 "Manchester United's boredom broken by Ruben Amorim's tactical brilliance")
Manchester United bounced back after what was their worst league start in Premier League history this year with a refreshing 4-0 win against Everton at Old Trafford at the weekend.
There was a sense of renewed spirit among the fans, who got to see a glimpse of how their club could play under the new manager Ruben Amorim.
Goals from an out-of-form Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee gave more reasons to rejoice at the Theatre of Dreams as they jumped up to 9th on the Premier League points table, just 4 points off the Champions League spots.
Story before the arrival of Ruben Amorim
Despite the glory of lifting the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, the Red Devils wandered through a fog of uncertainty under the disjointed leadership of Ten Hag. Their once-proud identity seemed lost, their style fragmented, culminating in a dismal eighth-place finish—their lowest in Premier League history.
Under Ten Hag’s reign, immense talent lay dormant, with prodigious players like Amad Diallo unable to break into the starting eleven, their potential stifled by a lack of vision.
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Enter Ruben Amorim, the Portuguese tactician with a masterful 3-5-2 blueprint that redefined Sporting’s fortunes. His arrival has brought a breath of fresh air to Old Trafford, igniting a spark of clarity. The system, built on relentless counter-pressing and cohesive gameplay, is slowly taking shape, promising to resurrect Manchester United's storied legacy.
The likes of Amad Diallo would also be delighted with the Portuguese manager, under whom he has flourished on the wings for United, even bagging a couple of assists in the win against the Toffees on Sunday. ALSO READ: Ruben Amorim's Man United hailed by fans after 4-0 win over Everton
United's run after Ten Hag's departure
Manchester United felt the full effect of Ten Hag's sacking and are currently on a 7-game unbeaten run, which was started by interim coach Ruud Van Nistelrooy and has now been extended by Amorim.
A draw against Ipswich Town away from home, followed by a 3-2 home win in the Europa League against Bodo Glimt, did not show much of a difference in the playing style of the team. However, the 4-0 rout at home—which is also United's biggest home win in the Premier League since 2021 against Leeds—brought an optimistic feeling to Manchester.
The attacking and defensive displays showed how Amorim wants his side to play, but there is still a lot to be done, according to him.
With a busy December ahead, Amorim will face tough away fixtures against Arsenal, local rivals Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur (EFL Cup), who have already beaten the Red Devils 3-0 at Old Trafford in the league.
Manchester United fixtures (Next 5 matches)
| Manchester United fixtures (Next 5 matches) | ||
| Match | Date | Time (IST) |
| Arsenal vs Manchester United (Premier League) | 5th Dec | 01:45:00 |
| Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League) | 7th Dec | 23:00:00 |
| Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester United (Europa League) | 12th Dec | 23:15:00 |
| Manchester City vs Manchester United (Premier League) | 15th Dec | 22:00:00 |
| Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United (EFL Cup) | 20th Dec | 01:30:00 |
Can Manchester United fight for the UCL spots?
Another important factor for the bigger European football clubs has been to play in the UEFA Champions League consistently. It not only attracts better players from the market but also helps the club improve its rankings and status as one of the heavyweight clubs in the world.
United have struggled to stay in the top 4 places in the league recently and were only able to qualify for the Europa League due to their heroic FA Cup victory, where Ten Hag's men defeated Manchester City in the final.
With Manchester United 4 points off the top 4 places, which consist of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Brighton at the moment, it will take something extraordinary for the Red Devils to get among the UCL spots.
Currently, United are playing in the Europa League and have not had the best of starts, with 3 draws in their first 3 matches. Sitting outside the automatic qualification spot in 12th, Amorim's United need to collect 3 points consistently in the tournament as well in order to not put any more fixtures into the already busy calendar.
| UEFA Europa League points table | |||||||||
| Rank | Club | Matches played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals scored | Goals against | Goal difference | Points |
| 1 | Lazio | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 13 |
| 2 | Athletic Club | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| 3 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
| 4 | Galatasaray | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 11 |
| 5 | Anderlecht | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 6 | Ajax | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 10 |
| 7 | Lyon | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 8 | Rangers | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 9 | Tottenham | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| 10 | FCSB | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| 11 | Ferencváros | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| 12 | Man United | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 9 |
| 13 | Viktoria Plzeň | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| 14 | Olympiacos | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 15 | Fenerbahçe | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| 16 | Real Sociedad | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 17 | Bodø/Glimt | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Braga | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 19 | AZ Alkmaar | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 20 | Midtjylland | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 21 | Roma | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 22 | Beşiktaş | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 11 | -6 | 6 |
| 23 | Porto | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| 24 | Union Saint-Gilloise | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 5 |
| 25 | Hoffenheim | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 5 |
| 26 | Slavia Praha | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 4 |
| 27 | PAOK | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 4 |
| 28 | IF Elfsborg | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 4 |
| 29 | Twente | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 3 |
| 30 | Malmö | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 3 |
| 31 | M. Tel-Aviv | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 3 |
| 32 | Qarabag FK | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 3 |
| 33 | Ludogorets | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 2 |
| 34 | RFS | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 2 |
| 35 | Nice | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 2 |
| 36 | Dynamo Kyiv | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 12 | -11 | 0 |
Amorim still analysing the squad
With a big squad at Amorim's disposal and a few players still returning from injury, the Portuguese manager will need time to find the best positions for the players he has.
As Amorim rightly mentioned about Zirkzee, who struggled up front after his debut goal at home, Zirkzee looked more comfortable in a false 9 position on Sunday and eventually got a brace, which would have done a whole lot of good to his confidence going into a busy winter schedule for the side. The team under him is certainly looking more energetic than before which will be key for him going ahead in on eof the most intense football leagues in world football.