Manchester United fell to a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle at Old Trafford on Monday night and ended the calendar year miserably.
Alexander Isak and Joelinton struck twice with near identical goals inside the opening twenty minutes to put the rampant visitors in cruise control and leave the Theatre of Dreams stunned.
A shell-shocked home side was gifted a chance to get back into it when Kobbie Mainoo pounced on a loose pass, but Casemiro fluffed his lines, and the chance went begging.
The hosts did improve a little after half-time and came agonisingly close to breaching the Geordies goal when Harry Maguire headed against the post.
Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to salvage anything from the game as this alarming run of form during the festive period continued.
With much to reflect upon from a sobering night, here are five talking points.
United lacked legs in midfield from the start
With Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte both suspended after the defeat at Wolves, Ruben Amorim gave the veteran pair of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro the opportunity to start against Newcastle.
Unfortunately, neither the Dane nor the Brazilian could stamp their authority on proceedings.
The Reds were overrun in midfield in the early stages, with Bruno Guimares and Sandro Tonali highly influential.
Kobbie Mainoo was introduced shortly after the half-hour mark as Joshua Zirkzee was hauled off early. The young Mancunian improved things, helping his side regain a foothold after a shocking opening period.
However, Amorim will be concerned with how easy it was for Eddie Howe’s side in the opening thirty minutes or so, and the sooner he can get his first-choice midfield back, the better.
Diabolical December finishes on a low
It’s been a truly desperate December for the 20-time champions of England – losing five games over the course of the month, including all three festive fixtures either side of Christmas.
Along with elimination from the Carabao Cup by Tottenham, the Red Devils also lost in the league to Bournemouth, Wolves and now Newcastle in what can only be described as a truly wretched run.
Portuguese tactician Amorim will be concerned by this rapid decline and will be anxious to turn the tide fast.
But with a daunting trip to Anfield up next, things could well get worse before they get better.
Zirkzee’s future is up in the air
With 32 minutes on the clock, Amorim had seen enough from Joshua Zirkzee and subsequently hooked the £36m forward to a chorus of boos.
The 23-year-old was poor and struggled to influence the game – completing three passes and struggling to control the ball.
Signed from Bologna in the summer, he has shown flashes of brilliance. But the former Bayern Munich youngster hasn’t settled well in the Premier League.
He will hope that Amorim’s decision to take him off so early is not as damning as it seems amid rumours of a return to Italy, where Napoli and Juventus are said to be interested.
Amorim has supporters on his side
Despite how bad things are presently, the dire situation has not seen the Old Trafford faithful turn on the head coach.
The home crowd chanted his name loudly at the interval and were roused once more a few minutes into the second half as United fought hard to get back into the game.
“Amorim’s red and white army” was audible as the locals made their feelings clear.
Manchester United supporters are usually patient, and they will need lots of it now as the former Sporting Lisbon manager desperately tries to turn things around.
January Transfer Window could be crucial
With lots of reports stating the M16 club won’t have much to spend in January, INEOS needs to find a way to bring in a new recruit – or two.
With the former European champions closer to the relegation zone than the top four, the stark reality is this group of players won’t be enough to change the course of the season without some reinforcements.
The squad lacks a few key components to make the new man’s system work properly, and with rumours of Paris Saint-Germain left wing-back Nuno Mendes among the names mentioned as a potential target, the club could do with such a signing.
Amorim is the right man for this job, but he can’t do it on his own.
What did you think of United’s performance in Monday night’s loss to Newcastle?
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