A new low? Quite possibly. Defeat to fourth-tier opposition for the first time in the club’s long and storied history, to use a Ruben Amorim phrase, speaks loudly. Manchester United are at another crisis point just three winless games into the new season.
Those at the top had hoped the nadir was behind them. Omar Berrada, United’s chief executive, had said as much. “As of this summer, the worst bit is going to be behind us.” He had praised the “very clear identity” of Amorim, talked of a long-term vision.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe had proclaimed that the Portuguese was doing “a great job” in March and complained that everyone was expecting miracles. United supporters would settle for avoiding humiliation at Grimsby. The FA Cup is the only hope now. And this is August.
Highlights from the second-round Carabao Cup clash between Grimsby Town and Man Utd
There will be plenty persuaded by the argument that Amorim needs more time, that part of the problem at United over the dozen years of discontent since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure is that the club has been unable to stick to a plan, to see an idea through.
There is logic to that thinking, particularly when the club has committed to this course enough to be dispensing with homegrown talents who do not fit Amorim’s system. What sense in reshaping formation and club only to abandon the project so swiftly?
The last vestiges of the previous regime are only just being swept away. Remember that image of Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho perched on the hoardings? The poster boys of the FA Cup victory last year on the periphery now.
Alejandro Garnacho celebrating with Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo in 2024
The dangers of flitting from one idea to the next are oft-discussed. Marcus Rashford might be the best or worst placed to comment depending on your view but he articulated the issue well in a recent interview. “You end up in no-man’s land,” he said.
The awkward issue for United’s decision-makers is that the argument for continuity only makes sense if the man in whom this faith is placed still believes. The most worrying aspect of events at Blundell Park was the behaviour of the coach upon whom this rests.
Watch Amorim’s reactions throughout the evening as pressure grows
There was the sight of him shuffling his tactics board with his team two down to Grimsby. There was the spectacle of him steering clear of his own players before the penalty shoot-out and then being slumped in the dugout refusing to watch once it began.
The memes are one thing but more significant were the words that followed. “Something has to change,” said Amorim in the aftermath of defeat. “And you are not going to change 22 players again.” This from a coach who has offered to leave before.
“I have nothing to say. That is the biggest problem.” Indeed. Because there has been enough change of personnel on the pitch for Amorim to be beginning to take control of this situation by now. He finished the game with his new £200m forward trio out there.
But Matheus Cunha was the first Manchester United player to miss, Bryan Mbeumo was the last. In between, there was the strange sight of Benjamin Sesko, the club’s new £74m striker, being the very last outfield player out on the pitch to step up to take one.
Both Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu, the latter as a specialist wing-back designed to fit his system, have come in since Amorim’s appointment. Manuel Ugarte has worked with him before. More players are needed but it should be functioning better than this.
Amorim reacts to Manchester United’s defeat to Grimsby Town
The tactical inflexibility that saw Mason Mount deployed at left wing-back will be the focus of a lot of noise externally. But internally, the chief concern of both Amorim and those above him will be that the much-vaunted spirit and harmony has dissipated.
That was the message of the summer coming out of the club, that there had been a change of mood to go with the new stadium plans and training-ground revamp. Luke Shaw spoke of the toxic environment of the past. This was a fresh start at United.
“Now, I am excited,” Amorim told Sky Sports just recently.
“It is completely different.”
The fragility of that has already been exposed. It survived defeat to Arsenal on the opening weekend because there were some positive signs, but a stuttering draw at Fulham was less convincing and this performance was as miserable as it gets.
Charlie Austin believes Man Utd’s players have stopped playing for Amorim
Already, the optimism has been undermined and United finding themselves lurching once more. Just hoping they can navigate a home fixture against Burnley, limp to that international break and take stock once the summer transfer window has closed.
Time. That is at the heart of this. “We have a game at the weekend, then we have two weeks and we will solve things.” But that was what pre-season, Amorim’s first, was supposed to do. Manchester City and Chelsea will be waiting for them on their return.
Amorim has a desperately poor record since taking charge of Man Utd
And yet, still there is an appetite for all this to work, for a talented young coach who has lost more games than he has won at Manchester United to come good in the end, for an exciting new team to emerge stronger from this chastening experience.
Those at the top are certainly invested. The men who saw themselves as part of the clean-up operation risk being seen as adding to the mess. The “short-term pain” to which Berrada had referred last season cannot be allowed to have been for nothing.
But if Amorim himself has lost belief, it is already over.
This news was originally published on this post .
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