Ruben Amorim has reason to feel more encouraged as Manchester United prepares to resume Premier League play this weekend.
However, United faces a crucial stretch of four matches, beginning with a clash against Liverpool. These games could significantly impact the team’s season, for good or ill.
Amorim’s squad delivered one of their most resolute performances under his leadership by defeating Sunderland 2-0 just before the international break.
This result alleviated some of the growing pressure on the manager, which had intensified after a disappointing loss to Brentford the previous week.
Since then, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has voiced his support for Amorim, suggesting it will take three years for the coach to leave his mark at Old Trafford. He also reminded fans how long it took Sir Alex Ferguson to find success after joining the club in 1986.
Nonetheless, Amorim understands that Ratcliffe’s words will carry little weight if the team fails to improve significantly upon last season’s 15th-place finish, United’s worst in the top division since their relegation in 1973-74.
The victory over Sunderland moved United up to 10th place, only the second time this season they’ve ended a matchday in the top half of the standings. It was only their tenth victory in 34 league games since Amorim took over from Erik ten Hag last November. They have yet to achieve consecutive league wins.
United faces a daunting task on Sunday against Liverpool at Anfield (16:30 BST), where they haven’t won since 2016 and, until last season, had only scored once in eight visits.
Few expect United to secure three points from Merseyside. Attention then shifts to the following games – Brighton at home, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham away – where the real challenge lies.
These matches present an opportunity to accumulate a good number of points and climb the table towards European qualification. Achieving this, which is the club’s stated ambition this season, would indicate genuine progress.
However, in each of the previous two seasons, United has suffered defeats at home to Brighton and away to Nottingham Forest and Tottenham. Amorim was in charge for each of those losses last term.
The following is a list of upcoming games and a look back at what happened in 2024-25, including Amorim’s assessments and fan opinions.
It’s reasonable to assume that significantly better results are expected this time around.
19 October: Liverpool, away (2024-25: 2-2 on 5 January)
The toughest of United’s upcoming matches is ironically the only one they’ve managed to get anything from in the last two years. This season, Martinez gave United the lead – a rare occurrence at Anfield since Rooney’s winner in 2016 – but Diallo’s late goal was needed to secure a tie, with Maguire missing a great chance to win it at the death.
“It’s very obvious,” stated Amorim then. “When we’re concentrated, compete for every challenge, struggle together, and show exhaustion at the final whistle, we’re a decent side. If we don’t consistently demonstrate that, we’re likely to lose.”
Fan David perfectly captured the mood with his summary on the BBC Sport website, saying: “Finally, the genuine Manchester United turned up. Can they maintain this form? I’m not particularly optimistic about the chances!”
25 October: Brighton, home (2024-25: 1-3 on 19 January)
A miserable afternoon for Manchester United was worsened by Amorim’s scathing remarks after the game.
Brighton’s victory marked their third consecutive Premier League win at Old Trafford, and this one was especially lackluster for the home side. Despite conceding on a counter, United leveled the score with a Bruno Fernandes penalty and benefited from a VAR decision that disallowed a Brighton goal.
However, Kaoru Mitoma restored Brighton’s lead, exploiting space at the far post. To add insult to injury, goalkeeper Andre Onana’s unforced error, fumbling a simple cross, gifted Georginio Rutter an easy goal.
Amorim stated that United had only won two of their last ten Premier League matches, emphasizing the frustration for fans and himself. He highlighted the fact that the new coach was currently performing worse than his predecessor, and suggested that they might be the worst Manchester United team ever.
Supporter Su, in her BBC Sport fan verdict, avoided focusing solely on Onana’s mistake, arguing that it would distract from the larger, more fundamental problems plaguing the club at Old Trafford.
1 November: Nottingham Forest, away (2024-25: 0-1 on 1 April)
For Manchester United, suffering another Premier League defeat at Nottingham Forest’s stadium was already a bitter pill to swallow. The fact that Anthony Elanga, a player they previously let go, scored the decisive goal only made the loss more painful.
United had sold Elanga to Forest for £15m, as their manager at the time didn’t rate the Swedish attacker as highly as his predecessor. Elanga’s goal was a moment of brilliance, as he sprinted the length of the field following a Forest clearance from a United corner. He then skillfully evaded the defender before firing a powerful shot into the corner of the net from just outside the penalty box.
“We conceded a goal from a counter-attack during our own set-piece,” the manager lamented. “We can’t afford to concede goals like that.”
A fan, Adam, expressed harsh criticism on BBC Sport, stating: “I know I keep saying the same thing, but the manager continues to make mistakes. Poor tactics, questionable team selection, ineffective substitutions, and a lack of flexibility. He’s creating problems for himself very early in his tenure.”
8 November: Tottenham, away (2024-25: 0-1 on 16 February)
The most crushing loss United suffered against Tottenham under Amorim was undoubtedly in the Europa League final in May, a defeat that also meant they missed out on Champions League qualification for the current season.
However, losing to Spurs was a recurring theme the previous year, occurring on four separate occasions, one being in the League Cup.
In February, Tottenham became the first team to defeat United three times in a single season since Chelsea managed it in 2012-13. James Maddison secured the only goal of the league match in London early on. Spurs also achieved their first league double over United since the days of Terry Venables’ leadership in 1989-90.
“What decided the game? They were able to score, we weren’t,” Amorim stated.
Peter’s reaction on BBC Sport’s fans’ opinions was much harsher: “Lacking ideas, lacking drive, and lacking commitment.”
