Jamie Carragher names the one £55m Man United star who ‘looks WORSE under Ruben Amorim’ after Newcastle defeat – as Red Devils suffer fourth loss in a row under new manager
Jamie Carragher has revealed which Man United star ‘looks worse’ under Ruben Amorim after they suffered a fourth straight defeat.
A miserable 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle on Monday evening left the Red Devils 14th in the Premier League and just seven points above 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
To make matters worse, questions are already being asked about Amorim’s tactical approach, with the team now having suffered four consecutive defeats.
And speaking on Monday night, Carragher highlighted that the three defensive backs United have hired have had a negative impact on one of their stars.
Speaking Air sportshe said, ‘Again, I’m going to [Lisandro] Martinez, he can see Joelinton.
‘Martinez, for me, when he first came in, I was very strong in the fact that I thought he was too small to play as a centre-half in a back four in the Premier League.
Manchester United suffered their fourth defeat in a row after a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle
Lisandro Martinez in particular struggled with the Magpies’ attacking line
After the match, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher praised the Argentine’s performance
‘And you know what? He proved me wrong to some extent, and that didn’t happen very often [Martinez getting exposed in the air]and he actually played very well under Erik ten Hag.
‘But I actually thought a perfect system would be a back three, where he would have the security of two bigger players [next to him]. He looks worse in a back three, or he certainly looks worse under Ruben Amorim’.
Crucially, Martinez was easily beaten in the air by Newcastle’s Joelinton, who fired a header past Andre Onana to secure the visitors’ second goal.
Meanwhile, Alexander Isak opened the scoring with a well-placed header in the fourth minute after being left unmarked in the penalty area.
After the match, Carragher’s pundit partner Gary Neville also suggested United are going backwards under the Portuguese coach.
“He (Amorim) was determined that he will not change, but he must suffer deep inside. I’m worried too. It was really grim. That first half hour was difficult to watch as a United fan,” Neville told Sky Sports.
‘There is no doubt about it: performance and results have deteriorated in recent weeks. They’re finding it very difficult, some players with the system are finding it very difficult with the trust, and the worry is that they’re going to get caught up in a fight down there.
‘I think they have a lot to do and that means being very friendly. I don’t think this group of players is of the quality that Ten Hag has had, Ole has had, Jose Mourinho has had or Louis van Gaal.
Ruben Amorim admitted United could find themselves in a relegation battle this season
Martinez was beaten in the air by Newcastle’s Joelinton for the second goal of the evening
‘They weren’t good enough for Manchester United in those periods, but they were better teams and better squads than they are now.’
United being panned by pundits is nothing new and the same criticisms apply now as they have for a long time: a lack of energy, big holes in midfield, an imbalance.
Neville continued to beat the drum on Monday night, naming two players he believes should no longer be allowed to perform together.
He said: “We know that a lot of what we actually saw on the pitch was going to happen. Casemiro and (hristian) Eriksen in midfield, Carra did a piece in the studio about (Noussair) Mazraoui and (Diogo) Dalot playing full-backs and being more defensive and that that wouldn’t lead to more goals, and that’s exactly what happened .
‘The idea of Zirkzee in that left pocket, that’s not a pocket that you stay in, that’s a left pocket that you pick up the Newcastle right-back when he goes forward, that’s a left pocket that means you keep going. When he said he wasn’t really a number nine and saw him play there, I was surprised.’