Manchester United’s slender 1-0 victory over Fulham at a cold and damp Craven Cottage on Sunday night was far from a blockbuster performance. In fact, it was an exercise in minimalism from Ruben Amorim’s side. Just one shot on target, no corners, and a deflected goal from Lisandro Martínez was all it took for United to secure three vital points. But while it lacked attacking flair, this controlled display provided a tantalizing glimpse of the stability Amorim is desperately seeking to establish at Old Trafford.
Amorim Embraces the Grind
For the Portuguese manager, this kind of gritty, ground-out win is exactly what United need right now. Amorim looked relaxed and content at the final whistle, more so than at any other point during his short tenure. Why? Because this result, achieved with minimum fuss and maximum control, represents a precious commodity for a club that has been engulfed in chaos in recent times.
United may still languish in 12th place in the Premier League table. False dawns and fleeting moments of hope have come and gone before. But rarely have they won in this manner – clinically, without really excelling. There is an art to that, and it’s one Amorim is trying to instill.
Embracing Lowered Expectations
Amorim’s recent public comments have raised eyebrows, as he has seemingly gone out of his way to downplay expectations and even criticize his own players. Labeling them as “the worst” and admitting to being “terrified” of playing at Old Trafford may seem an odd motivational tactic. But it serves a purpose – to temper the perennial United hype machine and provide a clean slate from which to build.
Crash the team to make it better. Take the short-term pain. Drain the juices.
This is Amorim’s mantra. It’s about bottoming out, stripping things back to basics and reducing expectations to rubble, in order to construct a more robust foundation. Painful in the short-term, but with a focus on sustainable long-term gains.
The Minimalist Approach
On the pitch, United’s display at Craven Cottage was a masterclass in minimalism. For long periods, they looked uncertain and disjointed, like a team trying to remember freshly learned instructions. Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte seemed lost at times in midfield, while Rasmus Højlund toiled thanklessly up front, more occupied with grappling Fulham’s center-backs than offering an attacking threat.
But crucially, apart from that momentary lapse for the Martínez goal, United never looked like conceding. They only had one shot on target, but it was enough. They only needed one moment, and they took it. This wasn’t heavy metal football, but rather a tense, slow-burning arthouse movie – control and calm, occasionally punctuated by brief moments of incisiveness.
Reasons for Optimism
Amidst the drudgery, there were small signs of encouragement for United fans to cling to:
- Academy products Kobbie Mainoo and Toby Collyer finished the game in midfield.
- Amad Diallo offered some bright moments of individual skill.
- The traveling supporters were vocally appreciative at the final whistle.
Most tellingly of all, perhaps, was Amorim’s demeanor. The persistent prowling of his technical area had given way to a more relaxed presence. He still paced, but with less of the coiled intensity of a man permanently braced for impending disaster. For the first time, he looked like a manager who was actually enjoying the fruits of his labor, however unspectacular they may have been.
Long Road Ahead
Make no mistake, this is just the first tentative step on a long and arduous journey for Manchester United. One unconvincing 1-0 win does not constitute a revival, and Amorim will be the first to stress that there will be plenty more pain and “suffering” along the way. He almost seems to relish that prospect.
But if he can harness more performances and results like this – solid, unspectacular, but with that all-important ingredient of control – then perhaps his ambitious project may gradually gather momentum. Winning ugly is still winning, after all. And for a club starved of any kind of credible success in recent times, that represents a start. As Amorim seeks to drastically lower expectations in order to then exceed them, this minimalist masterclass in West London could prove a very meaningful building block.
