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Bruno Fernandes has been the answer for much of his Manchester United career. Now he asked this question. If we can show it today at Anfield against Liverpool, who are the first team in the league and have probably been the best team in the Premier League this season, why can’t we do it every week?
The 2-2 draw at Anfield signaled a change in mood and immediate improvement, but also disappointment. Ruben Amorim raised the issue of his three home defeats: against Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Newcastle, not Liverpool. He said: “Some games we conceded two goals without doing anything. But then the team he warned were in danger of relegation instead retained the champions-elect. If the inconsistency felt like a step forward for United, while the alternative was consistently bad, that’s not Amorim’s goal.
He said: “The practice and the match, it doesn’t match the place and the opponent, we have to face it every day.” There are times when the captain channels his manager’s thoughts, and Fernandez’s reaction to Liverpool’s hold was: “We can’t be complacent. I am very sad.” And not because of the loss of Harry Maguire in the 97th minute, but because of the lethargy that saw United finish in the 14th minute.
Perhaps United are at their best when they are expected to be hammered and humiliated. They are sometimes excellent as underdogs and falter in the type of games they have long won. Referring to the FA Cup final, Arne Slott noted: “They’ve already shown that if the going is really tough for them, they can come out. As with many of United’s potential successes in recent years, it arguably backfired: it convinced them to keep Erik ten Hoag.
Now Amorim Karr has been saved. He was more than happy with his mentality at Anfield. However, that seemed to be United’s strength for parts of Ten Hoag’s first season, when he appeared to have turned around what he called a “not-so-good culture”. Ralph Rangnick, another man who has identified some of the problems at Old Trafford, has said United need “open heart surgery”. Mental monsters, to borrow Jurgen Klopp’s phrase, have rarely been United in recent years. Maybe they were mental people and bent down when they needed to rise. “I get more angry than other games,” Amorim said. If United can drive anyone crazy, Amorim looks set to give them an electric shock.
“Everyone at Manchester United is very comfortable, so I think we need a shock sometimes,” he said. If Marcus Rashford may have been surprised at times by the stubborn attitude of the smiling Amorim, the coach himself has been surprised. There have been many times when United have been shocking. Club size and global scrutiny mean condemnation.
Fernandez said: “Obviously we were criticized and fair enough, because the position in the table says it all, we lost a lot of points, even today we can’t be satisfied with a draw because we need points more than they do. We have.” . He himself has been criticized: his rush to get a red card at Wolves in a 0-0 draw resulted in a defeat, plus another when he was suspended and Casemiro and Christian Eriksen a midfielder. Formed a statue.
Unsurprisingly, neither was needed at Anfield, where Manuel Ugarte provided more energy. United had a foot in midfield. They also benefited from Amorim’s brainpower, though he focused on their hearts.
He added: Today we were a different team, not because of the system, not because of the technical or tactical aspects. And yet, as a slave to his 3-4-3, a manager who has risked death by fanaticism has shown he can handle the game. His full-backs were skewed, with Diego Dalot playing too high on the left to join Fernandez to torment Trent Alexander-Arnold. Fernandez played a mixed role, partially assisting Ugarte and Kobi Maino in midfield, but had duties in the left channel. It was his pass that set Lisandro Martinez free for the first goal. Meanwhile, Amad Diallo, the other ostensibly number 10, operated more as a winger on the right but popped up in the box for the equaliser.
The scoreline was different, as United hadn’t even scored at Anfield since Jose Mourinho was in charge, but the result was familiar. Even in compiling a terrible recent record against Liverpool, they have had plenty of draws at Anfield. Mourinho got one. Same goes for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hoag.
As a club, they are no strangers to false dawns. The last 11 years have been full of them, with too many home defeats against the likes of Forest, Bournemouth and Newcastle. Amorim presents himself as United’s tough guy, a demanding figure forever wanting more. When United won the Manchester derby, they promptly lost their next four games. Now they hold Liverpool. invites to the test: what happens next? Is this a turning point or just the latest example of United being able to occasionally show an elite mentality, but then an awful one. “Today I’m allowed to be the only player who is upset with the team, but today we were a team,” Amorim said. But can they remain a team?
