Man United need positive momentum before Europa League final, but they are hobbled by indecision

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Manchester United have not won in the Premier League since beating Leicester City in March, and you have to go back to late January for their most recent top-flight victory over opponents who haven’t ended up being relegated — 1-0 away against Fulham.

Ruben Amorim has six wins in his 25 Premier League matches as United head coach, producing 0.96 points per game. Predecessor Erik ten Hag’s nine matches in charge at the start of the season before he got sacked saw him accrue 1.22 points per game.

Sunday’s 2-0 loss at home to West Ham, a 17th loss in the 36 league fixtures so far, leaves Amorim’s side 16th in the league. United are yet to hit the standard of footballing competence that is the 40-point mark for their current league campaign and can now finish no higher than 13th.

Which is The Athletic using 134 words to reconfirm what your eyes have told you again and again and again throughout this season: United’s class of 2024-25 are historically bad.

Passage to the Europa League final next Wednesday can only go so far to make up for their continued and prolonged ineptitude in the Premier League. It is not unreasonable for United fans to expect better. This simply isn’t good enough. Not for a club of United’s history and supposed financial status. Not for any club with expectations to challenge within the top division of English football.

European triumph here on Thursday was followed by a tepid performance on Sunday. Graham Potter’s visitors from east London had gone even longer without a league win, since late February, but ably battled through.

So West Ham join an eclectic group of opponents to achieve the league double over United this season: Nottingham Forest, Tottenham (who beat them in the Carabao Cup, too), Newcastle, Brighton, and Wolves, all with varying styles and strengths, have also triumphed against them home and away through their commitment to tussling for possession in key areas of the pitch.

West Ham were willing to fight for loose balls at Old Trafford. They saw value in protecting what possession they earned and sought to maximise any goalscoring opportunity they could find. Amorim’s team, containing six changes from the side that defeated Spain’s Athletic Club 4-1 on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final, struggled to reach the desired levels.

Amorim looks on during another home defeat (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

When a club achieves passage to a final, there traditionally comes a point when their players use the intervening league outings to try to earn a spot in the starting XI for the big day/night. Strikers hunt for the ball with added intensity, hoping a flurry of goals can impress coaches. Defenders crave consistency and control, wanting to parlay clean-sheet performances in the league to a strong showing in a final.

Yes, it is important to avoid injury in the lead-up to the showpiece match, but the gap between a semi and a final typically sees a handful of players strive to hit new levels in the quest for gold (or silver) and glory.

United players are meant to be pushing for a place in the side to face Spurs again in the Spanish city of Bilbao in 10 days’ time. Sunday’s defeat saw too many play themselves out of a potential role in that final.

“A few times when West Ham was near our box, we had a lack of urgency,” Amorim said. “We were near their box and we had lack of urgency and we need to be more aggressive.”

The head coach has said he is less concerned about what may come in the Europa League final and more troubled by his club’s lethargic reaction to getting beaten in games. United are at risk of “losing the feeling of being a club”, in his words.

Defeats at Old Trafford are increasing in frequency and at risk of becoming a mundane viewing experience. The current United squad may lack attributes needed for Amorim’s preferred tactical system to thrive, but yesterday exhibited a lack of mental focus that undermined every major action.

For West Ham’s second goal just before the hour, Manuel Ugarte lost possession in his own half and complained for a foul rather than endeavouring to help his team defend the ensuing West Ham attack. Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles when retaining possession in the final third make it difficult for United to maintain pressure.

When defeats accumulate, one can grow numb to their effects. Careless mistakes creep into a player’s game and undermine the fundamentals needed to compete. Premier League games cannot be won by default and United have been undone by a lack of conviction in their playing actions time and again.

A foot issue — and potential injury — to centre-back Leny Yoro, with the defender coming off just after half-time, has added to Amorim’s growing list of concerns. He has to guard against losing his more influential players for medical reasons, but those stepping in for them appear unable to keep things steady.

At a time when United need to build positive momentum, they are hobbled by indecision and tactical turbulence. Friday’s fixture against Chelsea here gives Amorim and his squad one further chance to course-correct before their biggest game of the season. A vast improvement is needed.

United cannot continue playing this way.

(Top photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

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