Ipswich 1-1 Man Utd (Hutchinson 43′ | Rashford 2′)
PORTMAN ROAD — In a warped way, it was the perfect start to life as Manchester United manager for Ruben Amorim.
Given how well he speaks, fans so desperate for a bit of footballing excitement in their lives have been getting rather giddy at the prospect of revival.
Five permanent managers have tried and failed to restore United to anything like their former grandeur, but none have had supporters eating out of their palms of their hands this early.
Had Marcus Rashford’s early opener at Portman Road set United on their way to a rampant success on Amorim’s Premier League bow, just as the same striker did in Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s first game, the open-top bus company would be fielding calls this morning.
Instead, having barely mustered another shot at goal all game, Amorim trudged off the Portman Road pitch seemingly deep in thought.
Even though he will have done his homework on a vibrant Ipswich side, one which has reignited the fire put out in a stuttering start to life back in the top flight, the way United retreated into their vulnerable shell, as they often did under Erik ten Hag, will quash any unrealistic expectations.
This is a monumental rebuilding job of which the world of football has rarely seen.
Amorim tried something different, and there were signs of life, but ultimately, the new boss got a stark reminder of what he is up against – perhaps just what was needed, as it is very easy to get lost in the Manchester United he would have been sold in the brochure.
After a week of being told how grand United is, Amorim soon found himself screaming into the Suffolk air as he attempted to get his team to press.
At one point in the second half he was incredulous as Rasmus Hojlund failed to close down the goalkeeper. The Dane jogged around rather aimlessly, as would have been fine a few months ago. Amorim, though, was not having it.
On several occasions, he burst from the Portman Road technical area to wave his team forward, often to no avail, looking back his bench as if to question quite how a team of this magnitude can take so long to close players down. This is what you signed up for, Ruben.
There were positives. Amad Diallo looked lively as a wing-back, the three-at-the-back system does appear like it could bring some much-needed calm and control, while Rashford in a central role, in this new system, could finally regain his goalscoring top form.
But that is about as good as it got, with Andre Onana the only reason Ipswich didn’t take all three points.
“They [United players] were thinking too much in the game, they were trying,” Amorim conceded. “We have to find a way.
“I was brought here in the middle of the season and we try to cope with the problems. We are going to suffer for a long time. We risk a little bit, we suffer a little bit and in the next year we will be better than at this point.”
Such honesty should be really encouraging for supporters. Ten Hag suffered with an incurable bout of delusion, unable to admit his and his team’s failings for too long.
Amorim, in two weeks, has seen the limits United have, in their current perpetual state of flux. Unlike his predecessor, however, he is willing to tackle them head on. And that gives him every chance of succeeding.
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