Manchester United 2023/2024

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ManU 3 (Bruno / og / Ganarcho) - Leicester 0 (EPL - Home)

A scorcher by Bruno in the 16th minute gave us the lead off Amad's back-heel but the glaring contrast of the sloppy Rashford (in place of the benched Ganarcho) on the left and the illustrious Amad on the right, in terms of penetrative runs, passes, assist for Bruno's goal and running back to provide cover at the back, was apparent. Another goal from Bruno's deflected header in the 38th minute, chalked later as an og, provided a comfortable lead in the first half.

The anticipated change for the ineffective Rashford and Dalot, who gave away two needless free-kicks in our 18 yard box earlier, by Ganarcgo and Evans in the 57th minute was expected. This was followed by Zirkzee for Hojlund in the 75th minute and the injured Casemiro, who combined well with Ugarte in midfield, was replaced by Eriksen three minutes later. It was game over for Leicester after Ganarcho scored off Bruno's pin-point pass in the 82nd minute. and with a clean sheet at that. 

It would be interesting to see how the 3-4-3 system favoured by Amorim plays out when he joins after the international break, as our defenders lack the speed to cut out any attacking moves, save for the injured Leny Yoro and with any new additions to his team. 

 

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MANCHESTER, England : Ruud van Nistelrooy's spell with Manchester United has come to an end, the club said in a statement on Monday, a day after the Dutchman led the team to a 3-0 Premier League victory over Leicester City in his fourth game as interim manager.

Van Nistelrooy's departure was announced on the day Ruben Amorim arrived in Manchester as United's permanent boss.

"Ruud is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend," United said. "We are grateful for his contribution and the way in which he has approached his role throughout his time with the club. He will always be very welcome at Old Trafford."

United assistants Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar and Pieter Morel also left on Monday, with the Old Trafford club saying they would announce Amorim's staff at a later date //cna

 

[Maxus-MIFA9]

 

 

 

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As expected, RVN has no place in Amorim's set-up but he can leave with his head held high and a respectable CV for better things to come. With Amorim clearing the swamp and with a clean slate, more on the highly-paid, injury-prone and non-performing deadwood is expected.

Till the next transfer window opens, let's see how he works his magic and motivates the existing players to display their potential and impress the new boss!

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"I feel ready for the new challenge," an upbeat Amorim said after his farewell match with Sporting. "I'm not naive, I know that it's going to be very, very different, very tough but I feel that I'm ready." "I know how I'm going to play at the beginning because you have to start with a structure that you know and then you will adapt with the players that you have," Amorim said. //cna

 

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ManU 1 (Rashford) - Ipswich 1 (EPL - Away)

A dream start for Amorim when Rashford scored off Amad's cutback in the 1st minute of play. With the 3-4-3 / 3-4-2-1 derivative formation, Rashford was supported by Ganarcho and Bruno while wingbacks Amad and Dalot with Casemiro and Eriksen made-up the midfield. The defence was marshalled by De Ligt, Evans and Mazraoui with Onana in goal. The attacking moves by Ipswich after being a goal down, paid off deservedly when they levelled the score in the 43rd minute.  

A double change early in the second half with Shaw and Ugarte coming on for both Casemiro and Evans who made some dubious passes and gave the ball away in our penalty area, followed ten minutes later for Rashford and Eriksen replaced by Zirkzee and Hojlund for the much-needed firepower in front. A draw was a fair result and Onana made some good saves for the MOTM award.

With this new structure, the drawback was that the defence were porous and Shaw was restricted to remaining back as opposed to moving forward as a wingback to link-up with the forwards, perhaps just back from injury and when Martinez is back. Both Amad and Dalot were effective and have the pace to help out in defence. Obvious that a period of assessment of the team and adjustment of the tactics to fine-tune RA's One Idea formula should be in the works, especially in weeding out the deadwood. 

 

[Kopites]

On 11/25/2024 at 2:36 AM, Locknload said:

ManU 1 (Rashford) - Ipswich 1 (EPL - Away)

A dream start for Amorim when Rashford scored off Amad's cutback in the 1st minute of play. With the 3-4-3 / 3-4-2-1 derivative formation, Rashford was supported by Ganarcho and Bruno while wingbacks Amad and Dalot with Casemiro and Eriksen made-up the midfield. The defence was marshalled by De Ligt, Evans and Mazraoui with Onana in goal. The attacking moves by Ipswich after being a goal down, paid off deservedly when they levelled the score in the 43rd minute.  

