The date is December 2023. Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side have just suffered a dismal 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
Now, the date is December 2024. Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United side have just suffered a terrible 3-0 loss against the Cherries at home again. Deja Vu? Quite.
When Amorim was first announced as the new United boss it spread hope across the fanbase that has been rarely seen over the last decade or so. Then, when Marcus Rashford put the Red Devils 1-0 up within a minute of the Portuguese’s first match in the dugout, it looked like a genius decision to hire him.
Sadly, since then, it’s not gone particularly well for either Rashford or Amorim. The winger has been excluded from the last three match days squads while United have won just twice in the Premier League since.
There was, of course, that famous win at the Etihad last Sunday, but another poor week has followed that victory and hasn’t given the new boss much breathing room ahead of this busy festive season.
So, who was to blame this weekend? A fair individuals red, truth be told. One of them was Tyrel Malacia.
Tyrel Malacia's performance vs Bournemouth
This was a terrible afternoon at the back for United who shipped their ninth set-piece goal of the league season before conceding a penalty and then giving the ball away all too easily for Andoni Iraola’s team’s third goal of the encounter.
While Malacia was hooked at half-time and unable to prevent the second and third goals that occurred, he was the man who gave away the free-kick that led to Dean Huijsen’s opener early on in the first half.
Minutes played
45
Touches
34
Accurate passes
20/24 (83%)
Key passes
1
Crosses
0/1
Long balls
2/3
Shots
0
Dribbles
0
Duels won
1/5
Possession lost
7x
Fouls
2
That rather set the tone for what was a shoddy afternoon for the wing-back who was brought off at half-time for the third time during Amorim’s reign, leaving the pitch having won just one of his five duels during the encounter.
Such a shaky performance did not go down with fans or pundits alike, with Manchester Evening News’ Samuel Luckhurst noting that he deserved a 3/10 for his display at the Theatre of Dreams on Sunday.
This was about as far from a dreamy performance you can get, with Malacia’s nightmare stint in the northwest only seeming to continue, despite the change in manager.
The Dutchman’s colleague, Joshua Zirkzee, also wasn’t particularly great.
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Joshua Zirkzee's performance in numbers
Zirkzee has flattered to deceive since being signed in the summer, let’s put it that away.
The hulking forward got his United career off to a dream start when he netted a late winner against Fulham during the opening Premier League match of the season. Since then, he has added just two league goals to his tally, notably netting twice in the 4-0 win over Everton at the start of the month.
That’s about as good as it’s got, however, for a sluggish-looking forward whose touch has been incredibly poor. He’s lacked grace, composure and the necessary quality to thrive as the leading man for United and it surely won’t be long before Rasmus Hojlund is given an extended period in the starting lineup.
Also receiving a 3/10 rating from the aforementioned Luckhurst, he pinpointed Zirkzee’s poorest moment as his “absolutely hopeless” attempt at marking Huijsen for the opening goal of the afternoon.
Minutes played
54
Touches
19
Accurate passes
6/11 (55%)
Key passes
0
Crosses
0
Shots on target
0
Shots off target
1
Ground duels won
1/2
Aerial duels won
1/4
Amorim hasn’t been shy of hiding his feelings since becoming manager and was visibly irked by some of the work his striker was producing on Sunday. Indeed, that was most visible when, after losing an aerial duel, he withdrew the summer signing from proceedings just as United were preparing to defend a corner.
In truth, Zirkzee struggled to ever get in the game and made just six passes while only having 19 touches of the ball, far fewer than Malacia’s numbers as outlined earlier. Also losing possession ten times, it meant he surrendered the ball every 1.9 times he touched it. Dismal stuff.
Also failing to have a single shot on target, it’s clear that if Amorim is going to improve this side, he needs a better striker. How he must lust after Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres.
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