Viktoria Plzen 1-2 Man Utd (Vydra 48′ | Hojlund 62′, 88′)
Somehow, it gets worse.
Ruben Amorim has insisted since he walked through the door at Old Trafford that there will be pain before Manchester United can begin to turn things around.
But no amount of morphine could numb the suffering 600 hardy Mancunian souls were put through on a bitter Thursday night in Plzen.
Don’t let the victory fool you. Manchester City, even in their shattered state, will be licking their lips. With the new manager bounce well and truly over, United returned to their fragile, disinterested selves to stutter to a narrow success over Viktoria Plzen.
Rasmus Hojlund stepped off the bench to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. But those who were there cannot be fooled. The performance was, and it is a packed field of late, as bad as anything this fallen giant has mustered in a long, long time.
After full-time, match-winner Hojlund, who has been involved in 50 per cent of United’s 12 goals in Europe this term, had to be pulled away from Amad Diallo as the pair disagreed over the latter’s reluctance to pass to the Dane at the death.
The fact that was the feistiest moment United managed told you everything you need to know about where this team are at.
“For me it’s perfect, we need to feel something,” Amorim said of the pair’s clash after the match.
“If we need to fight each other it’s like a family, for me it’s a very, very good sign. We need to feel something and that is important.
“When you don’t care, you don’t do nothing, when you care, you fight with your brother, with your father, with your mother. I am happy that we win the game and still fight each other, that is a very good thing.”
That is where the positives end. Another reality check – something Amorim needs, with past glories shoved in his face on a daily basis around Carrington – ruined a fun afternoon supporters were having around the city of beer.
Plzen’s quaint Christmas market offered up the smorgasbord of delights to help everyone forget, with pints of the city’s famous pilsner flowing as the smell of cinnamon and mulled cider filled the air.
The rather modest Doosan Arena was a fitting reminder of how far this once great club has fallen. A pre-match tifo of the devil grappling with Jesus was perfectly apt for what was to follow, too. Evil certainly overcame good.
United were beyond bad. Joshua Zirkzee lost possession 11 times inside the opening half hour alone, the visitors did not muster a shot on target in that time, while Andre Onana – the one bright light amid the litany of gloom hanging over the club so far this season – looked shaky after his struggles at the weekend.
It was all too easy for Plzen, who sat back and soaked up the pressure. Or lack thereof. Amorim cut a frustrated figure on the touchline. He covered more ground than his forwards in an attempt to rouse something, anything from his charges.
Local journalists found what they were witnessing unfathomable. “Who is this team?” one asked.
Less than three minutes into the second half, we got our answer. Onana tried to pick out Matthijs de Ligt, got it all kinds of wrong, allowing United fan Pavel Sulc in, who squared for Matej Vydra – once a journeyman of English football – to break the deadlock.
Amorim disappeared back to his bench. When United are in self-destruct mode, the manager is powerless.
Hojlund replaced the ineffective Marcus Rashford, with Amorim not even able to bring himself to look the forlorn forward in the eye as he trudged off, the Dane at least offering an outlet Zirkzee was incapable of bringing to the table.
The cavalry leader took his tally to 10 in 12 in Europe for United with a timely double to guide his insipid side to the lofty heights of fifth in the Europa League standings, to the brink of at least the play-offs for the last 16.
The composure for the winner was especially telling, after Bruno Fernandes’ quick thinking from a free-kick. A quality winner, that only adds to fans’ frustrations – where was it for the previous 82 minutes?
Hojlund was not done there, telling Amad what was really on his mind after the final whistle had blown. Amorim must have been tempted to start a bit of a ruckus himself. His renovation work is still struggling to lay any form of foundations. The materials on hand aren’t making it easy for him.
from Football - The i Paper https://ift.tt/hbKSHNs
Post a Comment