If Manchester United beat Lyon and win the Europa League, the miserable match against Newcastle could be worth it. Otherwise, a heavy defeat at St. Petersburg. James' Park will be just another terrible result in their already poor season.
Man United lost 1-4 to Newcastle after a disastrous performance in the second half when the home team scored 3 goals.
The "Red Devils" are under a lot of pressure ahead of hosting Lyon at Old Trafford in midweek as there is a lot of attention turned to the Europa League. And now there is more pressure.
Coach Ruben Amorim can only hope this is an incident after a relatively good period of progress. A similar performance against Lyon in the return match and Man United's hope of qualifying for the Champions League next season will be in disarray.
"We will analyze the match, but we need to focus on the next match. We cannot change this match. The next match is very important for us. So let's focus on the next game on Thursday to play better and win," Amorim said after the defeat to Newcastle.
Amorim has been eyeing the game against Lyon since the start. The Portuguese coach has left two players who are almost certain to leave in the summer - Victor Lindelof and Christian Eriksen - starting. He also gave 18-year-old defender Harry Amass a chance to debut in the Premier League.
Altay Bayindir was also named in the first team after the decision to eliminate Andre Onana. The Red Devils have announced Onana is on a " rest", although his two disastrous mistakes against Lyon are probably the main reason.
Bayindir have waited for more than 18 months in the Premier League, but it was a day to remember. The Turkish goalkeeper made an excellent save against Alexander Isak in the first half. And that was almost all Bayindir could do.
The goalkeeper struggled throughout the match and was responsible for Newcastle's fourth goal. His pass to the midfield was predicted by Joelinton, and when the ball reached Bruno Guimaraes, he had a simple shot.
At that time, Amorim let captain Bruno Fernandes leave the pitch to rest. Fernandes is rarely substituted, but if Man United want to hope to overcome Lyon, they need him as healthy as possible.
Fernandes will definitely be the main player for the match against Lyon. However, Bayindir had to wait in anxiety to see if he could keep his position.
After Onana's mistakes and Bayindir's unstable performance against Newcastle, perhaps Tom Heaton will be mentioned. Amorim has not revealed anything at the moment.
Man United's Premier League season ended a while ago. And the defeat to Newcastle further increases the likelihood that they will end the season with the lowest total points in the Premier League era.
Amorim's success or failure now depends only on getting a favorable result against Lyon. Whether Man United can do that or not will depend on how quickly they erase the memory of the disastrous match against Newcastle.
