It might have felt odd at the time, given Manchester United were fresh from a decisive 4-0 win against Everton , but Ruben Amorim predicting the arrival of a “storm” now appears prophetic. Since that match on December 1, United have played seven times. Across that period, they have won twice and lost five — the latest, a 2-0 away defeat to Wolves .
After presiding over 34 league games unbeaten (three of those with United at the beginning of his tenure), life at Old Trafford has re-acquainted Amorim with the taste of defeat and, sat 14th in the Premier League , the storm has well and truly broken. Advertisement In the first half on Boxing Day, United appeared on their way to fixing some of the issues that have characterised their challenging run. On a very basic level, they had not yet conceded — a marked improvement on the three matches before, when they had let in the opener before half-time.
Second, they managed Wolves’ set-piece threat, though Matheus Cunha’s repeated ‘olimpico’ attempts foreshadowed their eventual breakthrough. Third, United were dogged, if not always entirely coherent, out of possession. Amorim’s side rarely threatened Wolves’ goal, but they defended well — giving up few opportunities to a home side and crowd that looked buoyant after the appointment of Vitor Pereira.
It supported Amorim’s decision not to implement wholesale changes after the humbling 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth . The Portuguese had made at least four alteratio.
