Man United blow it against 10-man Everton
Man United vs Everton after two weeks of the international break. Liverpool, City, Sunderland, Bournemouth and Tottenham all dropped points, so Monday night football should have felt like a relief. Finally, it looked like we would jump spots, go level on points with Aston Villa in 4th and move into 5th.
But whenever you start to hope with this team, whenever it is the perfect time to climb the table, they find a way to break every bit of hope you have.
Cunha out, Zirkzee in
Cunha did not attend the turning on of the Altrincham lights. Most of us thought it was just an excuse and that it was not a big injury. Then the team sheet came out and he was not even on the bench, let alone in the starting 11.
Zirkzee got his chance starting at no.9. Mr 9.5 did not look sharp at all. People on X are saying of course he will not look sharp because he has barely had any minutes under Amorim, and to be fair that is partly true. Apart from that Emirates game against Arsenal, there has not been any real standout performance. He is very technical but always looks slow, and today he looked completely off it.
The red card and wasted advantage
Idrissa Gueye slapped Michael Keane, got sent off, and even though it looked light and it was between their own players, as a United fan that red card felt like a gift. I happily took that red.
United came into this with five games unbeaten, with disappointing draws against Forest and Spurs. This felt like the perfect chance to jump up the table. United had not lost in the Premier League since Arsenal. My prediction was 3-0 United. Instead, after 77 minutes of playing against 10 men, we did nothing significant. The “plan” was just to cross the ball towards 6’4″ Zirkzee and hope for the best. That was it. Diabolical.
Possession without purpose
I was defending Amorim before the game against people on X who said we would lose because we always struggle when we have the ball. I had faith and thought, no, we will win this.
But in the end it was the same story: about 70% possession, 23 shots, 6 on target, and Everton with 2 shots and 1 on target – and they scored. It is pointless domination. All that control, and absolutely nothing to show for it.
Amorim cannot hide from this
Amorim has been given a lot of time and backing. For me, he now has to face some real consequences. I will not spam “Amorim out” even though it feels close to that for me, but the problems are obvious. Our midfield has been a clear issue from minute one this season and nothing has changed.
He has to be advised to try a new formation, fix the midfield issue, or accept that he is out. Simple as that. I do not understand how Sir Jim can keep faith in a side that is doing nothing after a year. A back five, a midfield two doing nothing. Yes, we did not have Cunha and Šeško, but playing like this against 10-man Everton at home is just not fair on the fans.
No excuses for this performance
It is hard to understand how Sir Jim can keep faith in a side that plays like this at home against 10-man Everton after a full year of work. This was a chance to show progress in structure and mentality, and instead it looked like a team with no clear idea of how to break down a deep block.
The goal that killed it
Let’s talk about the goal. Yoro could definitely have done better. In Amorim’s system, both of our central midfielders are supposed to be defensive, but one of them is our most attacking player and biggest chance creator – Bruno.
Bruno was poor defensively for that goal. He did not track properly, the space opened up, and Everton punished it. Lammens could have done a bit better too. De Ligt at least tried to block the shot. For that goal, the main blame for me is on Bruno and Yoro.
Fans deserve better
Even after that goal, I was still hoping we would somehow turn it around because they were down to 10 men. Instead, nothing. No spark, no urgency, no proper plan.
Everyone who went to watch that game deserves a refund. It was a disgusting performance for the situation we were in.
What next for Amorim and United?
Amorim should be facing strict backlash from the upper management. This just cannot be brushed aside. Two huge clubs are looking at top managers right now: Liverpool with Slot walking a tightrope, and Real as Xabi Alonso starts to lose the dressing room.
I actually think Amorim seems like a good guy. He has probably helped fix a toxic dressing room and that is important. But it is braindead if we do not talk seriously about the manager after a year of this “strict system” with no real progress on the pitch.
Players not stepping up either
Zirkzee was not sharp today. Mainoo also looked slow. This is not just on the manager, the players looked off it as well.
I do not feel confident at all that we will get top five when today was our big chance and we completely bottled it.
Looking ahead to Crystal Palace
I have already written about who should be United’s next manager. My top 5 picks are in a separate post, which you should check out if you want to see who I feel is the best replacement. After tonight, that post feels more relevant than ever.
And next up? Crystal Palace away. There is no way, with this current mentality and structure, that I can honestly say we are beating Palace at their place. For me they are one of the most solid sides, with a proper structure from midfield to defence. Not looking forward to that at all.
Signing off
There is nothing to really look forward to right now with this team until serious changes are made on the pitch and in the dugout. There is already a post on who should be United’s next manager, with a top five list of options that feels more and more relevant after nights like this, so that is worth a read for anyone thinking about what comes next for the club. Until next time, GGMU – and check out the “Top 5 picks for the next United manager” piece.
UNITED SCRIPTED. 
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