Manchester United missed the chance to move into the top five of the Premier League on Thursday night after yet another disappointing performance at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils took on a struggling West Ham side, who sit in the relegation zone, and took the lead in the second half thanks to a well-taken strike by defender Diogo Dalot. But a late Soungoutou Magassa equaliser meant the points were shared, and fans at Old Trafford booed their team at the final whistle.
The performance on the night wasn't good, and once again manager Ruben Amorim left a lot to be desired with some of his decision making, but it was what he said after the game that should see him lose his job as Man Utd manager.
Man Utd Must Sack Amorim ASAP
Ruben Amorim
Amorim made the surprise decision to hand Ayden Heaven his first start of the season in the absence of Harry Maguire and Matthijs De Ligt, but the youngster had a difficult evening and after an early yellow card he was replaced at half-time by Leny Yoro.
Then at 1-0 up, Amorim's substitutions were to bring on Mason Mount and Manuel Ugarte for Matheus Cunha and Joshua Zirkzee, a clear message to the team that he was happy with the result as it was, and inviting pressure from the visitors. Following West Ham's late equaliser, Amorim made another change, bringing on Lisandro Martinez for Luke Shaw.
Despite needing a goal, the manager left attack-minded stars Kobbie Mainoo and youngster Shea Lacey on the bench, unused, and when questioned about his decision after the game, his response was frightening.
“No. We are losing because of the second balls. We have more men to put in the offense? Who? Who would be more offense?”
When Mainoo was name-checked as an option, Amorim simply laughed. That is hugely worrying.
Amorim also then stated that it was a corner that was the difference in the game, rather than the way the team played over the 90 minutes.
“We can't let a team that's much bigger than us get a corner in these conditions. It's the details that make the difference, and today, a corner made the difference.”
Amorim Doesn't Get Man Utd
kobbie mainoo manchester united-1
This isn't about Kobbie Mainoo. It isn't about the academy, and it isn't about individuals. This is simply about a manager who doesn't understand the club he is the manager of, and what is expected of him as the man in charge.
The first responsibility of the Manchester United manager is to win games. But failing that, which happens sometimes, is that you show an intent to win games and entertain the fans. Amorim is failing miserably at all three points.
The Portuguese coach has won just 23 of his 57 games in charge in over a year, with just 13 wins in the Premier League in that time. That is simply not good enough. But the substitutions he makes in-game are a major concern too, and the excuses he makes to defend those decisions are worrying too.
If he can't see that the changes he made in that game, against one of the worst-performing teams in the league, were at a detriment to Man Utd, then he'll never understand it, and fans have every right to call for his head.
Amorim isn't good enough for Man Utd, and he doesn't get it. It's time for INEOS to act, show some intent, and move on from this terrible experiment and bring in someone who can actually do the basics right.
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