Man Utd under coach Amorim: Ups and downs and the only "way to survive"

On the morning of April 2, Man Utd suffered their 13th defeat after 30 rounds of the 2024-25 Premier League when Ruben Amorim's team lost 0-2 at Nottingham Forest. The defeat was not a surprise for Man Utd. However, this defeat quickly brought the "Red Devils" fans back to reality after having given up hope for a new journey for their beloved team.

Before the international break in March, Man Utd won a resounding 3-0 victory at Leicester (March 16). That victory brought new hopes after the "Red Devils" received very positive results in the first half of March (draw with Arsenal, draw and win with Real Sociedad). However, the defeat against Nottingham showed that Man Utd is still unstable like many matches since the beginning of the season, they have not been able to have two consecutive victories in the Premier League this season.

Man Utd are currently 13th in the Premier League table and will probably finish the season at their lowest since the tournament began more than 30 years ago. There is much to be disappointed about Man Utd this season, but they still have a way to escape the misery.

Man Utd lost both matches to Nottingham Forest in the 2024-25 season (Photo: Getty).

"The way to life" called Europa League

In the final game at Leicester, 3,000 fans shouted: "Watch out, Man Utd are coming to Bilbao". This was in a Premier League game but domestic success is not what the Red Devils fans are concerned about. If Man Utd do not finish in the top 13, then any salvage from their worst season since relegation in 1973 will come from winning the Europa League.

It's not easy for Man Utd to win the Europa League but now the "Red Devils" are in the quarter-finals and if they overcome Lyon (April 11 and April 18), they will go into the semi-finals against Athletic Bilbao or Rangers, then they are likely to travel to Spain's 10th largest city for the final and to the Basque country for the third time after the clash with Real Sociedad last month.

Winning the Europa League would guarantee Man Utd a Champions League place next season, a third successive season of silverware, and a financial windfall that would be more attractive to any summer recruits. It’s clear that for Man Utd and Amorim himself, the scenario of “we’re playing in the Champions League” is more appealing than “we’ve just finished 13th”.

Former manager Jose Mourinho used the Europa League to rescue Man Utd from a disappointing season. In 2016-17, with a squad ravaged by injuries, Man Utd finished 6th in the Premier League but they won the Europa League and League Cup.

Amorim is in a much more difficult position now than Mourinho was eight years ago, but regardless of his position, it is certain that the Red Devils' 2024-25 season will be defined by winning the European Cup. If they miss out on that, it will be a disastrous season that Man Utd fans will truly want to forget.

This season, Man Utd is the only unbeaten team in UEFA's two top tournaments (Photo: Getty).

A fulcrum of hope

Man Utd have reason to be hopeful as Amorim's men have been one of the best teams in Europe this season. After a slow start to the season with three consecutive draws in the Europa League group stage, Man Utd won their next five games, then earned a commendable draw in San Sebastian against Real Sociedad before beating the impressive Basque side 4-1 at Old Trafford to set up a quarter-final tie with Lyon.

In fact, Man Utd are the only undefeated team out of 72 clubs in the group stages of Europe's two biggest club competitions. It is true that the "Red Devils" have not yet faced a top European opponent, so the challenge is not great and internal sources admit that the level of opponents is the reason why Man Utd can win. However, the "Red Devils" efforts still need to be viewed fairly, not because Man Utd have not played well in domestic competitions that they are underestimated in the European playground.

In terms of squad, Amorim's side have gradually added to their squad as their injury list has been reduced. Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire have all returned to training after the FIFA Days. With Lisandro Martinez absent, Maguire's return is essential. The 32-year-old Englishman was first choice alongside Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt in a back three until he suffered a calf injury last month.

Youngster Yoro was not bought for this season, with the aim instead to get him settled before a successful career at Old Trafford. However, after returning from an ankle injury sustained in pre-season in Los Angeles in December, he featured in 14 of the next 15 league games, starting seven of them. Having been named in the starting line-up against Nottingham and played 86 minutes, Yoro is ready to make a bigger impact.

Luke Shaw returns to training with Man Utd (Photo: Getty).

Luke Shaw has not played for Man Utd since early December 2024, when he came on for the final 34 minutes of a 4-0 home win over Everton (1 December). The 29-year-old also came on for the final 34 minutes of the previous league game at Ipswich, plus 30 minutes of the Europa League win over Bodo/Glimt. Prior to that, Shaw had not played for nine months. However, in the 2022-23 season, he played 47 times for the Red Devils in all competitions. According to Amorim, when fit, Shaw is an important player in the team, although he does not appear to be ready at the moment.

Mason Mount returned to the pitch for 13 minutes against Nottingham after being out since mid-December. Kobbie Mainoo is also recovering well and is likely to be available for the second leg of the quarter-final against Lyon (April 18). With several players returning from injury, Amorim will have more options for his squad, which will boost his team's confidence.

Good results, good spirit

Man Utd's overall record in 2025 is 18 games, won 9, drew 4, lost 5, not a very glorious result but an improvement after the worst December since 1933. Many have said that the mood in the Man Utd dressing room has improved, that the players' morale and collective spirit are better, especially after the positive results in the early stages of March.

However, the progress of the "Red Devils" under Amorim has not really been as great as expected. Man Utd is ranked 13th because there are 12 teams better than them after 30 matches. In fact, Man Utd's last 5 matches in the Premier League have only had one win, including Everton (2-2 draw; 14th), Ipswich (3-2 win; 18th), Arsenal (1-1 draw; 2nd) and Leicester City (3-0 win; 19th), Nottingham Forest (0-1 loss, 3rd).

Amorim needs to quickly help Man Utd stabilize before the decisive stage of the season (Photo: Getty).

The early optimism was extinguished after the defeat to Nottingham. This defeat reminded Amorim that the progress of Man Utd that he talked about recently was not enough, he and his students still need to work harder to improve the team, create stability, because only comprehensive stability can help Man Utd conquer big goals.

This season, Man Utd no longer has domestic goals, but Premier League matches will have a positive or negative impact on the players' spirit. Therefore, Man Utd cannot give up, they still have to focus on domestic matches even though the main goal is in the European arena.

The challenge ahead for Man Utd is huge as Man Utd's next opponents are all highly rated such as Man City (6th), Newcastle (6th), Wolves (17th) and Bournemouth (10th). Three of these four teams defeated Man Utd in the first leg and if Man Utd do not have a bigger breakthrough in the competition, it is likely that they will be defeated again.

To avoid the feeling of losing to the same opponent twice in a season like against Nottingham, Man Utd need to be stronger, and they must always remember that only improvement in results will help the team's mood to be more excited.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/man-utd-duoi-thoi-hlv-amorim-su-phap-phu-va-con-duong-song-duy-nhat-20250404094531323.htm