Amorim Seeks Solutions Amid Challenges at Man Utd

Can life at Manchester United get any more disheartening?

They have just suffered a 3-0 loss at home to “smaller” Bournemouth, as noted by Cherries owner Bill Foley, marking the second consecutive season this has occurred. This result leaves them in 13th place as Christmas approaches, a position they haven’t occupied at this stage of the season since the pre-Premier League era.

The fans—who booed Ruben Amorim’s team as they left the pitch—are outraged over a ticket price increase to a flat £66 without any concessions, leading them to unite with Liverpool supporters for a protest at Anfield on January 5.

While Amorim expressed in his post-match press conference that he sensed the fans were “tired”, an embarrassing leak from the ceiling caused water to pour onto journalists in the front row, prompting one of them to relocate.

While some supporters might take pleasure in journalists getting drenched, this public disgrace is hard to overlook.

Yet for Amorim, United’s current situation is no laughing matter. Defender Lisandro Martinez shared with Match of the Day that the team’s situation on the field makes him “angry.” His manager needs to find solutions.

“At this moment, everything is very challenging,” Amorim stated. “Losing 3-0 at home is particularly tough for a club like Manchester United; it affects everyone.

“Naturally, the fans are extremely disappointed and fatigued. You can sense it in the stadium from the very first play. On the first goal-kick with Andre Onana, he seems uncertain and is trying to communicate with his teammates while everyone is anxious.

“I comprehend their feelings, but we must confront this reality.”

If there has been a notable change since the Portuguese manager took over from Erik ten Hag last month, it is that United appear to have improved control during matches.

Their possession rate was impressive, standing at 60% today. United registered more shots and more shots on target than Bournemouth. Yet, they lost badly yet again.

For only the second time in their history— the previous occasion was against Burnley in the 1960s— they have lost consecutive home games against the same club by a three-goal margin.

Addressing their frequent concession of goals from set-pieces would be greatly beneficial.

This issue arose twice against Arsenal earlier this month and during their last home match against Nottingham Forest. At Tottenham on Thursday, Son Heung-min scored directly from a corner. Bournemouth capitalized on a set-piece in the first half, despite manager Andoni Iraola’s admission that his team is “not tall.”

When Ryan Christie delivered a free-kick from the right, teenage defender Dean Huijsen outmuscled Joshua Zirkzee and deftly headed the ball into the far corner.

While not all of these incidents occurred during Amorim’s management, United has now conceded 17 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League in 2024, a record in a single calendar year for the club.

The recent failures raise questions about the efficacy of set-piece coach Carlos Fernandes, who came to the club with Amorim from Sporting.

Nonetheless, Amorim is not placing blame elsewhere.

“I take full responsibility, not Carlos,” he remarked.

“We are a team experiencing both good and bad times. We follow a specific approach. We are working to improve that. The loss wasn’t solely due to set pieces; rather, we created more opportunities but failed to convert our chances.”

In an interview with Match of the Day, Martinez expressed the matter more straightforwardly.

“We are very frustrated with situations like this,” stated the Argentina defender. “We need to particularly focus on set-pieces.

“I have a strong belief in this team and the coaching staff. If they hadn’t scored their first goal from a set-piece, the flow of the game would have been totally different.”

Amorim faces challenges due to a lack of quality.

He initially placed his faith in Tyrell Malacia for the left wing-back position but withdrew the Dutchman at halftime after he repeatedly lost possession and failed to contribute offensively.

Diogo Dalot switched to the left, but his solitary goal threat lacked conviction. Noussair Mazraoui transitioned to left wing-back from a three-man defense but was caught in a reckless tackle on Justin Kluivert that led to the forward doubling Bournemouth’s lead from the penalty spot.

Furthermore, only skipper Bruno Fernandes posed a significant threat to Bournemouth’s goal, as Marcus Rashford was absent for the third consecutive match, even though he attended the game to observe the troubling scene.

“It depends; we will see,” Amorim replied when asked if the England forward would be ready for the Boxing Day clash against Wolves.