United Beyond Manchester

With a loss to Newcastle United, Manchester United has lost three straight home matches for the first time since 1979. The Reds have also failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games while conceding seven. The New Year brings a transfer window and, hopefully, an opportunity for Amorim to bring someone in and offload dead weight.

Match Flow

The visitors took less than five minutes to take the lead at Old Trafford. Lewis Hall got free on the wing and played a ball into Alexander Isak, who was unmarked and easily headed past Andre Onana.

Within twenty minutes, it was 2-0 Newcastle. A simple, almost pedestrian move from Eddie Howe’s men resulted in a second headed finish, this time from Joelinton. Anthony Gordon easily beat Noussair Mazraoui for pace, then was not pressured as he delivered a ball into the box. Lisandro Martinez was beaten by the bigger, stronger Joelinton, who left Onana standing on his goal line.

Sandro Tonali came close to scoring a third goal just after the half-hour mark. During a swift counterattack, Anthony Gordon passed the ball back to the defensive midfielder, who struck the inside of the post from close range.

Ruben Amorim had reached his limit and substituted Kobbie Mainoo for Joshua Zirkzee. The attempt to play both strikers did not work, and the manager was forced to make changes in the first half.

Just before halftime, Casemiro had a fantastic opportunity to bring United back into the game. Following a sloppy pass from the defense, Kobbie Mainoo intercepted the ball and expertly set up Casemiro for a perfect shot inside the box. However, the experienced midfielder curled the ball wide of Martin Dubravka’s net.

The introduction of Mainoo completely changed the game for Manchester United. The Reds had more possession and more chances at the start of the second half, nearly scoring via a Harry Maguire header that struck the post.

Despite the positive momentum, Amorim’s side was unable to make a breakthrough, marking a third goalless league game in a row.

Analysis

Compared to Newcastle, Manchester United’s attacks were slow and sloppy. When the visitors attacked, they played two-touch football, quickly breaking through the United midfield and backline. For the Reds, the build-up was slow, allowing the opposition defense to get set and force turnovers. To beat good teams, United has to find ways going forward to break quickly and hit the opposition in transition.

Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot are struggling to produce in attack. The two players managed to complete just one cross, while their inability to stop crosses from the opposition resulted in two goals for Newcastle. Mazraoui looked far more comfortable as the right-sided center-back, while Dalot was better as a traditional outside-back. The wing-back positions are critical to Amorim’s system, and the 39-year-old may scour the transfer market for better options starting in January.

Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo appear to be the only two central midfielders who could effectively fit into Amorim’s system moving forward. Casemiro and Christian Eriksen do not offer enough security for the backline and are unable to cover the distance required for a box-to-box role in the formation.

Next Match

It only gets tougher for the Reds. Manchester United travel to Anfield for the North-West Derby against league-leaders Liverpool for the first match of 2025.