Manchester United post-Sir Alex Ferguson have always dealt in extremes and the high of the Manchester Derby victory has been followed by two dispiriting losses.
At least Man Utd showed fight vs Spurs but against Bournemouth, there was a sense of wastefulness and panic that reminded one of Erik ten Hag’s end at Old Trafford.
The players did their usual charade of conceding another quickly after conceding one and Ruben Amorim was clear after the game that there’s a sense of nervousness in the fans and the players.
That’s a massive negative for a team that ultimately has to aim for the very top but right now, are struggling to even do the basics right.
In the process, however, Amorim also has a ‘massive positive’ to hang on to, according to Gary Neville.
Gary Neville breaks down ‘massive positive’ for Ruben Amorim
Amorim took over a team that was 13th in the Premier League and after six league games, United find themselves…13th.
There have been three defeats, one draw, and two wins which is perfectly midtable form for a team that doesn’t look an ounce better than that billing.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 11 |  TottenhamTottenham | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 23 |
| 12 |  BrentfordBrentford | 17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 23 |
| 13 |  Man UtdManchester United | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 22 | -1 | 22 |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 22 | 30 | -8 | 20 |
| 15 |  EvertonEverton | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 21 | -7 | 16 |
It comes just days after the Man Utd manager declared that his ultimate aim is to win the Premier League with the club, a goal that looks quite a distance away, if visible at all.
The scale of the job is clear and there’s a lot of work to do, on and off the pitch, which is why Amorim can grasp onto very positive he can and Neville has just given him one.
The former United man said that it’s a ‘massive positive’ that Amorim is getting to see the reality of the players instead of getting fooled by a positive result or two.
He said many players on the pitch are just not good enough and results like these will reinforce that feeling instead of catching Amorim out had this happened later in his tenure.
He said: “I think it’s a massive positive that Ruben Amorim is seeing what he’s got. Earlier, there have been times when you’ve been kidded on by thinking you’ve got a better group of players than you do.
“You can move to sixth and seventh in the league and think one or two additions can take this somewhere but not this time. They’re an absolute mile away in every single way.
“He’s given everybody a try and I don’t think there’ll be many who he looks at and thinks, ‘Yeah, I want you on the bus’. They’re actually very mediocre.
“This is a sustained pattern now under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim and even going before, for the last ten years. It’s a big positive that Amorim has the opportunity to look at these players.
“I’m glad he’s watching what Man Utd fans have been watching for ten years. They’re just not good enough.”
Balance of power has shifted at Man Utd
It is often said that the manager’s job at any club is far less secure than the players’ and rightly so, since it’s easier to get rid of a manager than change 22 players.
However, there comes a time when a sustained pattern of underperformance under multiple managers puts players firmly under the spotlight.
It happened at Arsenal, where they started paying players to leave just to reboot the culture of the club, standing by Mikel Arteta regardless of results.
Something similar needs to happen at Man Utd and the narrative after the recent run of form shows that the balance of power has shifted at Old Trafford too.
Fans just won’t question another manager until the players sort themselves out and Neville’s thoughts echo that sentiment as well.
It’s been said every summer but the upcoming one will truly be massive because finally, United will have an ambitious executive team with a stable manager, a combination they haven’t had since Sir Alex Ferguson’s time.
It’s time to do what Ralf Rangnick said in 2021. Open-heart surgery is required.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
