Manchester, England — Ruben Amorim was not joking when he remarked, “The storm will come.” Marcus Rashford, set pieces, lost chances, conceding the first goal in games — Manchester United’s manager has his pick of problems right now.
Results will be his primary concern. And, having gone 18 months without a home league defeat at the close of his Sporting CP reign, he has now lost two Premier League games in three weeks at Old Trafford. Following Nottingham Forest’s success here at the beginning of December, AFC Bournemouth added to Amorim’s difficulties with a 3-0 win on Sunday.
This was possibly more detrimental than the Forest loss, when United had made a sort of comeback and was still vying for an equaliser against Nuno Espirito Santo’s team late in the game. But against Bournemouth, there was hardly any reaction, and the game ended with the fans who had travelled four and a half hours from the south coast yelling “Olé” after each pass was made.
The travelling supporters sang, “Manchester United, it’s happened again,” as the home crowd jeered as the final whistle blew. The previous time Bournemouth visited Old Trafford, they triumphed 3-0 in December.
“I sensed a lot of anxiety from the first minute,” Amorim stated after the game. “Everyone in the stadium is in pain. The players, the supporters, everyone. Although it’s a difficult time, we must accept it and be ready for the next match. I am in charge of coaching them. We want to get better, of course. Everything is so difficult right now, especially when a team like Manchester United loses 3-0 at home. It’s quite difficult for everyone. Naturally, the fans are exhausted and extremely disappointed. It’s evident in the stadium.
A week earlier, United won against Manchester City, giving them the opportunity to win the Premier League in back-to-back games for the first time this season. However, if the thrilling comeback at the Etihad elevated the spirits, then Amorim and his team have been thrown back to earth with a thud after losing to Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur in four days. In their 4-3 victory in the Carabao Cup on Thursday, Spurs scored twice from set pieces, while Bournemouth did the same in less than 30 minutes.
United will be upset with referee Craig Pawson’s decision to give a free kick for Tyrell Malacia’s challenge on Adam Smith, but there is little explanation for what happened next: Ryan Christie floated a cross into the box, and Dean Huijsen got in front of Joshua Zirkzee to head past André Onana.
It’s becoming a serious concern for Amorim and his set-piece coach, Carlos Fernandes. Bournemouth’s opener was the eighth goal surrendered directly from or quickly after a set piece in United’s last six games. It now stands at 17 for the calendar year.
“We are working on that and we are going to improve on that,” Amorim responded when questioned about the alarming statistic. However, we didn’t lose due to set pieces. Since everything is against us at this point and they have the opportunity to score, we lose because we created more opportunities and failed to score. We create chances, just like we did against Tottenham. This is a tough time.
Additionally, United lost 1-0 for the sixth straight game due to a header from Huijsen. Tottenham experienced the same thing, scoring twice in eight minutes during the second half to quickly go from 1-0 to 3-0. The same thing happened against Bournemouth.
At the close of the first half, Bruno Fernandes wasted several decent chances as the visitors survived a period of United pressure. However, like Spurs, Bournemouth scored twice in a short period of time in the second half, making a match that United was still in at a 1-0 deficit suddenly unwinnable.
Like set pieces, it’s a persistent problem. In 20 minutes against Arsenal, two in seven minutes against Forest, two in eight minutes against Tottenham, and two in three minutes against Bournemouth, United has let up two goals under Amorim.
Following the game, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola praised the play of Kepa Arrizabalaga, the goalkeeper on loan, and noted that the two quick goals made the scoreline appear more comfortable than it actually was.
“It was more level than it looks,” he explained. “This victory is a result of Kepa’s performance. It was a much more open game last season. This showed greater maturity.
After taking Erik ten Hag’s place in November, Amorim has lost four of his last six games, so Iraola’s evaluation won’t offer much comfort.
Before the end of 2024, United will face Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in difficult games, putting them in the bottom half of the standings on Christmas Day for the first time since 1989.
As Amorim sat in the Old Trafford news conference room, doing his best to analyse the loss to Bournemouth, the roof started to leak. It encapsulated United’s coach’s mounting list of issues as the demands of his new role start to set in. It’s storm time.
