Post match reaction - Brentford 3-1 Manchester United

Well that was a bitter pill to swallow. Our score prediction was correct but the winning team was not. United finally had a good chance to win back to back games in the premier league for the first time under Ruben but from the first whistle, United looked disjointed.

Ruben’s decision to pick Maguire over Yoro to try deal with set pieces turned out to be the incorrect call. Brentford saw this and took a direct approach to expose United’s lack of pace while playing a high line. Two long balls caught us out of position and we were 2-0 down after 20 minutes. They were the type of goal no other team in the league really concedes. So easy for the opposition. Brentford were sharp, ruthless and wanted it more than United.

Brentford, who usually play 5 at the back, change their formation to add an extra midfielder. They over ran us, with the extra man in midfield having so much time constantly on the ball, as seen for Henderson’s long ball for the opener. It feels like every team can do this against us and will get a result, something Amorim needs to do something about.

On a positive note, Sesko got his first goal for the club. The striker posted on Instagram that he would swap this goal for three points, something most fans would have to agree with. Apart from this, there was little to cheer about.

Bruno had a really poor game, missing a crucial penalty to level the game. Collins was extremely lucky to avoid a red card for the denial of a goal scoring opportunity and I feel it’s crazy he didn’t get a red. Bruno had to wait 5 minutes to take the penalty, and the longer the wait the more I was hoping he would pass the ball over to Cunha or Mbeumo. The penalty was well saved by Kelliher but it was clear that the long wait and pressure got to Bruno. The captain was again playing out of position, and was very isolated against Brentford’s midfield three again.

It’s difficult to see where United go from this, and it seems Amorim has lost all confidence in his ability to get results. The game ended with Mason Mount at Lwb, Mbeumo at rwb. The players were all over the place and it just shows how badly set up we are. Playing players constantly out of position and struggling to get the best out of them. United ended the game with so many attackers on the pitch but never really looked like threatening the oppositions.

I’m sick to death of trying to figure out why the manager is so convinced that this set up can work with Bruno in the midfield pivot. Him and Ugarte were so disjointed, and at times it seemed both of them tried to press high leaving so much space in the middle of the pitch. The backline is another area the amazes me to watch what is being done. Constantly chopping and changing the backline three mid game, Shaw looked really poor again and the lack of pace at the back between Shaw and Maguire is criminal trying to play a high line against a premier league side.

It has been so bad under Amorim but this result felt like a real dagger to the heart of the managers time. He’s refusal to change either personnel or instruction when it’s clearly not working is mind blowing. This is relegation form and we saw Potter get sacked on Friday while having a better win record. There is a real lack of managerial candidates, but reports are coming out that Xavi is very keen on the job and is currently studying the league, while Southgate has also been linked.

Amorim, Bruno, the players and fans all looked broken after the defeat. One thing is certain, Amorim needs to start getting results and with Sunderland , who are in fine form up next, it’s surely a mistake win game for the manager.