_{Image Credit: Getty Images Sport}

Well, what can we say that already hasn't been said?
Amorim told us that a storm was coming. He warned us things would get worse before they get better. That the players' fitness levels weren't where they needed to be to fit his system and deliver the intensity and focus he requires for a full 90 minutes. So why should we be surprised by the result against an in-form Newcastle side? We shouldn't. We deserve to be where we are in the table on the back of many poor performances this season. However, I would argue the performance last night was one of the worst ones to date.

Player Power and "Player FC"

It appears as though many fans, and fan channels, still cling desperately to their favored players during times like these.
The starting line up was not all that unbelievable, all things considered, with the likes of Bruno and Ugarte unavailable through suspension after Bruno picked up a red card and Ugarte picked up a 5th yellow card last match against Wolves.

From one popular fan channel, we had stats thrown around that "United have failed to score in the last 4 matches that Bruno has missed" as though that's supposed to hold some weight or meaning and that we are therefore missing Bruno, all to support that person's agenda because they rate him and think he's world-class.
NEWS FLASH: We have failed to score in 6 matches this season, to date, 5 of which Bruno started. So only when he misses 1 match and we fail to score, it's seen as a problem that Bruno's not included, yet ignored when there are 5 other matches full of proof that he doesn't actually provide consistently either.

Then we had people still supporting Rashford for some strange reason. He was at least placed on the bench for the match, but let's be honest, he was never going to play. He was instructed to warm up with about 15 minutes left, but never made an appearance (he should depart in January and we need him to be fit to do so).

As far as Player Power goes, from the outside looking in, it would appear as though some of these omissions are not going down well with the dressing room. Morale appears to be at an all-time low, but the fans half expected to see this with a manager coming in who holds themselves to a higher standard and is unwavering in their system. These players have been notoriously lazy and wince at the mere thought of putting in the work, either at Carrington or Match Day. Now that they're being asked to work hard every day and earn their wages for once, we are seeing uninspired, sloppy, lazy performances where even the basics seem to be forgotten.

The Performance

Which brings us to our next point - the performance.
While Zirkzee was the sacrificial lamb on the day, the performance from every single player on the pitch was poor (Amad still looked the best one out there, per usual). Players continue to struggle to string together a few quality passes and that's only exacerbated when the press from the opposition is high and aggressive. We need more press-resistant players who are able to knock the ball around the corner through intelligent reading of the game and their teammates' positions taken up elsewhere. Unfortunately, we are too slow to think and react to the danger and find ourselves in jammy situations that result in cheap turnovers through either a tackle or an errant pass to the opposition or out of play.

The basics that are engrained in us when we're children seem to have been binned and are nowhere to be found on the pitch. Positional awareness is terrible. Passing accuracy is abysmal. Movement, on and off the ball, is sluggish or absent. Communication is non-existent.

This team lacks the heart, desire, hunger, strength, determination, loyalty and commitment that we expect to see, as the bare minimum, every week. If nothing else, show the fans you're putting in the effort to get the result, but we can't even see that from these players.

Chances

Newcastle had the better chances on the day, as per the scoreline, and could have made it 3 or 4, if not for some marginal missed opportunities. That being said, we did have a few chances present themselves, but the sloppiness crept in and we squandered them. Rasmus had a good opportunity to play the ball across the face of goal and hit the side netting, but hit it wide. Casemiro had acres of space in the box, yet took the shot first time and it went well wide. Maguire had a diving header that rattled the post. And a few more half chances nearly saw us make life for Newcastle a little less comfortable than they were, but the quality simply wasn't there. The lack of belief is brutally apparent when you look at these players' faces. Amad looked to be the one most frustrated and disappointed on the pitch, refusing to accept the levels he was exhibiting himself - which I applaud - while everyone else looks complacent and to have accepted that they're not good enough.

January Transfer Window

Amorim confirmed that business will be quiet in the January transfer window if we cannot sell to buy, which feels criminal. I am not sure what the conversations were with INEOS before agreeing to join, but I find it hard to believe that Amorim would leave Sporting in the middle of the season (after requesting to see it out until the summer) without any sort of assurance that there would be activity in January to bring in players he would need for this system. If he was told by INEOS he would have access to some funds, and that's not the case, then that should be a massive red flag and something fans should be made aware of so that we can hold INEOS accountable. If this is the situation Amorim knew and chose to take on himself, then we have to trust in the process completely and hope that he can steady the ship long enough to get us to the summer transfer window. Then again, there is still an argument to be made for getting relegated so that a forced sale takes place, bringing in players that are not only better suited for the system, but cost less. While I don't necessarily wish that for us, because then you have to deal with the implications of competing for a Top 3 finish in the Championship, it might be the only viable solution for the short-term, otherwise we're only ever going to see a slow churn of players every summer and the project will take far longer than anyone anticipated. Amorim needs time. He needs the full support and backing of INEOS. It's now on INEOS to prove they're worthy stewards of the club.