A double change early in the second half with Shaw and Ugarte coming on for both Casemiro and Evans who made some dubious passes and gave the ball away in our penalty area, followed ten minutes later for Rashford and Eriksen replaced by Zirkzee and Hojlund for the much-needed firepower in front. A draw was a fair result and Onana made some good saves for the MOTM award.

With this new structure, the drawback was that the defence were porous and Shaw was restricted to remaining back as opposed to moving forward as a wingback to link-up with the forwards, perhaps just back from injury and when Martinez is back. Both Amad and Dalot were effective and have the pace to help out in defence. Obvious that a period of assessment of the team and adjustment of the tactics to fine-tune RA's One Idea formula should be in the works, especially in weeding out the deadwood. 

 

🤣🤣🤣

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ManU 3 (Ganarcho / Hojlund x 2) - Glimt 2 (Europa Cup - Home)

Another early goal in Amorim's second match in-charge when Ganarcho pounced in the first minute after their goalie fumbled a back pass. The defence comprised Mazraoui, De Ligt and Martinez and the mid was helmed by Bruno and Ugarte, whilst wingbacks were Malacia and Antony, who supported the front trio of Ganarcho, Mount and Hojlund.  A mistake by the defence allowed Glimt to level the score in the 19th minute and they scored again four minutes later when injured-returnee Malacia was caught out and exposed on the left which again, was preventable by Onana, given his excellent performances in the previous matches. A pass from Mazraoui found Hojlund and he levelled the score at the stroke of half time.

The second half started well when Ugarte assisted Hojlund to give us the lead within five minutes after Dalot replaced Malacia. A triple change in the 59th minute saw Rashford, Amad and Shaw who replaced Mount, Antony and Martinez, followed by Casemiro for De Ligt.With RA trying out and accessing his team's individual qualities, the highline and high-press structure is taking shape.

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ManU 4 (Rashford x 2 / Zirkzee  x 2) - Everton 0 (EPL - Home)

A jittery start in the first 30 minutes with Everton the better team in possession till the 34th minute when Bruno's corner found Rashford, whose first-time volley was helped on by the Everton defender Branthwaite's out-stretched foot into goal and another one in the 41st minute when Branthwaite was robbed off the ball by Amad for Zirkzee to score for a comfortable 2-nil lead at the end of the first half. 

The lead was extended 20 seconds into the second half when Amad squared the ball to Rashford to score his second goal, followed by a dual substitution of De Ligt and Mazroaui for Maguire and Shaw. Another goal by Zirkzee in the 64th minute put the game to bed, with many of Everton's fans leaving the stadium. Another double replacement was made for Casemiro and Bruno after he injured his ankle for Ugarte and Ganarcho in the 66th minute. With this clean sheet and rout of Everton, both Mainoo and Martinez will miss the next game for accumulated yellow cards and Amorim must be glad to see that those injured players - Maguire, Malacia, Mount, Mainoo and Shaw had miraculous recoveries to justify their existence, with many options for the next match against Arsenal.

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ManU 2 (Hojlund / Bruno) - Nottingham Forest 3 (EPL - Home)

Another goal conceded from a corner in the second minute by Forest, as with the 2-nil loss to Arsenal through corner kicks, will have Amorim's task in improvimg our defence of set-pieces a priorty. With Hojlund supported by Ganarcho and Bruno, the mid had Mainoo, Ugarte and wingbacks Amad and Dalot. The defence consisted of Leny Yoro, De Ligt and Martinez. A rebound from Ganarcho's shot found Hojlund who levelled the score in the 17th minute to make 1-1 at half time.  

It was Forest once again who scored after the start of the second half, after Bruno gave the ball away and again in the 54th minute, with both goals that Onana could well have handled. A change in the 59th minute for Rashford for the ineffective and selfish Ganarcho, who tried to go it alone when other teamates were in better positions. A cutback from Amad found Bruno whose scorcher found the net in the 61st minute, followed by a dual substitution of De Ligt and Leny for Maguire and Mazraoui. With both Zirkzee and Mount coming in for Bruno and Ugarte in the 76th minute to force a draw in the added seven minutes for stoppages, it was another loss in what has to be a case of things being worse before it gets better for Amorim. 

