The Red Devils’ boss has proven his side can mix it with the best teams, but the next challenge is to start winning consistently at home
In just two weeks and two games, Ruben Amorim has turned Manchester United from a laughing stock into a force to be reckoned with. The year 2024 ended with the Red Devils losing four games in a row for the first time since 1961, but the New Year has seen them head to the two best teams in the country and hold their own, taking a 2-2 draw from Liverpool – almost snatching victory but for Harry Maguire’s inability to score from close range – before knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup despite playing with 10 men for an hour.
The fragility on display in their previous defeats by Newcastle, Bournemouth, Tottenham and Wolves was replaced by steely determination. While Amorim was calling his team “anxious” a fortnight ago, on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium he praised them for “suffering together”. Micah Richards said United showed “passion and courage”, words that no one was using to describe the team at the end of last year.
United’s next challenge, though, is very different from going to Anfield or the Emirates and playing with their backs against the wall to get a result. After two of the toughest games on the fixture list, they face an ostensibly kind run of games against Southampton, Brighton and Rangers, all of them at home. Having done the difficult part, they must now navigate less choppy waters and show they are capable of winning the games they are expected to win.
From torture chamber to party venue
Having made United a tougher nut to crack in big away games, Amorim’s next task is to improve the team’s poor home record by restoring the fear factor to Old Trafford. When Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge, very few opponents enjoyed playing away against the Red Devils. United were unbeaten at home for the entirety of their title-winning campaigns in 1995-96, 1999-00 and 2010-11, and in the Scot’s 405 Premier League games at Old Trafford across 21 season, his side were beaten just 34 times.
Since his departure in 2013, however, the Theatre of Dreams has been just that for the visitors. Indeed, the only thing for opposing teams to fear these days is the dressing room being flooded!
United have lost 42 of their 219 home league games since Ferguson left, meaning Old Trafford’s away section, which once was like a torture chamber for visiting supporters, is now a party venue. And away teams have never had it as good as this season.