Ruben Amorim's Manchester United side are on the cusp of greatness, or are they just taking a step in the right direction before tumbling back down? The Portuguese manager's appointment 13 months ago was meant to be the spark that reignited the Red Devils' fortunes. Yet, the reality is far from perfect.
After a thrilling 4-1 win over hapless Wolves on Monday night, United are sixth in the Premier League table - a position they've been in before. The question now is whether this is just a case of them being one step forward and two steps back. The fact that their main striker Benjamin Sesko is currently injured will only add to the anxiety.
The big win against Crystal Palace nine days ago was followed by a dire draw against third-from-bottom West Ham, highlighting the fragility of United's position. Before that, they'd been on a three-match winning run before slipping back into form. It wasn't until Sir Jim Ratcliffe attended a match and was shown footage of Everton's 10-man side beating them that United realized just how far they were from their top six target.
Ruben Amorim has the quality in his squad, particularly in Mason Mount. The England international is now beginning to make an impact after some injuries marred his time at Chelsea. "He can defend. He can attack and the quality when he touches the ball is really good," said Amorim. "It's not a surprise for me."
However, as Amorim warned, the Manchester United players need to take care of their star asset. They can't afford to be distracted by other results - they have two points from six games and are now within four points of the top three.
As Jamie Carragher noted after analyzing the match on Sky Sports, "we make the assumption there is a bad result around the corner." Amorim agrees that United need to take their performance in each game seriously. "We should have finished that half in a different way," he said. The problem for the gaffer and his players will be whether they can sustain this momentum over an entire season.
With key players like Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo potentially heading out of the country for international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, United must ensure their squad depth holds up. The question is whether it's enough to propel them into contention for Champions League qualification or if they'll be lucky to avoid a drop back down into the bottom half.
Amorim has his reasons to believe that his side can do better - but will it be enough?
After a thrilling 4-1 win over hapless Wolves on Monday night, United are sixth in the Premier League table - a position they've been in before. The question now is whether this is just a case of them being one step forward and two steps back. The fact that their main striker Benjamin Sesko is currently injured will only add to the anxiety.
The big win against Crystal Palace nine days ago was followed by a dire draw against third-from-bottom West Ham, highlighting the fragility of United's position. Before that, they'd been on a three-match winning run before slipping back into form. It wasn't until Sir Jim Ratcliffe attended a match and was shown footage of Everton's 10-man side beating them that United realized just how far they were from their top six target.
Ruben Amorim has the quality in his squad, particularly in Mason Mount. The England international is now beginning to make an impact after some injuries marred his time at Chelsea. "He can defend. He can attack and the quality when he touches the ball is really good," said Amorim. "It's not a surprise for me."
However, as Amorim warned, the Manchester United players need to take care of their star asset. They can't afford to be distracted by other results - they have two points from six games and are now within four points of the top three.
As Jamie Carragher noted after analyzing the match on Sky Sports, "we make the assumption there is a bad result around the corner." Amorim agrees that United need to take their performance in each game seriously. "We should have finished that half in a different way," he said. The problem for the gaffer and his players will be whether they can sustain this momentum over an entire season.
With key players like Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo potentially heading out of the country for international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, United must ensure their squad depth holds up. The question is whether it's enough to propel them into contention for Champions League qualification or if they'll be lucky to avoid a drop back down into the bottom half.
Amorim has his reasons to believe that his side can do better - but will it be enough?
But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. This 4-1 thrashing could've been a fluke or just a case of opposition teams being way off form. I mean, Wolves have had their share of struggles this season too. The main concern is the inconsistency - one match up, they're cruising, and the next, they're struggling to keep up. Benjamin Sesko's injury is also a major worry. Can Amorim's squad really sustain this momentum? The quality in the team is undeniable, but can they put it all together for 38 games? They've got some big games coming up... 
. The fact that they had a few ups and downs before this recent win is a good indicator of how fragile their position is right now 
. We all know Ruben Amorim has quality players like Mason Mount, but can he get the most out of them? The team's ability to stay focused without distractions will be key 
. With some key players heading off on international duty, it'll be a challenge for United to keep their momentum going 
. I'm rooting for them to pull this off, but we gotta see how they perform over the next few months 
. dey got da quality in de squad, esp Mason Mount, but can't seem 2 stay focused on de goal 
. dey gotta stay on top of their game n not get distracted by other teams' resultz 
. also, Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, an Bryan Mbeumo r all goin away 4 da Africa Cup o f Nations, so dey gotta make sure de squad depth is good enuf 2 hold on 
.
. dey r just in da middle, trying 2 get inta da top 6, n dey need 2 stay focused an give it their all 
. so, will it b enuf? idk, man... only time will tell 
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I think United's current form is all over the place, you know? On one hand, Ruben Amorim's squad has some amazing talent, especially with Mason Mount doing his thing. But on the other hand, they keep having these dips in form and can't seem to string together a whole game without something going wrong 
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. They've got some top talent like Mason Mount, and it's awesome to see him shine 
It's gonna be tough if they don't take care of their star players and stay focused on the task at hand 
. Let's see how it all plays out! 
#UnitedWillRise #ChampionsLeagueHopes #SquadDepthMatters
. amorim says the players need to take care of sesko who's out right now 
but what if they get distracted by other teams' results? 
i mean, we saw them beat wolves big time on monday 
but then drew against west ham like 2 days later? 
anyway, squad depth is key 
but the problem is they gotta stay focused and not get distracted by other teams results or whatever... 
'cause if they do it's gonna be hard to stay top 6 and maybe even get into champions league spots... 
, but if they can't keep him focused and on track, it's all over for them...
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. will they be able to keep their momentum going? only time will tell 
they need to take care of their business at home and then focus on getting wins away from home. with benjamin sesko injured, it's definitely going to be tough, but i think amorim's squad can adapt.
. will they take care of their star players and keep this momentum going? only time (and the africa cup nations) will tell 
. They're making progress, winning games and scoring goals, but are they gonna hold on for the long haul? I think Ruben Amorim has some good players in his squad, especially Mason Mount 
. The England international is looking sharp after those injuries he had at Chelsea 
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. But can they sustain this form over a whole season? That's the million-dollar question 
. Will they be able to stay focused and avoid those distractions that are holding them back? 
We'll just have to wait and see 
. They can't let the pressure get to them or they'll start to crumble 
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4 bringin out da best in dem players!! Mason mount r a superstar now ! but y dont dey just keep dis momentum goin all season ??