THe always thought that was impossible now. In modern football, it is impossible for a super club to be relegated. Manchester United may have been in decline in 1974, but they won't be in 2025. Even after Monday's 2-0 defeat at Newcastle, manager Ruben Amorim made a shocking claim when he said United were in a relegation battle.
And that won't happen now. United will not be relegated. They would probably be safe with just 15 points from the second half of the season, and given the financial structure of modern football, that means there are at least three teams worse off than them. Still, it's significant that Amorim was able to mention relegation without sounding completely absurd, making clear that he felt it was worth calculating and calculating what kind of tally United would need to survive. did. What has happened at United since Sir Alex Ferguson left feels like a thought experiment fleshed out. What would it take for the most successful team in England's history to collapse?
It couldn't happen right away. Impatience would have caused anger and ruined the fading project. It takes a carefully managed process of drift to bring together a very disjointed team of five very different mangers. Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) compliance ensures that older players, those who were never good enough, and those with potential, while ensuring that massive spending cannot be undertaken to solve problems You would have to waste an amazing amount of money on a player who was wildly overrated.
After years of not having a sporting director with overarching powers to shape the club, you coup d'etat By devising a situation where suddenly the entire Politburo is made up of them, adding a whole new layer of intrigue and confusion. The final stroke of genius would be to appoint a confident ideologue, a manager with coveted and obvious ability, but despite the chaotic and eclectic nature of the team. For some reason, he is a manager who insists on playing a system that doesn't suit one player on the team.
United became the club they would have become if Mel Brooks had written dark satire about them. Fall of the House of UsherA concrete metaphor for the style of Old Trafford's roof collapsing and rat infestation.
Amorim is the underdog in all of this. It's not his fault. He led Sporting to their first Portuguese league title in 19 years, but during that time Sporting was on the verge of bankruptcy, with ultras invading their training grounds and trying to terminate the contracts of various players. If he could turn things around, how much harder would it be for United? On Monday, he was memorable for gesticulating aimlessly on the touchline less than 10 minutes into the game. , United were already at a disadvantage and there was a hole in midfield.
This is the essence of Russell Martin's problem. Amorim made great use of his system. He wants to use this season to acclimate his players and see who can improve and who needs a replacement. He will change without letting United change him. But he must already feel the abyss staring back at him.
Erik ten Hag was substituted at half-time in the second game, which United lost 4-0 to Brentford. In a way, his entire United career became damage limitation from that moment on. If Amorim had acted similarly, if he had compromised after such initial dogmatism, what would it mean? Will it affect his credibility? Does it admit the doubt? It means that the players contribute a little less to the revolution, even if subconsciously, knowing that their leader is not the man of unflinching faith they thought they were. Will you?
But what if he doesn't change? United staggers. Perhaps Bruno Fernandes has found form. Perhaps Amad Diallo will produce an even more brilliant performance. Maybe Andre Onana would have made the save and Rasmus Høylund could have scored. Perhaps they will win the FA Cup again or qualify for Europe. But probably not. Either way, the lack of Champions League football is taking a toll on their finances. The PSR system limits the expenditure required by Amorim. Even if you understand the reasons behind imposing a new style, defeat erodes your confidence. Are United really ready to go for next season?
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More pressingly, does that mean this campaign will be cancelled? Are we going to spend months watching players struggle against an ill-suited system for a better future? That may continue to be interesting for the rest of the world, but how should United fans react, especially now that ticket prices have been increased and concessions abolished? Not only will Grandpa have to pay full price to get in, but once he gets there he'll essentially be watching a glorified training session for tomorrow's eliminations. Perhaps Sir Jim Ratcliffe thinks the pensioners will get a taste of nostalgia from watching the worst United sides from their childhood. “Do you think this is a bad thing, son? You must have been at the Palace in December 1972…”
It's easy to sympathize with Amorim. Everything is stacked against him. He's trying to impose his ideas on a dysfunctional team on a packed calendar. But at the same time, what did he think would happen when he paired Casemiro with Christian Eriksen in the middle of midfield against Newcastle? Sure enough, just like in Amorim's first match against Ipswich, they were overwhelmed.
They definitely need to put more energy into the midfield if this 3-4-3 long-term exposure crash course is to continue. Similarly, defensive solidity will be the main objective against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, but against lower-ranked teams some means of freeing up the wing-backs will have to be found, and wing-backs will not be on the rise. It is necessary not only in itself, but also to unlock the wide forward.
But that's the details. Diogo Dalot's positioning is not the reason United have had their worst month since 1930. This is the result of 10 years of misgovernment, and cannot be overturned simply by a flashy new formation. This is no longer a simple solution, a matter of form or management, but a long-term review of everything about the club. That may take years.
