New Delhi: After Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea, it is clear that Ruben Amorim will have a lot of work at Old Trafford when he takes charge of Manchester United. Despite a change in leadership following Erik ten Hga’s termination and Ruud van Nistelrooy taking over as interim manager, the Premier League result was the same yet again.
It is clear that the team lacks creativity and quality in their attack despite all the revenue the club spent on hiring. The Portuguese manager does know that he has an uphill task to get the team to perform consistently. By standard of recent performance, United enjoyed a good week with quarter-final qualification and a draw against Chelsea.
It doesn’t take away the fact that Amorim will have to work with a team that looks less inspired. Amorim’s immediate task would be to mould the team to take on the challenge of playing in the Premier League. Currently, they are placed 13th with 12 points after ten games. Historically speaking, the last time the team showed a similar performance after ten games was in the 1986-87 campaign, when Sir Alex Ferguson was appointed as the team’s manager in mid-season.
Manchester United’s worst season?
It took Ferguson some time before he got his first trophy of course. So Amorim cannot be expected to turn around the results immediately but can be expected to start the process of correction. One of United’s primary problems has been their lack of scoring this season, scoring only nine times in the league. In 1973-74 season, having just nine goals in the season, saw them relegated to the second division.
Man United have scored just nine in the league after 10 games, their worst goal tally since they were relegated in 1973/74 🔴😮 pic.twitter.com/btrzFA1uT2
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 4, 2024
Their goal over the weekend came through a penalty taken by Bruno Fernandes as they were rarely troubling the Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez. It does go on to show that the side currently is, at best, mediocre or tactically way behind other teams. With the result Amorim has shown in the past, he is the one extraordinary fit in the puzzle who could change United’s face despite the team he is offered.
Apart from Marcus Rashford’s strike hitting the bar in the first half and some small skirmishes between Rasmus Hojlund and Sanchez, there was nothing that looked would have put United in the lead. According to statistics, Fernandes only had one touch in the penalty area, which ended with a goal. Rashford made three touches in the box and Garnacho was the most disappointing with nine touches.
United statistically speaking
Between the three, they have just four goals, and their performance is reflected in United’s game, too. Hojlund’s conversion rate this season has been just 25% in the Premier League, while Rashford’s 10% and Garnacho’s 6.9% prove that they are yet to fire this season.
The result is United have only scored twice in the first half this season. Most of the stats point towards the big change that Amorim will now need to bring. While Chelsea showed patience and high ball possession, United were rarely making an impact in coordination. For Amorim, there will hardly be players who can be impactful for the side, with just Andre Onana looking like a strong buy, with the United skipper as the other person who has shown a glimpse of excellence.
For example, Amorim’s three-man defence plan will have very few who can stand up for the task. Amidst the new buy, Matthijs de Ligt is yet to convince his stay in the squad, having made his move to Old Trafford from Bayern Munich this season. The top management at Man United haven’t shown the best of strategy moving forward. An example of this is Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo who United had an opportunity to sign but missed out.
With most players under Ten Hag’s tutelage not making an impact for the side, one wonders if Amorim will keep intact the backroom staff at Old Trafford. This raises the question of whether Van Nistelrooy will be a part of Amorim’s plans for the side. What remains clear is that for Amorim to succeed, he needs a better set of players who can work well as a team.
