Sitting in 13th at 38 points in April is not acceptable for any Manchester United season.
Sunday’s derby, furthermore, left a bad taste for fans. Overall, though, there are clear signs of optimism surrounding Ruben Amorim’s approach within the club.
This goes further than simply waiting for ‘his guys’ to enter into the fray. His first task needed to be to stop the bleeding. This aspect is something the Portuguese boss has unquestionably accomplished. Look, for example, at Ruud van Nistelrooy at Leicester.
The former Man Utd striker took over midseason, and there isn’t anything positive to point to since his taking over in the East Midlands. If anything, a poor Foxes side has gotten worse and looks even more hopeless after the RvN takeover.
Contrasting in-season managerial changes
Under Amorim, the opposite is the case for United. The metaphoric bleeding has a bandage on it, and the completely embarrassing and lopsided losses aren’t happening anymore. More importantly, multiple areas throughout the pitch are showing the needed work rate and effort that will be needed to make a legitimate top-four Premier League push moving forward.
Previous managers in charge weren’t able to show this. Sunday’s frustrations result from an inability to seemingly go for it in the final third. The efforts of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, however, shouldn’t be overlooked.
Then having other centre-back options step up without Matthijs de Ligt is also encouraging. Leny Yoro is looking more comfortable in defence and Ayden Heaven is nearing a return. Especially in a three CB system, the ability to rotate defenders in front of André Onana without feeling fearful of a strong drop-off is essential.
Patrick Dorgu did well at left wing back against Man City. He too could be seen going up and down his side throughout the match and making a positive impact on the pitch. The Danish player nearly scored, and fans will possibly hold the one-time opportunity against him when he didn’t shoot, but his overall performance was good. Having multiple young options for Amorim to feel comfortable turning to will only bode well for the future.
Realistic United silver lining
As of now, the near-relegation concerns from a couple of weeks ago appear to be completely safe. The only chance of salvaging this 2024/2025 season from an accomplishment standpoint is in winning the Europa League at this point.
Against Lyon, it seems that the best option would be to have Joshua Zirkzee in the starting XI. His inclusion as a substitute brought more connectedness within the team and helped to keep the ball in City’s half. His best role has been when playing as the #10, rather than the #9.
Regardless, including the Dutch attacker from the opening whistle is a must. Lyon is an absolutely critical match for United to win. Between Fernandes and Casemiro, they should be able to get the ball to Zirkzee. The midfield will be able to set up an opportunity for him or others. Passage through to the next round is highly doable in Europe with this squad.
While the latest Prem fixture played more like a light sparring session, the positives over the past months under Amorim are enough to stay legitimately optimistic about Man Utd moving forward. The boss’s words of looking to compete again for a title ring less hollow when looking at the past matches with more of a bird’s-eye, holistic view.
