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The very idea of Manchester United being relegated seems almost too ridiculous for words.
This is one of the most famous sports clubs on the planet. The record 20-time champions of England.
However, as United’s players left the pitch at Old Trafford on Monday night, defeated and bewildered after their latest defeat at the hands of Newcastle, the threat of relegation has never felt more real in the Premier League era.
It’s happened before, of course. United left the old First Division in 1974, just six years after winning the European Cup under Sir Matt Busby.
Too Good to Go Down was the name of the 2018 documentary chronicling the demise of Tommy Docherty’s team, and those words should serve as a warning that there are no guarantees about United’s safety this season either.
When asked if his team is now in a fight for survival, new coach Rubén Amorim did not mince his words. “I think it’s a possibility and we have to be clear with our fans,” Amorim said.
Ruben Amorim has admitted his Man United team are now in a battle for survival.
United are in 14th place and just seven points clear of the relegation zone.
“It is one of the worst moments in the history of our club and we have to accept it. We have to recognize our position and focus on surviving.”
United enter the New Year and the second half of the season in uncharted territory. They face Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, in danger of falling further into free fall.
The nightmare scenario of relegation is starting to look very real. Mail Sport looks at why this might happen.
losing streak
The facts behind United’s alarming fall speak for themselves.
Amorim has suffered five defeats in his first eight league games, the worst record of any United manager in more than a century.
The club has lost three league games in a row at Old Trafford for the first time since December 1978, and five league defeats in the same month for the first time since September 1962.
United have not been in the bottom half of the table on New Year’s Eve since 1989, and are six points off their previous lowest total halfway through a Premier League season.
More optimistic fans would point out that the team was also in 14th place when Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag, and the seven-point gap between United and third-from-bottom Ipswich is the same as between United and the top eight .
Others would look at the results since Amorim arrived and argue that he is in relegation form. They already fear a repeat of the 7-0 humiliation at Anfield in March 2023.
United have lost four in a row in all competitions as their form has plummeted under Amorim.
Change of plan
The concern is that United are going backwards under the former Sporting Lisbon boss, largely due to his insistence on maintaining the 3-4-3 formation he used in Portugal.
It means United’s players will have to adapt to a new system mid-season with little time for Amorim to integrate them into his squad on the training ground.
When asked on Monday night if he might consider a change in tactics to better suit his players, the 39-year-old made it clear there is no alternative and he will follow the plan no matter what.
“If I change all the time it will be even worse,” Amorim warned. “But I understand that they have a lot of difficulties because they spent two years playing one way.” You can feel it, I can feel it, but I have to sell my idea, I have no other.’
The Portuguese has also acknowledged that his job could be in jeopardy after just 11 games in charge if results do not improve, although United could afford to pay compensation for his £6.5m-a-year contract if they make another transfer. coach is a different matter. affair.
Amorim has insisted that he will not change his tactics, but they are not working at the moment.
Tied up for cash
United’s financial problems after spending £600m on new players under Ten Hag mean Amorim will not be able to simply buy his way out of trouble in the January transfer window.
He may need to sell first to get the players that best suit his system, with the priorities being a left-back and a striker.
“We don’t have that possibility in January,” he said. “It’s not like I come here and can spend a lot of money changing all the equipment.”
However, getting rid of any of United’s high-earning flops won’t be easy. Casemiro is once again being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia and that would be the easiest way to get his £375,000-a-week salary off the wage bill.
The Brazilian and Christian Eriksen shined throughout their 32 years against a younger and more dynamic Newcastle midfield.
United face a similar problem with Marcus Rashford and Antony, who earn £315,000 and £200,000 respectively.
The best way to raise money for new signings and comply with profitability and sustainability rules would be to sell local talents such as Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, previously considered untouchable. However, that still seems unlikely.
Otherwise, Amorim will just have to hope there’s enough in the pot to make a couple of additions this month.
United need to raise funds to buy new players, and that could mean getting aging stars like Casemiro and Christian Eriksen off their books.
Brazilian winger Antony will be difficult to get rid of due to his £200,000-a-week wages.
star wars
When United finished third and won the Carabao Cup in Ten Hag’s first season, it was thanks to a 30-goal haul from Rashford.
Despite being sidelined by Amorim for four games before returning as an unused substitute against Newcastle, the 27-year-old remains United’s top scorer in the Premier League with four.
If he remains at his boyhood club beyond the January window, Amorim has to get the best out of Rashford somehow.
It’s a similar story with Garnacho, who was one of the shining lights of Ten Hag’s reign. The young Argentine winger is not a natural fit for Amorim’s system and has also struggled with the head coach, playing the last four games from the bench after he and Rashford were released for the Manchester derby.
Once the law is established, Amorim has to bring back two of its best players to lead the fight for survival.
Marcus Rashford has recently been excluded and was an unused substitute on Monday night.
Alejandro Garnacho was also sacked for the recent Manchester derby and has struggled to adapt to Amorim’s system.
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Confidence crisis
In addition to inheriting a squad that is not good enough and does not suit his style of play, Amorim now has a group of players who are desperately low on confidence after the shocking run of results.
Individuals like goalkeeper Andre Onana and defenseman Lisandro Martínez, two of the strongest players under Ten Hag, have seemed shaky in the new system.
Lisandro Martínez has looked unstable at the back since the arrival of Amorim
Amorim replaced Joshua Zirkzee after just over half an hour on Monday, and the Dutchman’s confidence appears shattered
Kobbie Mainoo has not performed as many expected, and Rasmus Hojlund has struggled to achieve the same scoring form in the Premier League as he has in Europe.
Then there’s Joshua Zirkzee. United’s £36.5m summer signing has struggled since arriving from Bologna, and looked a broken man when he was substituted in the 33rd minute against Newcastle. The unprecedented applause from the Old Trafford crowd when Mainoo replaced Zirkzee left the Dutchman close to tears as he made his way down the tunnel before reappearing on the bench for the second half.
Repairing his shattered confidence – and that of many of his teammates – is no easy task.
“You can feel it every day,” Amorim added. “Sometimes it is very difficult for them on the pitch to endure all these losses, but we have to continue, there is no other way.”