Red Devils in crisis "Manchester United are now in the middle of a relegation battle"
Manchester United lost 2-0 to Newcastle, their fifth defeat in the last six league games, and Ruben Amorim's team slipped to 14th place. It is clear to the English press that the Red Devils are facing the threat of relegation.
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- Manchester United cannot find a way out of their slump in the championship. The home game against Fabian Schär's Newcastle was lost 0:2.
- The Red Devils have slipped to 14th place. For the English newspaper "Daily Mail" it is clear: "United are in a relegation battle."
- The change of manager from Erik ten Hag to Ruben Amorim was supposed to improve things. But under the Portuguese, Manchester United have won just two of their eight league games so far.
The bad news for Manchester United on Monday night was not just that they were beaten by Newcastle United and lost three league home games in a row for the first time since 1979. Even worse was that Ipswich Town also won on Monday. The newly promoted side surprised everyone with a win against Chelsea, moving to within seven points of Man United.
After the latest defeat, the proud record champions are now only in 14th place and the fall could soon continue: On Sunday, the Red Devils play away against the in-form leaders from Liverpool.
"That's the reality for United. Hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are long gone," writes the Daily Mail."United are in the midst of a relegation battle. That is the truth. The results they need to watch out for now are those of Ipswich, Wolves, Crystal Palace and Everton. Because that's their current level." The lead over the relegation places is still seven points.
Hoped-for turnaround under Amorim failed to materialize
With the change of manager from Erik ten Hag to Ruben Amorim in November, everything was supposed to improve. But under the Portuguese, Manchester United actually seem to be struggling even more than before. In the eleven games under Amorim, ManUtd have only scored once. Only two of eight league games have resulted in three points.
"Amorim has made the team even worse", was the clear verdict of the Daily Mail. "This team is so bad that even an out-of-form Marcus Rashford could only improve it." After Amorim did not even include Rashford in the squad for the last few games, the attacker was allowed to sit on the bench again against Newcastle, but did not make an appearance.
"These are extremely uncertain times for United. The club seems to be sinking into chaos both on and off the pitch," writes the tabloid press. In addition to the poor performances at Old Trafford, United have been anything but clever in the transfer market in recent years.
The Daily Mail describes the club bosses' transfer behavior as "wasteful" and "extravagant". "It seems that even the biggest club in English football cannot buy its way out of trouble this time." There is talk of "incompetence".
Amorim wants to stay true to his playing idea
However, Amorim does not want to deviate from his plan. "I won't change my ideas, because that would be the end for me. You really have to concentrate on your idea. If you start to change it because of the results, that's the end for any coach, I know that very well," said the coach before the defeat against Newcastle.
Asked about the relegation battle after the game, Amorim replied to reporters: "It's very clear and we have to fight. It's a really difficult moment, one of the worst moments in Manchester United's history."
Once again, the transfer window remains the last glimmer of hope for United fans. It opens on January 1 and offers the proud club the chance to strengthen for the second half of the season - in order to avert the horror scenario of relegation to the Championship. However, this will not be easy due to the Financial Fair Play rules. Amorim makes it clear: "It's not like I can come here and spend a lot of money. We can only sign new players if we sell some."
