MU returns to the quagmire

Having had one more player since the 13th minute after Idrissa Gueye’s bizarre red card, MU should have controlled the game, pressed and finished Everton off at Old Trafford. However, the opposite happened. The visitors closed the space, played with more courage and were more dangerous at times, while MU fell into a familiar state: deadlocked, relying on individual inspiration and lacking any connection in the game.

After a failure

This defeat was not just a matter of dropping points. It exposed problems that had been present since the start of the season and showed that Amorim’s team was regressing after a short period of improvement. Against an opponent with only 10 men, Man Utd still lost in the dispute, lost in the second ball, lost in the fighting spirit.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said on television that it was “a disgrace”, and it was hard to argue with that. Everton always had the upper hand in decisive moments, despite being outnumbered and having to play under pressure from the Old Trafford stands.

The root of the failure lies with Amorim. On a day when United needed flexibility, the Portuguese coach stuck to the 3-4-2-1 system as if every situation was ideal for his philosophy to operate. But this is the Premier League, not a laboratory.

When Everton huddled and conceded the ball completely, the Reds needed to change their attacking structure, needed more players in the final line, needed to open up the wings and needed a breakthrough to create a breakthrough. Amorim did nothing. That conservatism made every attack of MU predictable, slow and repetitive to the point of boredom.

The midfield continued to be a concern. MU controlled the ball but not the space. The spaces in front of the penalty area were left open, allowing Everton to counter-attack every time they won the ball.

Ruben Amorim was too rigid.

Kobbie Mainoo tried hard but lacked support. Bruno Fernandes had his creative space blocked. Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo had to receive the ball with their backs turned, without support and with almost no chance of combining at high speed. A big team cannot rely on individual moves when the opponent is short-handed and almost completely deep.

MU’s defense also played erratically. Everton’s ability to defend against high balls, which is a traditional strength, was constantly exploited. Set pieces always made the home crowd hold their breath. Every time Everton overcame the first layer of pressing, MU immediately fell into a state of red alert.

The worrying thing is not only the failure but the way the failure happened. MU did not lose because of bad luck; they lost because they lost the principles of a strong team. Lack of clear attacking plans, lack of speed in opening up the flanks, lack of people to penetrate the penalty area and lack of alertness to take advantage of the advantage of having more people. All of this adds up to the image of a team that depends on the coach's rigid tactical structure to the point of losing the ability to adjust itself on the field.

Amorim's slow reaction

Amorim was expected to bring a new identity: high pressing, flexible playing style, the ability to rotate the system. But through matches like this, he showed a worrying downside: dogmatism. That makes MU easily neutralized when the game is not favorable or needs creativity outside the framework.

While Everton stood firm with discipline and fighting spirit, United created a sense of fear. The more they had the ball, the more disoriented they became. The more they attacked, the more they revealed their lack of connection.

The back-and-forth passing of the ball in the second line did not lead to any clear-cut chances. When the audience needed to see Manchester United explode, they were met with only disjointed and tired play.

MU lost the match humiliatingly.

Amorim can talk about progress, about the time it takes to perfect the game. But a big team should be able to win games like this, especially when playing with more than an hour more men. United failed to do so. And this is not the first time they have fallen into a spiral of lack of ideas. That is much more alarming than a simple defeat.

If the Portuguese coach does not make adjustments soon, United will continue to fall back into the same deadlock: the pit of disappointment, where matches like the one against Everton will become the new normal. This is the moment that requires real courage from Amorim, or United will slide down the road without the opponent having to do anything too complicated.

Source: https://znews.vn/mu-tro-lai-vung-lay-post1605752.html