We're back! And we're going to be back until March as the stupid international breaks are over 🙌.
How good is it to have proper football back? I missed. I really did.
And I find that to be a step in the right direction because it means that United are not shite! To be looking forward to matches shows that we are doing something right.
And as per that title, can United and Amorim go six undefeated?
It is because of this recent run that hope has been rekindled. The last time we went on such a streak was back in Erik ten Hag's first season of 22/23, three years ago! While this may not be the progress we truly want, it is something.
5 Things Learned from the season.
Up next is the always tricky visit of Everton and former manager David Moyes.
I find that they are perhaps the best type of opponents to face upon returning to club football. Not easy, but not difficult and a game we should be winning.
So, can we make it another game to remember?
Predicted Lineup
I don't think there's too many surprises with that team.
Amorim confirmed that Maguire and Sesko are out while Martinez and Mainoo have a chance of at least being in the squad.
We know that neither of those two will feature so that's why I've kept Shaw at LCB and have Mount as the false 9.
Approach
As it is at home and we've returned from the international break with loads of good individual performances by United players, we should be seeing a side with a lot of energy. The confidence of not having lost since Brentford and scoring these two late equalizers could glavanize the team even more.
We've seen that United are better at home and are strong in the first half. That could be the difference between winning and not.
This is why I believe we'll have to be on the front-foot, start off well and try to get an early goal. As we seem more comfrotable with playing on the counter, getting the first goal would mean Everton having to open up leaving spaces for us to exploit.
I also feel that considering our poor second half record - we are 18th in the table for the second half form - perhaps it would be a good idea to try and have this game sewn up by halftime. Whether any game featuring United can be done in the first half is another matter but it would give us a better chance of getting the 3 points as we always seem to give oppositions a chance in the second period.
This is where Everton could try and take advantage of us. Should they keep the score as a draw or perhaps take the lead themselves at halftime, then a lot of people would begin to get very worried.
In all three defeats this season, United went behind to Arsenal, City and Brentford. Conversely, in all the other matches, we took the lead resulting in a positive result come game's end.
We also want to see more of an attacking style of play with proper patterns and connections between players. What we've seen so far has been more direct and root one football that shows Amorim's adaptability (which is a positive) but isn't exactly what he wants to do. It's getting the results causing the style to be somewhat overlooked, but as soon as things go wrong, there will be repercussions.
Everton aren't the best on the road (12th in away table) which gives us a prime opportunity to play a more attractive brand of football. With a back three/five, it means we have a lot of defensive cover and with a competent goalkeeper behind them, defensively, we are relatively solid.
Casemiro has been in great form and with Bruno we know he has the ability to have a good game every now and then meaning we should be okay in midfield. With that solid defense behind them, this could also allow the two of them to play with a bit more freedom.
Why I would prefer Dorgu over Dalot is not only because Dalot has forgotten how to football but because Dorgu provides that balance as a left-footer. With Amad being an inverted winger/wing-back on the right, having that lefty on the left makes things better, in my opinion. At least we'll have someone who can put a cross in without having to cut in on their stronger foot.
Speaking of crosses, we don't do that often enough as United are 17th in the table for most crosses with 171. Quite a poor record for a club that specialized in crossing as one of their major attacking weapons.
I don't have too many issues with our goal scoring record. So far, we've scored 19 which is the joint fourth-most along with Spurs. Only the top three of Arsenal, City and Chelsea have scored more.
Mbeumo is also one of the league's top scorers with 5 putting him fourth on that list. He also scored in that draw at Spurs while in both their last starts at Old Trafford, Mount and Cunha netted in the wins over Sunderland and Brighton. The front three should be full of confidence.
However, conceding goals has been an issue as while we always give ourselves a chance with the goals we're scoring, leaking them at the other end also means that oppositions have a chance against us.
