Manchester United fell to their third defeat of the season as Manchester City ran riot over Rúben Amorim’s men with a 3-0 Premier League win at the Etihad Stadium.
Rúben Amorim chose to hand Benjamin Šeško his first start as Manchester United lined up to face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in a high-intensity Premier League fixture on Sunday afternoon.
The Manchester derby started with Šeško and Erling Haaland getting early shots off, although both sides looked fairly disjointed. It was Phil Foden who struck first, giving the home side a lead just before the 20-minute mark.
Despite trying to mount attacks, United failed to grab a goal back before half-time. In the second half, Amorim’s men started strong, but fairly quickly were undone, with Haaland grabbing City’s second of the afternoon.
Not too long later, the Norwegian then grabbed a third, leaving United helpless with 25 minutes to play. Some decent chances fell the way of Bryan Mbeumo and Casemiro, but both failed to convert, with the rainy Manchester fixture ending in a 3-0 win for the home Blues.
#1 – Amorim went with Ugarte for a strong midfield
While Šeško’s start was expected, many were surprised to see that Manuel Ugarte was also given his first Premier League start of the season over Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro, with Amorim citing that he wanted strength in his midfield alongside Fernandes.
However, with City playing Phil Foden as a sole creator behind the midfield pair, the English midfielder was able to pick up so much space just ahead of United’s back line, meaning no matter how strong United’s duo were, they weren’t able to cover their spaces.
When Mainoo finally came on, United looked calmer, and many more chances fell their way, but to little avail. Starting Ugarte was a bizarre decision, and was a major contributor to the lacklustre display this evening.
#2 – Cunha’s maverick abilities were a miss
Forward Matheus Cunha was ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury against Burnley two weeks ago, and against City, his traits as an off-the-cuff player were sorely missed.
In games where a side is away from home, and especially after going a goal down, it’s a personality and archetype like Cunha’s that can keep any side in the game, as his ability to produce magic and danger at any given moment keeps defenders on edge.
Against City, United lacked that exact spark and were thoroughly punished for it. Bar Mbeumo’s outstanding effort in the second half was denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma; United lacked any imagination.
#3 – City patched up while United plateaued
During the first 15 minutes, both United and City were playing a similar style of football. Flashes of promise, but poor final passes and miscommunication meant attacks broke down.
But, following Foden’s opening goal, City were able to step up a gear, while United fell flat. Despite being offered attacking chances, United failed to deliver in the first half, with the front line failing to outsmart City’s strong defensive line.
In the second half, the trend continued. Despite some half-decent attacks from United, they lacked any killer edge, while City were able to rely on their brilliant striker to put the game out of United’s reach.
#4 – United not performing where it counts
United do have good players, and at points, play good football in some areas of the pitch, but it’s never where it actually counts.
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There is often some good combination play in the midfield or down the wing, and on occasion they can play out the back well due to the numbers across the back line, but when it comes to the most signifiacnt areas of football, it never works out.
United fail to penetrate the box, look erratic and sleepy while defending, and have a goalkeeper who strikes panic into his own defensive line.
#5 – Is time running out for Amorim?
The United boss has now taken charge of over 30 Premier League fixtures for the Reds, but has yet to win back-to-back fixtures in the competition, which says it all.
No consistency, no rhythm, and it’s very hard to blame this on the players. At a certain point, the eyes have to look toward the manager, and so many of his inexplicable decisions are costing the side far too often.
United’s board and decision makers have been very open in their strong backing of the Portuguese head coach, but the question has to be asked – is time now running out?
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