We're not learning. We're getting worse.
1. Wrong midfield
It worked two seasons ago.
Casemiro and Eriksen were brilliant in 22/23 when they sort of revolutionized our midfield as we went from McFred to CasEriksen? No that doesn't work, but you know what I mean.
The Brazilian was superb in that campaign but ever since, he has had a complete 180 to a point where he now can't finish nor can he pass the ball. Eriksen has the quality in possession but he is much too slow and has no physicality.
We were completely run through as they couldn't cope with Joelinton, Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes who were all over Casemiro and Eriksen. They ran the show and ultimately controlled the game.
Mainoo came on next to Casemiro and we looked a lot more balanced. United also weren't overrun and the overall team performance improved.
These two CANNOT be playing together again. This was a mistake on the manager and he knew it early on which is why he made that change on half an hour.
CasEriksen 😅, earn a combined £500k-a-week wage. That is more than Domink Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister combined (£420k-a-week). That is a potential title and Champions League winning midfield who are made up of three players and we have TWO BENCH options that earn more than them.
Nuff said.
2. Zirkzee as CAM doesn't work
This experiment didn't work. Categorically.
It was something the manager said he will 'try' with Zirkzee as a number 10 because of his unique ability as a false 9 or 9.5. He isn't a proper striker and because he can do a job a little deeper and without Bruno who was suspended, Amorim decided this was the perfect opportunity to see what Zirkzee can do as CAM and perhaps had it gone well, been a position for him in this team especially on the left side of the attacking two as we are struggling on that side.
But it dind't work at all and the manager ended up making a change just 30 minutes in.
Zirkzee was the player sacrificed but it really could've been anyone as we were so bad.
This substitution obviously admitted an error by Amorim as we looked better with Mainoo on and Zirkzee off.
The Dutchman was really abysmal for his short time on the field and has been very poor in his few months at Old Trafford. His lack of control on the ball and care in possession is terrible, he isn't he most mobile or hard working, his approach is quite laid back and not in a Berbatov sense, and nor does he create or score goals which as a number 10, are two things that you would expect of someone in that position.
I did feel sorry for him being taken off and if the fans were cheering him off and booing the player, then I don't agree with it at all. This is a young player who has just come into United in July and has joined a club in turmoil both on and off the pitch.
To be booing him and cheering his substituion is unacceptable from the match-going fans although I do understand that they paid good money and want to see more than that shite performance. We all deserve more than that but those people paid their hard earned money from all over the world to watch that crap and obviously would let their feelings known.
Still, it doesn't mean it was correct to boo him. He looked absolutely shattered. Zirkzee looked done. Apparently he was even close to tears.
He walked straight down the tunnel but came back a few minutes later with a hood on to cover his face.
Could his time at United already be done?
3. Mazraoui and Amad out of best positions
I think ever since Mazraoui moved to right wing-back and Amad moved to a number 10 position, the pair of them just haven't been at the same level as before.
Mazraoui seems to have been infected with the shite that has been at the club for a long time but as a right wing-back, he doesn't seem to work as well.
He is not attacking enough and while he is defensively sound, we need more than that from a wing-back in Amorim's system. There is no creativity with him and some of his forward passing is not good enough.
We also looked a lot more balanced with him as part of the back three.
What we need out wide is Amad. He hasn't looked himself since moving inside. I think that that freedom he has out wide is gone as the space and time as a CAM is limited and we can't get the best out of him.
Amad is also not isolated against the full-back where he can take them on and create chances. Opposition's have also identified Amad as a serious threat and put their whole team on him. Newcastle had around three of four players on him every time he got the ball.
We're struggling to get the best out of two of our better players.
4. No chance creation
We know that we have difficulties creating chances especially clear-cut ones. But when we don't create anything it makes it even harder to score.
We didn't have a shot at goal until the 32nd minute when Hojlund was played through by Martinez and should've done better with his shot despite the tight angle. Correct me if I'm worng, but I think that was the first touch we had in the opposition box as well.
32 minutes.
The problem with missing such chances is that because we don't create much, we have to take them. Hojlund had to score that, Casemiro had to score his chance because they are so few and far between.
Is it because Bruno wasn't playing that we struggled in attack? Whatever you say about the captain, we do look worse off without him particularly in an attacking sense because no one has that creative eye like he does. He makes things happen whether for good or ill but at least it's something.
5. Not stopping crosses
We know that we can't defend balls into the box of any kind yet we stand off players when the opposition have the ball out wide and we don't get tight enough allowing them to put the ball into the box fairly easily.
Both goals were the same. Both came from Newcastle's left and Mazraoui in particular didn't get close enough to Hall and Gordon for the crosses to allow Isak and Joelinton to score.
The marking in the box was then pathetic as no one picks up the runs and movements of either Newcastle player and we also seem to let our smallest centre-back Martinez have to mark Isak and Joelinton who are both well over six-foot.
The football IQ in these situations are terrible.
Things are so bad now that teams are trying to score directly from corners. This isn't an open play cross of course but as we are poor from any type of cross, this was another area for Newcastle to exploit.
So bad from corners that teams are shooting directly from them 😄.
What the fuck is wrong with us?
Background Image: Joshua Zirkzee gets substituted in the first half in Man Utd 0-2 Newcastle | Creator: Carl Recine | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2024 Getty Images via Goal