The cautious optimism that Manchester United carried into the new season has evaporated even before the end of August, once again putting manager Ruben Amorim under an intense spotlight. With just one point from their opening two Premier League games, the Portuguese coach has now accumulated only 28 points from 29 top-flight matches since taking over from Erik ten Hag.
An unfortunate 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal followed by a 1-1 draw at Fulham would not ordinarily have plunged United back into the crisis mode they ended the last miserable campaign in. However, on a stormy Wednesday night next to the Humber Estuary, their penalty shootout loss to fourth-tier Grimsby Town in the second round of the League Cup was arguably the lowest point of Amorim’s tenure.
The days when Manchester United could dismiss the League Cup as a minor competition to rotate their squad are long gone. Having missed out on European football for only the second time in 35 years after finishing 15th last season, United’s only realistic targets were the FA Cup and the League Cup. This made Amorim’s decision to make eight changes to his starting lineup for the clash at Blundell Park all the more surprising.
That said, he still gave a first start to forward Benjamin Sesko alongside fellow new recruit Matheus Cunha. Together, they cost United a staggering £130 million ($175.6 million) in the transfer window. After a dreadful first half left United trailing 2-0, Amorim also brought on £65 million signing Bryan Mbeumo and captain Bruno Fernandes after the break.
Had Cunha not botched United’s fifth penalty in the shootout—a successful conversion would have won the match—Amorim might have been spared a difficult Thursday. Instead, Grimsby’s journeymen and youngsters held their nerve, Mbeumo missed his spot kick, and the lasting image of the night was an angst-ridden Amorim alone in his dugout, suffering through the shootout.
His post-match comments were intriguing. “I think this is a little bit the limit. I think something has to change. I think the team and the players spoke really loud today,” he said.
United’s owners were so eager to replace Ten Hag with Amorim last year that they gave him a “now or never” ultimatum to make the switch in November rather than at the end of the season. After a draw in his first game against Ipswich Town, United were 12th in the table. They ended the season in 15th place with 42 points, their lowest-ever Premier League haul and their worst season since 1974. Even the consolation of winning the Europa League eluded them as they lost to Tottenham Hotspur in the final, a side that finished 17th in the Premier League.
Amorim’s win percentage in all competitions for United is 35.6%, and it’s a shocking 24.1% in the Premier League.
