Manager Ruben Amorim will find it difficult to find comfort with only 34 points after his first 33 Premier League games in charge of Manchester United. But at least he can say that he had predicted this challenge.
The Portuguese coach did not hide his desire to take up the job at Man United in the summer, when he was seen as Erik ten Hag's replacement. He was concerned that the November appointment would bring more trouble than a solution. However, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the board of directors gave a "now or never" view.
This move is to help Man United start smoothly on their way back to the top. Nearly a year later, the reality is much harsher and as usual, the coach will be the one to suffer the most pressure.
The pressure of Sunderland's away trip to Old Trafford - Amorim's 50th match in all competitions - is now beyond endurance. Many "Red Devils" fans believe that even a positive result will inevitably delay, creating a difficult situation for the Portuguese coach.
If they win, Amorim will hardly be highly appreciated, because Sunderland is only a newly promoted team. But if he loses or draws, this result will give fans more motivation to call for him to leave.
Amorim was surprisingly calm and calm at the press conference after last weekend's 1-3 defeat to Brentford. However, he was alert enough to realize that the opportunity to clarify the context of what was happening under his leadership was gone.
Amorim can emphasize that the three missed penalties completely changed the start of the season. Or individual mistakes like Luke Shaw against Manchester City or Harry Maguire against Brentford continuously ruined the strategy he built.
Amorim is left unused, largely because he realizes the only debate right now is about his own future: staying or leaving? Will Amorim stay, or will Amorim leave? It seems like nothing else is important.
Amorim has every right to emphasize that last season, after being appointed at an inappropriate time, he was forced to miss Premier League games in an attempt to win the Europa League and return to the Champions League. If not, why did he let Tyler Fredricson, Harry Amass and Chido Obi start in the 3-4 loss to Brentford in May?
The match against Brentford in May took place a few days before M.U's 4-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the second leg of the Europa League semi-final. At that time, the only thing Amorim was pursuing was the Europa League title.
The context was overlooked when Amorim was criticised for his 17-match Premier League record and 27.3% win rate. This achievement is clearly poor, but there is a reason behind it.
At heart, Amorim may still have a lot to complain about. His squad is in the process of improving, after mistakes under Ten Hag. Man United have insists they cannot get promoted in all positions in just one summer, but that would mean Amorim would lose the dynamic midfielder he needs for the 3-4-3 formation. He also does not have a number one goalkeeper, with Altay Bayindir, Senne Lammens and Tom Heaton all being reserve options.
Man United should have done better at the moment. However, this group of players still has limitations, regardless of who is on the coaching bench.
But in reality, that is not important. Regardless of who the player or coach is, the "Red Devils" have to win every week. And this is the biggest problem Amorim is facing.
The gap between the club's great history, the expectations and the current reality is huge. Man United are driven by the image of the position they think they should achieve, rather than the position they are really in.
