When Manchester United face Everton in the early morning of November 25 (Vietnam time), coach Ruben Amorim will mark a milestone of 1 year of leading the team.
It was a turbulent year, not without explosive anger, arguments with players and countless failures. Many people - including Amorim himself - thought he would hardly last a year.
However, Amorim is still here, and he believes he is now well equipped to succeed compared to when he first arrived at Old Trafford. Some positive signals have appeared, although the progress is still slow. When he took over, the "Red Devils" were 14th in the Premier League table, with 11 points from 9 matches and a goal difference of -3.
They ended the season even worse, dropping to 15th, with only 42 points and a goal difference of -10. Man United have lost a total of 18 matches, of which 14 have come under the Portuguese coach.
Currently, the situation is more positive. They are higher on the rankings with 18 points after 11 matches and a goal difference of +1. Amorim's side have lost three but are unbeaten in their last five games - their longest unbeaten run in the competition since February 2024.
According to Opta, Man United's average points per game after 12 matches have dropped to 0.83 in the two stages of last season since Amorim took over - the lowest number since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Earlier this season, Amorim himself hit a lower level, reaching just 0.75 points per game, almost half of the mark at the time Erik ten Hag was sacked.
But now, Man United's average score has increased to 1.75 points/match - the highest level since December 2023.
Amorim has seen a marked improvement in results, but from now on, Man United cannot slow down. They are not allowed to repeat the disastrous defeat streak of December last year, when they lost 5 out of 6 matches in the Premier League.
They will have a fairly favorable schedule in the coming period, not having to face any Big Six team until the derby with Manchester City at Old Trafford in mid-January next year.
Man United's next 10 matches include two clashes with Wolves, who are bottom of the table, and away matches against teams at risk of relegation such as Leeds, Burnley and West Ham.
Newcastle and Bournemouth could be their toughest home games at the moment. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa have had their toughest away games.
No match in the European Cup or English League Cup has caused a stir, so there is no reason why Man United cannot maintain an impressive streak of form. This was also the time Amorim expressed his gratitude to Sir Jim Ratcliffe for placing faith in him when many others urged him to fire him, and at the same time rewarded that faith with convincing performances on the pitch.
"I think we're better, we're at a better time. We are doing things better, but we are not perfect. To be honest, we are playing better, but there is still a long way to be perfect.
We need to do that, especially to win this tournament. We need to be perfect in every aspect, need a little luck, to try to take the lead in the rankings. So we still have a long way to go to have the perfect environment," Amorim said ahead of the Everton game.
