With a 2-0 loss away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ruben Amorim may be beginning to see that turning around things for Manchester United is a tougher challenge than even he expected. The match was already getting out of hand when Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the 47th minute with a second yellow card but it went from bad to worse. The sending off is Fernandes’ third of the season although one suspension was rescinded. Then Matheus Cunha had a goal to remember for Wolves’ winner. Hwang Hee-chan would add a dagger to put it out of sight in the 98th minute of play at the Molineux Stadium.
Setting up to take a corner kick, Cunha bent in his corner kick for an olympico finish as Andre Onana was helpless in net. It’s the second time in a week that United have conceded a goal directly from corner kick as dead ball defense is quite an issue for the Red Devils who have now slipped to 14th in the Premier League, almost as close to the relegation zone as they are to the top-five.
Not counting penalty kicks, United have allowed a league-high 14 goals from set plays in the Premier League and EFL Cup, joint top with their opposition in Wolves. Most of those have also come since Amorim coached his first game in November with eight of those 14 goals hitting the back of the net.
While United’s defense from open play has improved during this time period, it hasn’t come with an overall improvement due to the uptick of set piece goals allowed. It’s in a way understandable as Amorim has had to shuffle his defense but it also requires training time that managers don’t get during a busy festive period.
Add that along with Marcus Rashford missing the matchday squad for the fourth consecutive match and Alejandro Garnacho needing to settle for coming off the bench at the moment and it shows how far United have to go in order to get back to their best. The January transfer window could bring reinforcements but it’s feeling like more of a lost season by the day.
United can still make noise in the Europa League but they’ve only picked up seven points in seven league matches under Amorim since his appointment with a minus-three goal difference. Looking at what needs to change, the list is a long one. Rasmus Hojlund hasn’t established himself as the top striker, Fernandes can be a liability, the midfield is unsettled and there’s no consistent presence on the left wing and Onana is susceptible in net.
In Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo, building blocks are emerging but that doesn’t do enough to offset the issues at Old Trafford. Amorim will need a summer and maybe even more to turn these around because not only do United need to figure out how to get in new players, but they also need to sell the ones that they have. To do that, it a longer process as announcing a fire sale destroys leverage that one may have in the transfer market.
With each day, it’s a reminder of how much will be needed to get this storied club back to the top but allowing two olympico goals in the span of a week will delay getting there.
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