The festive season is in full swing and the ghost of Christmas past made an unwelcome visit to Old Trafford on Sunday. Okay, it wasn’t exactly ancient history coming back to haunt these stands. It was only a year ago that Bournemouth beat Manchester United 3-0 on their turf.
Maybe it’s becoming a Christmas tradition in Manchester. Like a trip to the panto and an overprized gluhwein at the markets. ‘Have you done the Bournemouth debacle yet?’ ‘No, we’re doing that next week, that’s when Christmas begins for us’.
We shouldn’t joke, but then what else is left? The most surprising thing about this Manchester United team is just how unsurprising it is when they plumb the depths of which they are capable of sinking. This was one such occasion.
In a year when they changed the people who run the football club, the structure that runs the football department, and the manager, this was a reminder that little has actually changed.
A new face in the dugout. Some new players on the pitch. A new player in detention, Marcus Rashford replacing Jadon Sancho in purgatory. But still they concede goals from set-pieces. Still they concede goals from pull-backs. Still they get physically bullied in Premier League games.
It’s far too early to blame Ruben Amorim for this catastrophic mess. He looked to be approaching the end of his tether as he paced his technical area in the howling Manchester wind, watching a performance he would have struggled to recognise.
A week ago, United won on derby day at the Etihad. Even in defeat on Thursday, there were positives. A much-changed side could leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with some level of contentment with their performance and Amorim with the belief that his team were beginning to get it.
There were large periods of that game when they looked as comfortable as they had in possession so far. Fast-forward three days, and they were a rabble. They played as if they barely knew each other and with minimal commitment.