We've let in 18 goals which is the joint-most in the top 10 with Bournemouth with only the bottom five having conceded more. This is a concern of ours because not only does it mean opponents are always in with a chance but also that how can we be conceding so many despite playing with three-five defenders?
The first goal is going to be so key.
Form
The league table shows us in the strong position of 7th with five wins, three draws and three losses, a GD of 1 and a points total of 18 putting us just 1 point off of top 4.
By the time we play on Monday night, United may not even be in the top 10 which shows how tight things are. If all goes to plan, we could be in 3rd at the end of the matchweek although a lot has to fall into place for that to happen.
As we know, United are unbeaten in five (three wins and two draws) making us one of the league's in-form teams. In this run, we've managed to score 12 times and concede 7. Our last home game saw us put 4 past Brighton.
That is a coincidence because the last time Everton visited Old Trafford, we put 4 past them as well. That happened to be Amorim's first league victory in a 4-0 thumping with many believing that Amorim ball had arrived.
Boy, they were so wrong 🤣😭.
The first half record is strong as we are 2nd in that table but also that in the first half at home, United are 1st. Overall, we've managed to score 11 goals in the first 45 with 7 of those coming at Old Trafford.
In the second period though, we are 18th in the table. Even at home, in the second half, we are actually worse as we are 19th in that respect. The second 45 has seen United score 8 but concede 14 which alarmingly, is the most in the division. While most of those have come away from Old Trafford even still, that is a staggering amount.
You'll be happy to know though, that United have a very healthy record against the Toffees. In the last 12 league meetings, there's been six United wins, five draws and just the one Everton triumph which was in April 2022.
The blue half of Merseyside have also won just once at Old Trafford since 2013 when funnily enough, Moyes was managing United as Roberto Martinez's Everton grabbed the 1-0 win.
Everton
The Toffees are one of the quintessential mid-table sides in the Premier League. No matter where they are in the league or how they are performing, they will always give us a game. Except for last season.
Everton are in 13th spot with four wins, three draws and four losses from 11 games. They've scored 12 and conceded 13 but are actually just 3 points behind us with 15. If they happen to win comfortably, they could leapfrog United 😳.
Close AF 😬.
As for the away table, they are 12th with a record of one win, one draw and three losses with 5 scored and 8 conceded with a total of 4 points. That only victory on the road came at Wolves who are bottom of the league.
Against the other big 6 opponents, they've lost all three they've played against Liverpool, City and Spurs in which they conceded 8 and scored just 1.
Obviously they'll rock up to Old Trafford, keep a clean sheet and score 3, isn't it 😐?
Moyes also has a poor record at Old Trafford as an opposing manager. He had a poor record at Old Trafford as United manager too, but anyway.
He has never won as an opposing manager in the Premier League and in fact, he's only won once in his entire time as a manager at the Theatre. That came in a 1-0 Carabao Cup win as West Ham boss back in 2021.
What we will have to watch out for is players like Jack Grealish who always causes us problems, Iliman Ndiaye who is super talented and former Red James Garner. They have more than enough quality to cause us issues even more so given our inconsistencies.
Prediction
I have a feeling that this will be one of those games where we should win but we'll make life hard for ourselves like we did against Burnley, Chelsea and Brighton.
I believe that we will have more of the ball yet struggle to break them down but through a corner, free-kick or piece of brilliance, we'll take the lead. Everton will open up and we'll get the second on the break but as we've seen, United tend to then sit back and invite unnecessary pressure whilst doing very little going forward.
Everton will get a goal back and things will be squeaky bum until the end.
However, I believe United will hold out and get the 2-1 win.
Not the prettiest but a victory nonetheless. We HAVE to win because three draws in a row or a potential loss will not go down well.
What are your predictions ahead of United v Everton?
You can read my review of Amorim's year here.
Matthijs De Ligt | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)
Old Trafford | Photo by Mark mc neill on Unsplash
Jack Grealish | Image via Everton official X (@Everton)