Man United do what Man United do and disappoint us 😔. Weirdly, despite knowing that this would be the case, we still get disappointed.
To pick up just 2 points against Wolves (the worst side in PL history) at home and away to Leeds is absoultely awful 🤮.
That is now three wins in our last 11 and eight wins overall out of 20 matches this season. A 40% win ratio in your first full campaign ain't a good look for Ruben Amorim brev.
More than these results though, it's the performances and lack of identity that is truly concerning.
We don't really know what United are in terms of style of play and it seems that even the manager doesn't. During this game, he switched to a 4-3-3 once we went behind even though he started in his usual 3-4-3.
When the manager is chopping and changing as much as he is, that is never a good sign especially when what he's changed to (4-3-3) shows that everyone who's been calling for it is correct.
United are a lot more settled in this formation and look like a better team even without eight first-team regulars.
When Zirkzee came on, Amorim decided to go with four at the back. That substitution itself was a positive one because it saw a defender removed for an attacker which goes against Amorim's usual habit.
Before this change however, it was a pretty boring game. While United had more of the ball and we did control proceedings, there was no real cutting edge. Of course we're going to miss the quality of the likes of Mbeumo, Amad, Bruno and Mount but we've seen us play awfully even when they're available so we cannot be using this as an excuse.
For all of our control though, it was Leeds who came closest as Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit the post with an unmarked header. Lammens had no chance.
I honestly can't remember a good opportunity for us other than the one where Cunha scored a volley only for it to be ruled out for offside in the build-up.
That waspretty much it for the first half.
The second actually saw the home side start better as they upped the intensity.
We knew that this would happen and tbf to United, all game we managed to keep them and the crowd quiet, until...
An hour in and outta nowhere, we concede 😑.
United never keep clean sheets. This isn't unusual but what's become the norm now as well is the type of goals we're conceding.
It ain't that difficult to score against us as all you have to do nowadays is be quick.
After a loose pass by Amorim's cousin Dalot, the ball made it's way towards Heaven running back to his own goal.
Next thing you know, a Leeds player is on the end of it and slotting it in past Lammens to make it 1-0!
How Brenden Aaronson managed to out-pace the defender there, I don't know because it appeared for all the money that Heaven would easily get the ball.
Yet we faced an all too familiar scenario of having to claw our way back.
Amorim was then called into action and was forced to bring on his only attacking option off the bench in a man he clearly doesn't rate: Joshua Zirkzee.
As mentioned, that wasn't the only alteration made as the formation went to a 4-4-2 with the Dutchman playing as a second striker, a position that actually gets the best out of him.
Rate him or not, Zirkzee had an instant impact as moments after coming on, his first pass was to assist Cunha for the equalizer. To get a goal back just 3 minutes after going behind was a HUGE boost.
Not only did we get back on level terms but there was a memntum shift.
This is where we had to make the most of it.
United did have a couple of good chances as Cunha hit the post and Sesko missed a glaring opportunity but that wasn't enough to get the 3 points.
Amorim may not be too upset with grabbing a point but it certainly isn't good enough when you consider previous opponents and results.
We've not really played anyone difficult in the last couple of months yet have managed just 15 points from a possible 33.
This was yet another missed opportunity to strengthen our grip on those Champions League positions as we haven't taken advantage of others cocking up.
Our next five games are:
Burnley (A)
Man City (H)
Arsenal (A)
Fulham (H)
Spurs (H)
Out of those, I don't see us getting many points.
There is however, a bit of a silver lining and that is the performances of the likes of Cunha, Zirkzee and Heaven, and also that we managed to move up in the table into 5th overtaking Chelsea despite the draw.
United are now in that final CL spot and with LFC and Chelsea being as inconsistent as us, this is why the door for European football remains firmly open.
Even still, how much further ahead could we have been had we won those games we didn't?
Ratings
Lammens - 7
Yoro - 6
Heaven - 6.5
Martinez - 6.5
Dalot - 5.5
Casemiro - 6
Ugarte - 6
Shaw - 6
Dorgu - 6
Cunha - 7
Sesko - 5
Zirkzee - 7.5 MOTM
Ruben Amorim - 6
Matheus Cunha scores in Man Utd's 1-1 draw against Leeds | Image via Manchester United (@ManUtd)