Can Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim really pull this off? – Premier League hits and misses | Football news
Can Amorim really ride this out?
The pre-match scenes celebrating the life of Denis Law, the king of Stretford End, were truly moving. When it comes to the past, there is no more famous club in England. The opposition to what followed remains a cause for concern.
Manchester United is a bad football team. The table tells you so much. Watching them play makes it obvious. But the big news from Old Trafford on Sunday is that Ruben Amorim agrees, describing this current squad as possibly the worst in the club’s history.
This became the theme of his short reign so far, deflecting criticism with honesty, bluntness and gloom. He was talking about relegation. In the same press conference after the game, he said that he is a losing coach more than the previous one. And the last one got fired.
There are no plans to deviate from the course. Amorim admitted he didn’t even bring on two strikers while chasing the game against Brighton because he was more concerned with sending a message to his players that the style of play never changes, no matter what.
He hopes that will help the idea to be realized more quickly, but without confidence after a fourth home defeat in five, there is a possibility that these results kill faith in his plan, rather than boost it. Fix all this in the summer? Right now, that seems far away.
Adam Bate
Baleba and Ayari inspire Brighton’s victory
“We’ve learned that winning a football game doesn’t have to be pretty,” Lewis Dunk said after Brighton beat Manchester United once again.
Ruben Amorim’s United were miserable, but Brighton deserved to win. In the center were the performances of young midfielders Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba.
Ayari was almost sold by Brighton in the summer, Baleba was error-prone in his first season with the Seagulls last term. But both players are now among the first names on the team sheet – their outing at Old Trafford proved that.
Baleba played a crucial ball over the top to unlock the game for the first goal, Ayari’s running and desire were key in goals two and three.
“Our young players are mature and they know what they have to do to win the game,” Fabian Hurzeler said at full-time. It may not be long until Baleba and Ayari are on Brighton’s big-money assembly line.
Blitz himself
Spurs have fallen to a low level, but Ange must find a solution, not excuses
Tottenham’s injury list is long and has clearly been a major hindrance to them this season. But midfielder James Maddison was right when he called their first-half performance at Everton “unacceptable”.
Spurs fans may feel the same way about Arsenal’s first-half display. Or the first 90 minutes of the cup game with Tamworth. If nothing else, the victory over Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final is proof that Spurs still have enough talent in the group to play much better than last week.
It falls on the players and the manager. Ange Postecoglou has admitted he got the back three wrong at Everton, but he can still expect more from his front line of captain Heung-min Son, Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski – players who have received much praise in the past.
Nor is it that Spurs’ problems are contained only to this period of absence. In the last 50 games of the Premier League, they lost 24 times. Not good enough for Spurs. Daniel Levy, scowling at Goodison, will feel it too.
On paper, this was a game Tottenham could have won. Their next four fall into that category before the all-important Carabao Cup trip to Liverpool. There can be no excuses if Spurs slip deeper into the mire.
Peter Smith
Moyes rejuvenates Calvert-Lewin as ‘everything comes together for Everton’
It didn’t take long for returning Everton manager David Moyes to rejuvenate Dominic Calvert-Lewin, judging by the forward’s man-of-the-match display in Sunday’s crucial 3-2 win over Tottenham.
Going into the clash, questions were rightly raised over the England international’s future at Goodison Park after a barren run in front of goal spanning 16 Premier League games until September, when he netted against Aston Villa.
Everton had their own attacking problems as a team, their 15 goals before kick-off making them the worst scorers in the league, but right from the start the hosts tore their opponents apart.
So much so that the Toffees went 3-0 up at half-time, the first time that had happened in a Premier League game at Goodison Park since February 2017, under Ronald Koeman.
“It’s been a tough period for me, so I’m really delighted with how we went today,” said Calvert-Lewin Sky Sports after the game. “I think only us, the boys, the team and the club need a win and I’m glad I played my part.
“I think everything started today, sometimes you go through those periods where you don’t hit the fairway or you don’t get the run off the green, but I think everything came together for us today.”
And Moyes will now be hoping that Calvert-Lewin – and Everton – can build on that impressive display between now and the end of the season as the Toffees look to pull themselves out of the drop zone. Rich Morgan
‘Phil Foden is on fire’
You’d be forgiven for wondering what’s up with Phil Foden if you’ve only been watching football since the summer. A bad European Championship when many expected them to tear it apart somehow did not prevent England from reaching the final. And since returning this season, he has looked depleted, failing to score in his first 11 Premier League appearances.
But like many of England’s players deep into the summer, his form has soared in recent weeks. The same can be said for Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.
There’s a smile on Foden’s face now as City’s attacking players are once again on fire and creating chances from all angles. It is now six goals in six games for last year’s PFA Player of the Year. He reminds us all of his talents and it’s no coincidence that City are moving up the table as a result.
Lewis Jones
Forest are showing both sides of their Champions League credentials
How quickly football games can change.
Up to scoring three goals with an expected goal value of just 0.28 xG, up to holding the lowest difference in added time.
Nuna Espirito Santo’s side showed both sides of their game today – and that’s why they are now level on points with second-placed Arsenal.
Their attacking play speaks for itself, as shown by the spectacular end of the first half, but they secured all three points thanks to their stoic defensive play in the later stages of the game.
With increasing pressure and Southampton looking dangerous with every attack, the team pulled together and dragged it over the line.
Forest are the real deal and they owe that a lot to their commitment in defence.
Patrick Rowe
Saints should play 90 minutes
As they did against Manchester United, Southampton showed enough promise and threat in stoppage time to walk away with a result today.
If they had played with the same intention for the entire 90 minutes, they would not have left empty-handed – correctly pointed out the boss Ivan Jurić.
However, like relegated Leicester, the Saints fail to produce positive performances throughout the game, and in the end it could end up being their undoing.
Juric will learn more about his team as time goes on, but one thing is clear – they looked threatening with striker Paul Onuachu, who scored his first Premier League goal today, leading the line.
He has that quality, said Jurić. “He is a fighter and very good with his head. He will be very good for us and very happy for him.”
Patrick Rowe