[Kopites]

On 12/8/2024 at 3:27 AM, Locknload said:

ManU 2 (Hojlund / Bruno) - Nottingham Forest 3 (EPL - Home)

Another goal conceded from a corner in the second minute by Forest, as with the 2-nil loss to Arsenal through corner kicks, will have Amorim's task in improvimg our defence of set-pieces a priorty. With Hojlund supported by Ganarcho and Bruno, the mid had Mainoo, Ugarte and wingbacks Amad and Dalot. The defence consisted of Leny Yoro, De Ligt and Martinez. A rebound from Ganarcho's shot found Hojlund who levelled the score in the 17th minute to make 1-1 at half time.  

It was Forest once again who scored after the start of the second half, after Bruno gave the ball away and again in the 54th minute, with both goals that Onana could well have handled. A change in the 59th minute for Rashford for the ineffective and selfish Ganarcho, who tried to go it alone when other teamates were in better positions. A cutback from Amad found Bruno whose scorcher found the net in the 61st minute, followed by a dual substitution of De Ligt and Leny for Maguire and Mazraoui. With both Zirkzee and Mount coming in for Bruno and Ugarte in the 76th minute to force a draw in the added seven minutes for stoppages, it was another loss in what has to be a case of things being worse before it gets better for Amorim. 

If that is any consolation we lost to forest as well. 

Edited December 8, 2024 by Kopites

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MANCHESTER, England :Dan Ashworth has left his role as sporting director at Manchester United after five months in the job by mutual agreement, the Premier League club said on Sunday.....Ashworth had played a key part in reshaping the club following Jim Ratcliffe's purchase of a minority share and has overseen major decisions such as retaining manager Erik ten Hag last summer, and the spending of close to 200 million pounds ($255 million) on new players.

Ashworth also oversaw United's major summer player signings including Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee. None of them have consistently impressed, although French defender Yoro only made his debut last week following a lengthy injury.//cna

 

An embarassment for Ratcliffe and the club. Financially unwell and having to increase ticket prices, terminating SAF's ambassadorial appointment, looking to fund the "new" Old Trafford stadium are big business decisions. Perhaps Asworth's wrong calls in extending ETH's contract and incurring a massive payout, the new signings that have not proven their 'worth' and ROI etc may have driven Ratcliffe to cut his losses by mutual consent and saying that Ashworth did not fit into the plans for moving the club forward.

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ManU 2 (Hojlund x 2) - Viktoria Plzen 1(Europa Cup - Away)

With Amorim yet to determine his best eleven, it was Zirkzee in front with Rashford, and Amad, while Bruno, Casemiro, Malacia and Dalot were in midfield. The defence consisted of Mazraoui, De Ligt and Martinez. Although yhe 70% possesion rate was in our favour, chances were far and few inbetween as the Czechs employed a five-man wall 

Within three minutes of the second half, Viktoria were in the lead when Onana made another blunder when his pass was intercepted for them to score into an open goal. The replacement for the ineffective and yellow-carded Rashford was long awaited when Hojlund came on in the 56th minute, followed by Mount and Antony for Zirkzee and Malacia. It was level in the 62nd minute when Hojlund scored off a rebound from their goalie after Amad's shot at goal. A double substitution for Casemiro and Dalot for Ganarcho and Ugarte in the 81st minute paid dividends when Hojlund scored again from Bruno's free-kick. Next up will be the derby and hopefully a winning game with the bad run of games that the noisy neighbours had faced recently.

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ManU 2 (Bruno-pen / Amad) - ManC 1 (EPL - Away)

The defence featured De Ligt, Maguire and Martinez whilst Mazraoui, Bruno, Ugarte and Dalot were the midfielders in support of Amad, Hojlund and Mason Mount, who sustained an injury and was later replaced in the 14th minute by Mainoo. Yet another set-piece was conceded from De Bruyne's corner for the noisy neighbours to take the lead in the 36th minute. Unable to penetrate the highline employed by ManC. With both Ganarcho and Rashford not on the bench, Amorim has to get someone for the second half, who has the ability to bring the ball into the box, as opposed to Amad who was caught offside on numerous occasions when he received the ball.

