Coach Ruben Amorim wasn't joking when he said that "a storm is coming" for Manchester United. Marcus Rashford, set pieces, missed chances, conceding the first goal of the game - Amorim could list a lot of problems for the "Red Devils" at the moment.
The Portuguese tactician's biggest worry, however, will be results. And after 18 months without losing a home game at the end of his reign at Sporting, he has now suffered two Premier League defeats in three weeks at Old Trafford.
After Nottingham Forest won at home to Man United in early December, Bournemouth added to Amorim's woes with a 3-0 win.
This was perhaps even more damaging than the defeat to Nottingham, when the "Red Devils" came very close to a comeback. Against Bournemouth, they had very little reaction and ended with many fans leaving early in utter disappointment.
"Manchester United, it's happening again" - Bournemouth fans sang at the end of the match. Last December, Bournemouth also beat Man United at Old Trafford by the same score.
"I felt from the first minute there was a lot of anxiety. Everyone was suffering in the stadium. The fans, the players, everyone. It was a difficult moment but we have to face it and prepare for the next game.
"I have a responsibility to coach the players. Of course, we want to improve. At this moment, everything is very difficult when a club like Manchester United loses 3-0 at home. It is really difficult for everyone. And of course, the fans are really disappointed and tired. You can feel it in the stadium," Amorim said after the defeat to Bournemouth.
While the dramatic comeback at the Etihad lifted United's spirits, Amorim and his men have been brought back to earth with back-to-back defeats to Tottenham and Bournemouth. Spurs scored two goals from set-pieces in a 4-3 Carabao Cup win and Bournemouth did the same in less than 30 minutes.
Like under Erik ten Hag, United have yet to overcome their back-to-back goalscoring problems. They conceded two in 20 minutes against Arsenal, two in seven minutes against Nottingham, two in eight minutes against Tottenham and two in three minutes against Bournemouth.
Man United will drop into the bottom half of the table on Christmas Day for the first time since 1989. They have tough games against Wolves and Newcastle before the end of 2024.
As Amorim sat in the press room at Old Trafford trying to justify the defeat to Bournemouth, the roof began to leak. This summed up the growing list of problems facing the Man United manager when things start to get tough. The storm is coming!
