It’s a sign of the work done by Amorim to steady the ship that a stretch of 3 games unbeaten is now disappointing, but things came crashing back to reality with the narrow loss to Aston Villa.
United were not entirely out of the match, with 6 shots on target for an xG of 1.33 to the Villan’s 1.54, but it was easy to see that the Red Devils have yet to figure out how to consistently shift up a gear and put a match to bed. Cunha did well to finish the chance that he won through fantastic pressuring of the defense just before the stroke of halftime, but Manchester United were helpless to stop the in-form Morgan Rogers from firing in a second goal to seal the win for Unai Emery’s men.
Ruben Amorim had the team bounce back from the Villa loss with a notable formation change to a back 4. A World Class volley from Patrick Dorgu (now freed from his defensive duties as a marauding winger) was enough to seal the sole Boxing Day fixture with a clean sheet for the Red Devils.
United sealed 2025 with one last draw in the home fixture against Wolves via a heavily deflected Joshua Zirkzee strike that was cancelled out just before halftime. Ironically the 3421 system that had gained so much criticism was more successful than the new makeshift back 4.
Amorim’s last game as Manchester United manager came in the draw against Leeds United on January 4th. Opening the new year how they closed the last one, a slick goal scored by Matheus Cunha after a Joshua Zirkzee assist came as a consolation after a Brendan Aaronson opener only a few minutes earlier in the second half at Elland Road.
And then, the press conference.
Amorim loses his cool, reiterating a tune to the effect of being a manager rather than a reductive role as a head coach. In all fairness, if the backroom staff had broken promises to the Portuguese coach then he would be well within his rights to feel cheated out of the burden of responsibility of Manager. The new club model, as many may well be aware, is to sit a head coach or gaffer under a sporting director as to maintain sporting continuity for a club over a period of time. Style, brand, and heritage are key to a football organization connecting with its stakeholders: the fans. The Legacy of a club is as closely maintained by its fans as it is by its owners. In the case of Manchester United, the fans may go a generation or more without sustained success where the fans must keep the spirit alive. United, historically, play sweeping attacking football with individual brilliance from 3-4 players is made possible by the rigor and discipline of there remaining players in a tactically astute system. This is the identity that was first founded by the Busby Babes, then the likes of Keane, Cole, Scholes, Ferdinand, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo, Rooney. Individual brilliance litters the history of Manchester United Football Club, but we have seen for the last several seasons what excessive spending on individual brilliance (and in most cases just potential) with no greater plan or clear direction from the Glazer family other than occasionally enjoying their still profitable commercial asset… or football club.
After Amorims scathing words to the public the club had no choice but to let him loose. In all honesty the cracks were really showing after the win against Newcastle. The back 4 was defiantly shifted back to Amorims preferred back 3 when the Red Devils were holding on to their advantage, something that should not be a characteristic of a Manchester United starting 11. They should play fast-flowing full-throttle football with goals galore. While any fan can wish for that, it’s another thing to have seen it be a part of much of the history of your club.
The dismissal of Amorim immediately shifted the near future for Manchester United, with Kobbie Mainoo likely to be a part of any future manager’s plans, and Zirkzee’s potential move back to Italy also in doubt. While Darren Fletcher has the reigns for the time being, odds are on that Michael Carrick takes charge of the club on an interim basis. Fletcher’s first match in charge oversaw an exciting/exhausting tie with Burnley in which Bruno thrived in the 10, Dorgu grabbed another assist, and Sesko looked every bit of the incredible goalscorer that Manchester United hope he will be in the long term. However, Manchester United were victim of a cruel own goal via Ayden Heaven and an incredible strike from Jaiden Anthony that brought the contest to a 2-2 draw. The next match was a routine 2-1 loss to Brighton where a vintage Danny Welbeck proved once again why he should still be playing for the Red Devils. Luckily, this loss was in the FA cup, keeping the “unbeaten” streak of draws in the league in tact on the eve of a league meeting with a much more functional Manchester City side. Though signings like Marmoush are taking a minute to get going, Erling Haaland is still the best striker on the planet not named Kylian Mbappe. Whoever sits in the Manchester United defense against their city rivals should also be well aware of the resurgence of Phil Foden and the empirical technique of Rayan Cherki, who himself has a bone to pick with United after they robbed Lyon of a chance at the Europa League last season.