A triple change only in the 78th minute by Zirkzee, Antony and Yoro for Hojlung, Mazraoui and De Ligt to level the score came in the 88th minute when Bruno converted the penalty after Amad was brought down in the box. A superb long pass from Martinez found Amad who rounded the goalie and scored to give us the lead, who was then replaced by Lindelof to maintain the precious lead. An epic and extraodinary win for Amorim. Glory Man United!

 

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ManU 0 - Bournemouth 3 (EPL - Away)

With the more reliable Onana in goal, the defence consisted of Mazraoui, Maguire and Martinez, the wingbacks were Dalot and Malacia with Mainoo and Ugarte. Pointman Zirkzee was supported by Amad and Bruno. A goal down from another set-piece when Malacia was outrun down his side and gave away that free-kick for Bournemouth to take and maintain the lead in the 29th minute. A few promising chances from Bruno, Amad and Mainoo should set the tone positively for the rest of the match.

The second half had replacements for the ineffective Malacia, Ugarte and Zirkzee for Yoro, Hojlund and Ganarcho for added impetus in attack but it was 2-0 for Bournemouth in the 60th minute when Mazraoui gave away a penalty and followed by another goal four minutes later when Martinex could not block the shot. Their goalie Kepa, stately performance and the solid defence made Bournemouth worthy winners, and with nothing to show for the 13 corners that we were awarded, many fans were seen leaving the stadium in disgust. The positive momentum and the Rashford issue seems to have taken a toll in Amorim's plans to turn things around.  

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ManU 0 - Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 (EPL - Away)

Good to see Amorim settled with his regulars to start this game against Wolves, with the exception of Dalot starting on the left instead of Ganarcho, who was on the bench. The 52.2 mil pound Leny Yoro does not seem to be as hyped-up as he's made out to be, getting blind-sided and out-paced in defence and Bruno's misplaced passes in critical areas that saw both of them booked when they resorted to niggly fouls after losing possession. Both teams were evenly matched with nil score at the end of the first half. 

A second card for Bruno (his 3rd red card this season) and we were down to ten men and Wolves took the lead in the 58th minute, from an in-swinging corner kick again. A triple change soon followed with Yoro, Ugarte and the off-form Mainoo replaced by Casemiro, Eriksen and Antony. Late substitutions in the 80th minute for Zirkzee and Ganarcho for Amad and Hojlund did not produce any result, as Wolves scored at the 98th minute and Amorim's new system has not gone down well as the team has been ubable to cope, coupled with individual mistakes and the un-addressed set-pieces issue. The honeymoon period for him has to end soon!

 

Next up is Newcastle at 4.00am on New Year's Eve!

[Scion]

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2013/14: David Moyes led Manchester United to their lowest finish in the table in the Premier League era, finishing seventh.

2023/24: Erik ten Hag's team finished eighth in the standings.

 

 

jialat, at this rate, dunno Man Utd will break their worst EPL standing record this season boh

[Beregond]

On 12/27/2024 at 2:38 PM, Scion said:

 

jialat, at this rate, dunno Man Utd will break their worst EPL standing record this season boh

Never a good idea to change manager mid season. 

Worst is get some 1 totally new to EPL. And play a totally new system.

[Locknload]

On 12/27/2024 at 3:33 PM, Beregond said:

Never a good idea to change manager mid season. 

Worst is get some 1 totally new to EPL. And play a totally new system.

On 12/27/2024 at 2:38 PM, Scion said:

jialat, at this rate, dunno Man Utd will break their worst EPL standing record this season boh

It was why ETH got sacked after losing a succession of games and to arrest the table-drop, hence the mid-season switch to Amorim. Still a work-in-progress.

To adopt a new structure, it's a case of the players either unable to cope with / adapt to this new system, until such time that he has new players, with many England fans saying that it's premature and better to allow the existing players to do their free-flowing style and proven when RVN had success in that short period. Also, in comparison to the new coaches at Pool and Chelsea, casting doubts on Amorim not being the best where both of them have hit the ground running. As for Rashford, his pattern was already apparent during ETH's time and Amorim is correct in writing him off.