One turned into two and Manchester United scripted their own downfall by losing at home to Nottingham Forest in a nightmare follow-up to Arsenal defeat.
Similar issues plagued Man Utd, with set-pieces looking dicey, quality on the ball lacking and some inexplicable decision-making ensuring Ruben Amorim saw his first home defeat as Man Utd manager.
Before the game began, the starting XI looked ideal on paper but nobody could have accounted for the individual errors that would doom the team.
Be it Andre Onana making a mess of pretty much every ball played to him, or Lisandro Martinez trying his best to make sure Onana wasn’t alone in getting criticism, Amorim will have learned a lot about his team.
However, former Man Utd player Owen Hargreaves was also ‘amazed’ at one decision by the manager which he thought hurt the team and made their job even more difficult.
Manchester United's Portuguese midfielder #08 Bruno Fernandes (R) celebrates after scoring his team second goal during the English Premier League f...
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Owen Hargreaves questions Ruben Amorim’s decision vs Forest
So far, Amorim’s gambles have paid off handsomely and even when they have dropped points, the Portuguese has given a clear and concise thought process behind his decisions.
That has calmed the fans down who had been kept in the dark for far too long and at the same time, gave Amorim some credit in the bank.
Some of his decisions have still been confusing, like resting Amad for the Arsenal game but ultimately, he’s still learning about his team and the players so these are all experiences.
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Another one was added vs Forest as Hargreaves expressed astonishment at one decision in the game that he thought worked against United- subbing off Bruno Fernandes.
Hargreaves said: I was amazed [Fernandes] went off. He had scored one, helping assist another, and was very threatening. He’s the guy, him and Amad, right now, they’re gonna create you something. I’m sure Amorim will regret that.
“Bruno was the one guy, with everything running through him. He was almost coaching the team on the pitch, even for the first goal, you can see him directing De Ligt where to pass the ball. Him and Amad, they’re the only ones creating something.”
Amorim on Bruno Fernandes’ substitution
It is not the first time Amorim has subbed off Bruno and that is saying something because his predecessors almost never used to do it.
The first instance was when United were already out of sight vs Everton at the start of the month but the situation couldn’t be more different here.
Not only were United chasing the game, but Fernandes was looking like the most threatening player on the pitch alongside Amad, as Hargreaves says.
Amorim, as he has with his previous calls, explained the thinking behind the change in his interview after the game.
He said: “I understand Bruno is really dangerous with the ball but he was too tired and I wanted [Mason] Mount to play that position of second midfielder who opens a bit on the left.”
Mount buzzed around with purpose and made some nice runs but his style of play was not completely suitable to a team operating in a low block, daring United to break them down.
Fernandes had a good thing going with Amad but Amorim has been headstrong and backed his calls to pay off in the long-term.
Man Utd fans will hope this one gets added to that list of calls.
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