Returning from the Lows of Mediocrity: A Guide to Doing ‘Alright’ by Manchester United

It would have been vanity to assume any positivity from salvaging this season for Manchester United several months ago, and yet the Red Devils sit a mere 3 points off the Champions League spots with Matchweek 13 coming to a close.

Plaudits must be given to October’s Premier League Manager of the Month Ruben Amorim, who has managed to guide the once mighty Manchester United to 2 wins, 2 hard-fought draws, and a single loss in the 5 matches since that ecstatic victory against Liverpool.

This run of form began with a thrilling 4-2 win over Brighton that perfectly surmised Manchester United’s season. Matheus Cunha opened his Manchester United account with a cheeky strike from just outside the box after a quick and smart assist from his compatriot Casemiro, who doubled the Red Devil’s lead in the 34th minute following a lucky deflection off a stinging shot from nearly 20 yards out. Bryan Mbeumo put the hosts 3-0 up in the 61st minute after a tidy assist from fellow new signing Benjamin Sesko. Manchester United couldn’t keep their clean sheet for long, however, as a former player came back to haunt them. Brighton talisman and former United academy product Danny Welbeck tucked tin an absolute screamer of a free kick in the 74th minute to give the Seagulls hope for parity, which increased tenfold with summer signing Charalampos Kostoulas’ deft header in the 2nd minute of extra time courtesy of a corner kick from Premier League legend James Milner. United put the contest to bed just 4 minutes later with Mbeumo’s 2nd of goal of the night and an assist that while technically credited to Ayden Heaven could not have been possible without the genius decoy run from Captain Bruno Fernandes.

The following match with Nottingham Forest ended with United salvaging a 2-2 draw thanks to as fine a volley as you’d expect from Amad Diallo in the 81st minute. The diminutive Ivorian has had his moments this season after moving the the right wingback position in Amorim’s trademark 3421 system, and fans should continue to see moments of magic from United’s number 16 for years to come. His wondergoal did well to ease any anger from the fans after the Red Devils capitulated in the span of two minutes early in the second half to give up easy strikes to Savona and Gibbs-White, nullifying Casemiro’s bullet header in the 34th minute that had opened the contest.

The subsequent match saw Manchester United again draw 2-2, this time to Spurs with even later goal drama than the tie against Nottingham Forest. Amad Diallo was again at the center of all things good in Manchester Red after his cross found the head of the mercurial Bryan Mbeumo to strike first in North London. Tottenham weren’t able to respond until late in the 84th minute when Mathys Tel’s strike took a slight deflection off of Matthijs De Ligt. New signing Benjamin Sesko was unfortunately injured with all 5 subs having been used and had to exit the field in the 89th minute. Spurs capitalized on this advantage just over a minute later when Richarlison glanced a header home to deflate the hopes of the away fans. De Ligt got his revenge though in the 6th minute of extra time, heading home a whipped corner from Bruno Fernandes to rescue the match. This made Richarlison the first player in Premier League history to get booked for taking his shirt off thinking he’d celebrated the winner only to concede moments later…twice.

On the surface, the 1-0 loss to Everton looked completely demoralizing. Manchester United’s short unbeaten streak coming to an end, not a goal scored, losing to 10 men, but a closer look tells a different story. United may have been beaten on the day thanks to an incredible goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the 29th minute of the contest, but the circumstances could have been much different had things well and truly gone the way of the underlying numbers. With an xG of 1.71 to Everton’s 0.21, the Red Devils looked to be the better side and created considerably more chances than their Scouse counterparts. Everton were unlucky to have Idrissa Gueye sent off in the 13th minute after slapping his own teammate in the heat of the moment. However, they were then incredibly lucky to score with their only shot on target of just 3 attempts. Everton made a whopping 46 clearances during the match in a scrambling attempt to protect their lead as United peppered the goal with 25 total attempts (6 on target). The only stat that matters, however, is the scoreline. That day, it did not rule in the favor of Manchester United.

The Red Devils bounced back in the following match with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace. Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring in the 36th minute from a retaken penalty after he was adjudged to have ‘double-touched’ the first attempt that he also buried in the net. The guilty party responsible for Mateta’s penalty was his compatriot Leny Yoro, with the young centerback having cut down his fellow Frenchman from behind after losing out to the striker just inside the box. United ended the first half looking a shell of their best selves, and needed a spark to start the second 45 minutes if they had any hope of winning the match. Up stepped Joshua Zirkzee in the 54th minute to slot home a volley off the chest from a nigh impossible angle thanks to a great ball from our Portuguese Magnifico: Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes put the game to bed in the 63’d minute after a deft assist to Mason Mount who thrashed a thunderbolt into the bottom corner from a clever free kick routine to give the Red Devils a 2-1 lead to hold on to. While praise should as well be heaped upon Mount’s performance, no player did a better audition for a starting spot than Joshua Zirkzee. Zirkzee’s link-up play was fluid and technical throughout the match, earning him plaudits from former Arsenal and Crystal Palace striker Ian Wright. Here’s hoping the Dutchman takes his chance with Benjamin Sesko out for the foreseeable future from the injury that forced him off against Spurs.

While being unbeaten in 4 of your last 5 games sounds nice to some, the line between winning and losing is just barely set in the sand for United, ready to be washed away by a wave of negative results that may come from a combination of injuries and losing several key contributors to the AFCON.

The African Cup of Nations is a prestigious and often under appreciated tournament celebrating the pinnacle of African Football. This year’s edition will be held in Morocco from the 21st of December and concludes on the 18th of January. Unfortunately, this period will also coincide with an intense schedule for Manchester United. No player should have to choose between club & country, though October’s Premier League Player of the Month Bryan Mbeumo has made himself as available as possible to ease any burden that may befall United in his absence. The Cameroonian’s final game for the Red Devils before the AFCON comes against Bournemouth on December 15th, and he is slated to miss the following fixtures vs Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Wolves.

With Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui also competing in the tournament for their clubs, things could look shaky a month from now for what will be a short-of-talent Red Devils squad. For now, fans have the tie against West Ham and the return of Matheus Cunha (who has been out with an injury sustained during training) to look forward to. Cunha has not been seen in Manchester Red since the draw with Spurs back on November 8th, and would do well to score against a Hammers side that has handed out wins for the cheap this season.