The Ruben Amorim era at Manchester United has officially received its first “hang on a minute” loss with Bournemouth rocking up at Old Trafford and handing the hosts another 0-3 defeat.
It was a repeat of Man Utd vs Bournemouth on December 9, 2023, which turned out to be Anthony Martial’s last game and at the time, Erik ten Hag was under extreme pressure.
The Man Utd squad has no such hiding place now after delivering a similar performance straight from the days under the Dutchman.
There was the defensive collapse, the attacking wastefulness, the lack of initiative in possession, and panic out of it, all of which could have confused Man Utd fans that Ten Hag was still in the dugout.
It only serves to reinforce one thing- the manager is not the biggest issue at the club. Not that Ruben Amorim needed any support because he fully has it from every fan, but what he said after the defeat will endear him further to them.
Ruben Amorim’s message to Man Utd fans
Amorim has so far said all the right things in the media even when faced with some difficult situations and he’s been faced with plenty!
The masterful handling of Marcus Rashford’s situation is just one example but the way he acknowledges the fan sentiment after each result, especially negative ones, is a breath of fresh air.
He has balanced hope with realism perfectly so far, not getting carried away with big wins and not getting too down in the dumps after demoralising losses.
However, he must have sensed that the fans needed something more than unoriginal platitudes after a loss like this against Bournemouth.
Once again, he had his finger on the pulse of the fanbase and came with a great four-word message for United fans they could desperately use at a time like this.
Speaking in his press conference after the loss, he took a holistic view of the situation and simply said four words that sum up his whole thinking- “Nothing bad lasts forever“.
Players need to back Amorim’s message
It is all fine and good to wax lyrical about the manager’s message but at the end of the day, he’s not the one tasked with putting the ball in the net or keeping it out of another.
Erik ten Hag’s “Eras come to an end” was a similar message that had the fans swooning about the future at Old Trafford but everyone knows how that turned out.
The players need to back the manager’s confidence in them with performances on the pitch because the balance of power seems to have finally shifted.
The only mitigating factor with Ten Hag, that he wasn’t “Ineos’ man”, is no longer present with Amorim so it’s more likely that he oversees a full squad rebuild regardless of results than leaving for negative results.
So far, they have shown signs of taking on the manager’s methods but the frailties of earlier remain. It is clear that either those frailties will go, or the players will.
Because this manager is not going anywhere this time.
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