Consistency is still proving to be elusive for the Red Devils, with a number of players guilty of not meeting the new manager's standards
“A lot of it is mental. You can feel not just the players, also the fans, everybody’s so anxious. Everybody’s tired of this moment." Ruben Amorim certainly looked a tired man at his press conference, which was briefly interrupted by a leak in the media room ceiling at Old Trafford, after Manchester United's dismal 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday.
That result left United in the bottom half of the Premier League table at Christmas for the first time ever, with Amorim's revolution still yet to properly get off the ground. United are controlling games now – they bossed possession against Bournemouth and had 23 shots to the visitors' 10 – but the Red Devils cannot build any momentum because of a lack of cutting-edge up front and constant mistakes at the back.
Amorim has recorded four losses, one draw and just four wins from his first nine games at the helm, which is obviously not good enough. United are out of the Carabao Cup and it will take a miracle for them to finish in the top four come May. But most of the blame must be laid at the players' door, not Amorim's.
There is a select group, in particular, that keeps letting the Portuguese tactician down. Some are simply not good enough for United, while others have become far too complacent, and they are all responsible for fuelling the anxiety Amorim can sense around Old Trafford. GOAL takes a look at United's sluggish six:
Getty Images SportDiogo Dalot
Amorim has been forced to ask a lot of Diogo Dalot. With the injury-ravaged Luke Shaw still unavailable, Dalot has switched between left and right wing-back from game to game, tasked with getting up and down the pitch non-stop in Amorim's physically demanding 3-4-3 system.
Dalot's work-rate cannot be questioned, and he's putting in the hard yards with no complaints. But his quality can. The Portugal international's final ball is erratic at best, which explains why he's only notched one Premier League assist this season, and he's an easy target for opponents in defence.
In one-on-one situations, Dalot gives wingers way too much space to manoeuvre and he's often caught out of position when the ball is knocked in behind. No amount of coaching from Amorim can fix these weaknesses; Dalot has been a liability for United because of his low footballing IQ ever since his arrival from Porto in 2018, and should be among those to be ushered toward the exits next summer.
AdvertisementGettyJoshua Zirkzee
United paid £36 million ($45m) to bring Joshua Zirkzee to Old Trafford from Bologna, where he was compared to Ronaldinho by former manager Thiago Motta. Erik ten Hag thought he was getting an accomplished link-man who could complete United's attack, but Zirkzee's first few months in the Premier League have been a disaster, with Amorim also yet to bring the best out of him.
The Netherlands international just hasn't been able to get to grips with the intensity of English football. He's not aggressive enough on or off the ball, and misses too many easy chances. Some games completely pass Zirkzee by, including the Bournemouth loss, which saw him record only 19 touches before being hooked in the 54th minute. Even when he does find himself in space, his execution often lets him down, and he lacks the personality to take games by the scruff of the neck.
Zirkzee hasn't done enough to justify United's sizeable investment in his talent, and it has been reported that they could loan the 23-year-old out in January, which would confirm his place on the club's ever-growing list of major flop signings. One things for sure: no one will be mentioning Zirkzee in the same breath as Ronaldinho again any time soon.
Getty Images SportAntony
Antony's inclusion on this list might seem harsh to some. After all, the Brazil international has only started two games game under Amorim so far, with the former Sporting CP boss preferring Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui on the right flank.
But that doesn't excuse how bad Antony continues to look in a United shirt. He completely blew his latest chance to show his worth after being deployed in United's front three against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, losing the ball 11 times and coming off second-best in nine of his 13 ground duels. Amorim substituted the Brazil international before the hour mark, but the damage had already been done as Spurs raced into a 3-0 lead.
Antony doesn't offer anything going forward or in defence, resembling a headless chicken when trying to dribble past his marker or win the ball back. Most 24-year-olds playing at top clubs have at least a few useful attributes, but Antony is completely inept, and United must look to cut their losses on the £85m ($107m) winger as soon as the January transfer window opens.
GettyAndre Onana
Andre Onana was staking a strong claim to be United's most-improved player in the first four months of the season. The former Inter goalkeeper seemed to have cut out the errors that overshadowed his debut year at Old Trafford and he was pulling off some superhuman saves, most notably in Amorim's first game against Ipswich, as his heroics ensured that United left Portman Road with an undeserved draw.
But the resurgence hasn't lasted. Onana was truly awful in the Red Devils' home defeat to Nottingham Forest on December 7, letting a tame Morgan Gibbs-White shot slip past him before watching a Chris Wood header slowly bounce into his far corner. Five days later, his hospital pass out from the back gifted Viktoria Plzen the lead in a Europa League clash that ended up being far more dramatic than it needed to be.
United have also conceded seven goals from set-pieces in their past six games, and Onana's reluctance to venture more than two yards off his line is a big reason for that; the Cameroonian doesn't command his box like the best United 'keepers used to, which creates nervousness in the defence.
David de Gea's final years at the club were miserable, but Onana has still yet to prove himself as an upgrade on the Spaniard.
