Key events
16 min Chance for Garnacho! He starts the move on the counter and almost finishes it, but his shot from the D curls wide of the far post.
14 min Casemiro plays an awful pass, straight to the nearest man in black-and-red, but again Bournemouth’s speedy forwards can’t capitalise. It feels as if there’s a goal coming, and not for United.
12 min Patrick Dorgu made a nice run down the left just now, ending with a neat backheel to Granacho that was a rare moment of rapport between these two young players. But now Dorgu gives away a needless free kick, and is relieved to find the whistle coming to United’s rescue as the ball bobbles around their box.
10 min Chance for United! Mainoo wiggles down the inside-left channel, evades a tackle or two and shoots – straight at Kepa.
8 min André Onana is going short and living dangerously.
“Good point about Liverpool and Man Utd being similar,” says Tim Woods. “United’s current plight reminds me of our fallow 90s/00s years when the odd cup failed to hide an era of mediocrity. So agreed, there is a great deal in common (except for European Cups, where we have twice as many).”
6 min Kobbie Mainoo is playing in the pivot with Bruno Fernandes further forward, even though Amorim has been critical of Mainoo’s defensive abilities. We’ll see where they end up: Fernandes seldom finishes a game where he starts it.
4 min A ghost of a chance. Ouattara, on the left, curls in a gorgeous cross which Evanilsen can’t quite reach with his attempted poke.
3 min United’s turn to get forward. Garnacho slips a pass inside to Fernandes, whose cross is unusually poor.
2 min Bournemouth make it into United’s area, but the ball goes out for a goal kick.
1 min Bournemouth kick off and get forward down the right.
The teams walk out into the sunshine. Bournemouth are in their Stendhal stripes, United in all-white, like a poor man’s Real Madrid.
As United go into their huddle, Luke Shaw seems to be giving the pep talk, which is a nice touch. Shaw is at left centre-back, so the wing-backs are Mazraoui and Dorgu. Amorim does like to have three full-backs on the field at all times.
“Rob Hisnay asked why there isn’t outrage towards Omorim about his record,” says Paul Hinson. “The reason is obvious to most. He is still mainly stuck with Ten Hag’s players and until the clearout begins in the summer the results will be the same. He needs his own team before he can be judged.” Well, up to a point. If that was the rule, nobody would be praising Arne Slot for what he’s done this season. Managers have to be able to work with players they inherited, don’t they? Their job is to get the best out of the squad.
“Yesterday,” says Bruce Crawford, “was half a century to the day since United received the Division 2 trophy on promotion back to the First Division. I was there, aged 15, with my silent cine camera.
“A joyous occasion of the sort we are sorely starved of now. We knew we had a good team and the excitement of the Tommy Docherty era is still cherished by fans from that time.
“I wonder what United fans 50 years hence will be looking back on…?”
Ha, well, it could be their triumph in the Europa League, the one competition in which Amorim hasn’t made them worse. But Athletic Bilbao are a formidable foe.
Thanks for the cine footage, which is very evocative.
“I saw this stat,” says Rob Hisnay. “‘Manchester United have averaged 1.05 points per game under Ruben Amorim – only the bottom three and Tottenham have a lower figure since his appointment.’ Where’s the outrage about this from United fans?
“Throw in two years of Ten Hag throwing money at useless players while selling a number of academy graduates. With Ratcliffe keeping Amorim, I fear we are in deep trouble.”
Ruben Amorim admits that letting Marcus Rashford and Antony go might have cost United 10 goals. That’s as many as this once-attacking club have scored in their last eight league games. But he thinks it’s worth it, as Jamie Jackson reports.
This is Bournemouth’s 300th game in the Premier League. In seven full seasons so far, their best finish was ninth in 2016-17. If they win today, they will be eighth, but their next three fixtures are all against teams above them – Arsenal away, Villa home, Man City away. They finish with what looks like a less daunting assignment, at home to Leicester, although funny things do happen on the final day.
Teams in full
Bournemouth (probable 4-2-3-1) Arrizabalaga; Smith, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Scott, Adams; Semenyo, Kluivert, Ouattara; Evanilson.
Subs: Dennis, Araujo, Senesi, Soler, Hill, Cook, Brooks, Tavernier, Jebbison.
Man United (probable 3-4-2-1) Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Yoro; Dorgu, Casemiro, Fernandes, Shaw; Garnacho, Mainoo; Højlund.
Subs: Heaton, Lindelof, Fredericson, Evans, Amass, Ugarte, Eriksen, Mount, Obi.
Teams in brief: Bournemouth unchanged
It was another disappointing result for Bournemouth last weekend, 0-0 against ten men at Crystal Palace, but Iraola sees no reason to change a drawing team.
Teams in brief: Shaw starts
Luke Shaw, who has had such a tough time with injuries, makes his first start under Amorim, his first this season, his first since he played for England in the Euro final, and his first for United since they faced Luton 14 months ago.
Whether he’s at centre-back or wing-back remains to be seen: Amorim prefers him to stay central, but Diogo Dalot’s injury means there’s a vacancy at wing-back. It will either be filled by Noussair Mazraoui with Patrick Dorgu remaining on the left, or by Shaw with Dorgu switching to the right. Shaw would be the more creative option.
Preamble
Afternoon everyone and welcome to a contest that could have been a cracker. Bournemouth, who were fifth at Christmas, should still be in the fascinating tussle for Champions League places. Manchester United, who were only four points off the top three when Ruben Amorim arrived, should be there or thereabouts too. Instead this game pits 10th against 15th, and the main interest lies in seeing whether Bournemouth can do the double over United. This is becoming a familiar feeling for Amorim – Newcastle did it, Forest did it, even Ange’s Spurs did it – but would be a first for Bournemouth.
On form you might expect both these teams to lose. For the past three months, they have been as bad as each other in the league. Both have played 10, won 2, drawn 3 and lost 5. Both have conceded 14 goals during that run, while Bournemouth have scored 11 and United 10. Only the relegated clubs have done worse.
Opta makes Bournemouth warm favourites to win today, with a 54pc chance to United’s 22. In the reverse fixture Bournemouth won 3-0, even though, according to xG on fbref, United had slightly the better chances (2.2-1.6). “The game was quite level,” Andoni Iraola said on Friday. “It was not a 3-0 game.” But if anyone can get his team out of their slump, it’s United. Bournemouth are just the sort of opponents – mid-table, well drilled, clinical on the counter – that Amorim’s back five can’t handle.
For the travelling fans, as if they didn’t have enough sorrows already, there’s a bitter piece of history beckoning on the long journey home. With Liverpool playing straight afterwards, this is probably the last time United will take the field as the only English team with 20 league titles. When Virgil van Dijk lifts the Premier League trophy, it will deepen the curious resemblance between the two clubs. They’re like a pair of brothers who are so busy shouting at each other that they can’t see how similar they are.
