Manchester United: Fine Margins, Missed Chances, and a Manager on the Brink
Football is mad. That’s the only way to sum it up after Manchester United’s latest defeat. We all knew what was coming the moment Bruno Fernandes missed his penalty. You could almost write the script in advance: United lose 3–1, the post-mortem begins, and the manager’s job hangs in the balance.
It’s a game of fine margins, and once again those margins went against United — and perhaps against Rúben Amorim, who may not survive the pressure much longer.
The VAR Decision That Made No Sense
One of the most baffling aspects of this game was the Nathan Collins incident. Collins should have been sent off for his foul on Bryan Mbeumo. Instead, we were treated to one of VAR’s most nonsensical explanations yet:
“The referee’s call of penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR – with Collins deemed to have pulled Mbeumo back. VAR also checked the referee’s call of yellow card to Collins, and deemed that Mbeumo wasn’t in control of the ball.”
But of course Mbeumo wasn’t in control of the ball, he was being dragged back. That is literally the point of the foul. How can that justify a yellow instead of a red? “Make it make sense” feels like the only appropriate reaction.
The Bruno Dilemma
This wasn’t the first time Bruno Fernandes has missed a big penalty. It’s now twice where his spot-kicks have been delayed by long VAR checks, and twice where he’s failed to deliver. Nobody questions his quality, but the psychology of standing over the ball for three minutes while the referee fiddles with a monitor cannot be ignored.
Had he scored, United would have been a goal up with a man advantage. Instead, the momentum shifted, the doubt set in, and the script unfolded in predictable fashion.
Selection Issues and Defensive Fragility
Decisions have to be questioned beyond VAR. Why didn’t Leny Yoro or Heaven start? It was painfully obvious that the back line lacked pace with Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt playing as wide centre-backs.
In a back three, you simply cannot pair Harry Maguire and De Ligt together in a three man defence. Both lack recovery speed, and when you’re playing a high line, that is suicidal. The first goal exposed exactly that: one ball over the top, no recovery pace, and suddenly United are chasing shadows.
If you insist on using Maguire or De Ligt, they have to play centrally. Maguire, for all his faults, is at least comfortable enough in possession to justify that role. But in truth, United need someone better than either of them to anchor that position long-term. He should be depth at best, and if a big offer is made for de Ligt I’d be happy selling him. In spite of what the rest of the fanbase thinks.
The Bigger Picture
And so we arrive back at the same old question: what next? How does a club keep making one step forward and two steps back? It’s exhausting.
Fans are tired of the cycle: sack the manager, hire the next saviour, rinse, repeat. This didn’t happen this time either; there was no honeymoon period. Yet results dictate reality, and Amorim’s reality is bleak. If performances don’t turn quickly, he won’t last. That’s the ruthless nature of football.
For now, United are stuck between missed penalties, suspect VAR calls, poor team selections, a system that is constantly in question, and a manager fighting for his job. The margins are small, but the consequences could be huge.
