In December, Manchester United suffered five league defeats in a month for the first time since 1962. The team finished the year in 14th place, and the media began to discuss a possible relegation to the Championship. Global bookmaker 1xBet assessed the Red Devils’ chances of fixing their current situation.
Ruben Amorim – the winning coach
Ruben Amorim began his coaching career in Braga with a 9-match unbeaten run. He won twice against Porto and Sporting as well as beat Benfica. Immediately after that, Sporting bought out Amorim’s contract for 10 million euros, and at the helm of the Lions, the young manager achieved 2 titles in 4 years.
In his first days in Manchester, Ruben Amorim gave the impression of a nice guy who smiles at everyone and does not realise the scale of the problems. However, there is no doubt about the Portuguese’s ability to be ruthless and make difficult decisions. He left Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of the Manchester derby squad and won that game.
Initially, many were interested in the question: “Will the team switch to playing with 3 central defenders?” Amorim emphasised that he would not abandon his style and the 3-4-2-1 formation. In a short time, the Portuguese instilled a top-level high pressing, but the reliability in defense and positional attacks are not impressive. Because of this, United loses important points against teams such as Wolverhampton, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest. The squad tries to dominate but cannot break down the opponent’s defense and concede after counterattacks.
“Amorim is a top coach. I like to face those who have their own playing style and stick to it,” said Pep Guardiola. Ruben needs time to implement his ideas, but he has all the qualities to take United back to the top.
New heroes, ballast, and waiting for transfers
Since Ruben Amorim’s arrival, most of the Man United players have gained confidence, but Manuel Ugarte and Amad Diallo stand out in particular. The Uruguayan has worked with the coach at Sporting and is familiar with his requirements. Ugarte is a key pressing part and often gets involved in the decisive struggles when winning the ball back. Amad Diallo was not so important for Erik ten Hag, but his place in the starting XI is unquestionable under Amorim. The Ivorian is not afraid to lead the game and regularly scores.
At the same time, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen may be looking for new clubs. The central midfielders in Amorim’s scheme have much work to do, which the Brazilian and the Dane cannot manage. The Portuguese coach asked Marcus Rashford to meet the club’s standards, but the player publicly said he was looking for challenges elsewhere. After this, it is as difficult to believe in Rashford’s prospects at Old Trafford as it is to find 1xBet complaints.
Manchester United is strapped for cash, and Amorim will have to work with the players he has. However, the team desperately needs another left full-back. Tyrell Malacia is far from fit, and using Dalot in that position limits the rotation options for Noussair Mazraoui.
It will be possible to evaluate Amorim’s work only after several transfer windows, but it is already clear that the squad believes in the coach’s ideas.
What to expect from Man United in the second half of the season?
The experts who prepared this 1xBet review believe that by the end of the season, Manchester United can get out of the crisis and significantly improve their place in the standings. The matches against Liverpool (2-2), Manchester City (2-1), and Tottenham (3-4) showed that the team not only has problems but also the motivation to solve them and develop.
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