In the 1973-74 season, Man Utd got relegated to the second division, and after fifty years, they have the same threat again. After a dreadful loss against Newcastle at Old Trafford, the Red Devils are in 14th position with a GD of -5. They need some signings in the next windows, but the question is who are the players willing to play for such a vulnerable team?
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2-0 Loss to Newcastle
The game started with obscurity as the lineup with Kobbie Mainoo and other pacey players like Garnacho missing. The manager chose Zirkzee over others to compete against the physical midfield and defense of their opponent.
This was the game where Manuel Ugarte and Bruno were needed the most, but due to their unavailability, Casemiro and Eriksen were played in the midfield, who could not compete against Newcastle’s bullish mids. As soon as the manager realized his mistake, he brought in Kobbie Mainoo and removed Zirkzee, whose future seems unclear at the club.
Both the goals they conceded had a similar strategy behind them, which is a showering of crosses. This season United has conceded mostly through crosses; the pattern is visible to everybody now. Newcastle could have scored two or three more goals if they were clinical; Tonali hit the post once.
Man Utd looked better in the second half as they tried to get at least a point from the game and even hit the post once, but this is the third consecutive game where they haven’t scored.
Terrifying Situation at Man Utd
When Sky Sports asked Ruben Amorim about the relegation situation, he said, “That is really clear. It’s one of the most difficult moments in the history of Man Utd, and we have to address it with honesty.”
Some United fans want Amorim to abandon his philosophy to pull some results, but he won’t be changing, as he said, “If you start changing because of the results, it’s the END for any coach… I was hired because of my idea.”
If we see the awful condition currently, Man Utd has conceded 20 goals in 11 games since the arrival of the new manager. In the last five games of the Premier League, they have conceded 11 goals and managed to score just 3 goals. Only Leicester City and Spurs have conceded more than United in the last five PL games.
Man Utd is currently at the 14th spot; in 1989 they ended the year being at 15th and ended the season at 13th. [Statman Dave]: Man Utd have lost three consecutive league games without scoring for the first time since 2015.
Possible Future Transfers
The Man Utd manager doesn’t want to change his playstyle for this bunch of players, and hence he will definitely need signings of the profiles he needs. Few rumors and reports give an idea about the future plans regarding the players who will leave; signings would be necessary in that case. Let’s see some probable options if the club makes even one signing during the winter window:
- Éderson
Ederson might be a proper fit alongside Ugarte in the Amorim system; he plays the box-to-box role at Atalanta. The only issue could be his price tag, as Atalanta would demand a huge amount for letting him go. Also, Man Utd won’t be able to play in Europe next season if this situation continues, which ends their dream of spending money on signings.
- Milos Kerkez
A signing for the left side has become a necessity for Man Utd now, as no player seems to be able to control the play from there. Diogo Dalot is a makeshift option who should be replaced as soon as possible, with an awful record of just 10% crossing accuracy as a wing back. Kerkez could be the game changer for the Reds.
