Manchester United inevitably fell to their fourth defeat in a row, losing at Old Trafford to Newcastle United 0-2 on Monday.
This was Ruben Amorim’s sixth defeat in 11 games since his arrival, and the hosts’ third consecutive home defeat, a feat which last occurred back in 1979.
The Red Devils remain 14th, only seven points off the relegation zone and with Liverpool in the Premier League and Arsenal in the FA Cup up next, it is difficult to see any reversal in fortunes anytime soon.
The Portuguese has kept a brave face throughout his difficult start and has vowed to keep playing his style despite the negative results.
INEOS have got it all wrong
But as INEOS showed with Dan Ashworth and Erik ten Hag, they will not care before pulling the plug if results do not improve and the club steers closer to the danger zone.
And it is because of the co-owners that the club are in this mess. They backed the Dutch manager even though the evidence was glaring that he should have been sacked despite the FA Cup triumph.
Instead, they not only kept him on but backed him with a budget in excess of €200 million with the club buying players to suit his transitional style.
And after the season went along expected lines, they did not hesitate to sack Ten Hag, only to panic and bring in a coach who employs the polar opposite style of play.
That has resulted in the ex-Sporting Lisbon manager having to play wingers alongside the striker, even though he prefers attacking midfielders in that role.
He has also been forced to play full-backs as wingbacks due to the inconsistent nature of the wingers at his disposal and it is clear to see that barring a miracle, this system will fail time and again.
Amorim having to pay for their mistakes
Owing to the club’s precarious PSR situation, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is on a cost-cutting spree, cannot afford to go all gung-ho in January and thus, a quick fix seems to be off the cards.
Amorim’s style definitely works, as seen with his exploits in Lisbon but for that to materialise, he needs backing and time, something INEOS are unlikely to afford him if results do not improve.
The coach needs to tweak his philosophy to a certain extent and play to this squad’s strength for a few games at least, to build up some confidence and to stave off the real threat of relegation.
Or at this rate, he might lose his job before the season is out because INEOS have shown that they know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
Feature image Stu Forster via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
