The 2-0 defeat to Newcastle is a seminal moment.
No matter how this plays out, be it Ten Hag-like collapse into disarray or a fairy-tale rise back to the summit of English football, what happened at Old Trafford on Monday evening is etched into the club’s history.
It wasn’t the performance itself, though that was a new nadir. It wasn’t even that the tide appeared to turn during this game, with sympathy for Ruben Amorim dissipating in the face of glaring tactical mistakes.
It was the unthinkable moment when a Manchester United manager openly feared relegation.
"One of the more difficult moments in the history of Manchester United!" 😬
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 30, 2024
Ruben Amorim when asked about the danger of Manchester United entering a relegation scrap 📉 pic.twitter.com/dTFRTj2bvf
“Our club needs a shock and we have to understand that,” Amorim said after the game. “It is also why I speak of relegation. [The possibility] is really clear and we have to fight.
“It is a really difficult moment, one of the more difficult moments in the history of Manchester United and we have to address it with honesty.”
There is such a thing as too much honesty. Amorim has talked eloquently since arriving at Old Trafford but this new attempt to jolt the players into action has exposed his own wounds, and those of the players, to the public.
It’s an almighty risk; either the shock the club needs or the beginning of a death spiral.
“It is also my fault,” he added. “The team is not improving. It is a little bit lost in this moment and it is a bit embarrassing to be Manchester United coach and lose a lot of games.”
Amorim is turning inwards just as the spotlight moves onto his strategy.
Until now the mess has been packaged as inherited, the new head coach blameless. But as United’s form dips below even Ten Hag’s worst point that narrative cannot hold.
Man Utd’s six defeats in December is their most in a single calendar month since 1930. They’ve lost three consecutive league games at Old Trafford for the first time since 1979.
Only Southampton have lost more games in all competitions since Amorim’s first game in charge.
Criticism of his performance as Man Utd manager is justifiable, then, and it begins with the formation.
In too many matches United’s 3-4-3 has become a flat 5-2-3 when out of possession, leaving enormous gaps either side of a two-man midfield. The most glaring example yet was last night’s game.
Barely three minutes on the clock and Newcastle lead at Old Trafford! ⏰
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 30, 2024
Alexander Isak heads the Magpies in front 💥 pic.twitter.com/FT3jNtS8XV
Both Newcastle goals were created by simple passes into the number eights Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes, who stood either side of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen to collect the ball.
It is an obvious flaw and an easy one for teams to exploit.
But the larger error was starting Casemiro and Eriksen together, because it ought to be obvious these two don’t have the legs to play together in a system that inherently exposes the central midfielders.
The formation will improve once there is time to coach the details, as Amorim has pointed out many times, but surely that means he should be picking a consistent team to form patterns on the pitch.
Instead, only Chelsea (31) have made more changes to their starting line-up than Man Utd (29) since Amorim took charge.
Constant rotations have prevented the players from forging partnerships or learning the tactical intricacies, yet the problem is exacerbated considerably by Amorim’s strange picks.
Eriksen and Casemiro is hard to explain, though moving Amad Diallo out of the right wing-back position in which he has excelled is just as odd.
Man Utd haven’t scored a single open-play goal when Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have been the wing-backs, such is their lack of creativity, whereas Amad got four assists in four Premier League games at right wing-back. He is yet to score or assist playing as one of the number tens.
Amorim has made the job even more difficult than it needed to be. It’s hard to avoid that conclusion once you analyse the team selections, and even harder after hearing talk of relegation and embarrassment.
Amorim always predicted a “storm” would come.
Surely he didn’t expect it to be quite this bad; didn’t think the waves would threaten to engulf him.
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