Man United are going through the most difficult period in the past 3 years when they cannot climb up to the top half of the Premier League rankings despite passing round 22. The defeat to Brighton made Ruben Amorim exclaim that his team is the worst version of Man United in history.
Man United are 13th in the Premier League after 22 games. They have a goal difference of -5 and are seven points off the top half of the table. When Ipswich Town were destroyed by Man City 0-6, Man United were just 10 points above the relegation zone. Amorim have won just three of their last 11 Premier League games.
Recent good results against Liverpool, Arsenal and Southampton have kept United from falling further. The defeat to Brighton may be sad but it is not an irreversible disaster. United need a roadmap to get back into the European group before round 30. Otherwise, they could be the worst version of their history, as Amorim said.
Brighton's victory at Old Trafford last weekend was the third consecutive time they defeated M.U right at the "Red Devils"'s lair. In those three matches, the Seagulls used 33 different players on the field. The Amex team can change personnel continuously but still beat Man United beautifully at Old Trafford. This means Brighton plays in a stable environment. The players are like puzzle pieces, just need to fit into the existing good framework, everything will operate as desired.
Meanwhile, despite making many changes in recent times, Man United have not been able to form a good core. After spending a lot of money, they have not been able to acquire a good central midfield pair like Brighton's Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari. Or looking at the wings, Man United also do not have a smooth duo like Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma of their opponents.
Although not having as glorious a history as Man United, if we only consider the recent match at Old Trafford, Brighton is a much stronger team than its opponent.
"They are better than us in many aspects. Man United can't be stable, it's like I can't do anything at the moment. This is a very difficult time. Bad results are one thing, besides that we also lose continuously in the Premier League and especially at home at Old Trafford" - Ruben Amorim shared.
If Man United are looking for stability and consistency in their playing style like Brighton, Ruben Amorim's persistence in the 3-4-3 formation is an example. However, after nearly 20 matches on all fronts, that persistence has not brought results. It can be affirmed that whether Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3, Erik ten Hag's 4-2-3-1 or Ralf Rangnick's 4-2-2-2 before, all are not suitable for the personnel in the Man United dressing room.
Amorim applied 3-4-3 with Man United, hoping that it could bring the same excitement as what he had with Sporting Lisbon. The past has proven that Man United constantly change but still fail, so why not do the opposite, believe in a philosophy to the end and hope it will succeed?
