Arne Slot says with the players Liverpool have, their wretched run "cannot continue like this" after a 4-1 thrashing by PSV Eindhoven. The Reds are picking up unwanted record after unwanted record, with this latest defeat their ninth in 12 matches. This is their worst succession of results in 71 years and now manager Slot has challenged his players to get over this slump.

Liverpool nightmare continues

After six losses in their last seven Premier League games, few expected Liverpool to also be turned over by the Dutch side at Anfield on Wednesday night. But just a few days on from conceding three at home to Nottingham Forest, the Reds let in another four to heap more misery on Slot's side. The disaster began when captain Virgil van Dijk handled in the box and Ivan Perisic converted from the spot. Dominic Szoboszlai equalised with a tap-in shortly after but the second half was where the horror show truly unfolded. Guus Till restored the visitors' lead and then a late double from substitute Couhaib Driouech led to a mass fan exodus as boos greeted the final whistle. The Merseyside outfit have suffered consecutive losses in all competitions by a margin of three goals for the first time since December 1953, as pressure on Slot continues to mount. 

Advertisement'Really hard to watch'

The former Feyenoord manager cut a resigned figure following this latest setback. Despite his players putting in another awful display, Slot said he is not questioning them and he still believes they can turn their fortunes around.

He told beIN Sports: "The end result is, of course, what people remember. Mainly, people also remember the last 5-10 minutes of the game. That was really hard to watch for all of us. Not only were we already 3-1 behind, but we also even conceded the 4-1, and that is a scoreline which I think no-one would have expected at half-time. 

"No, I'm not questioning the players, because I know that we have very good players. Their mentality after us going 1-0 down was also what I was hoping for, but also what you have to expect if you are a Liverpool player. So it's something normal for me that you're questioning your line-ups, you're questioning your tactics, you're questioning the substitutions you make, but that's also what you do if you don't lose every single time. But it's normal for me to question the choices I make, because I've said many times that I'm responsible for this situation. But the players have so much quality that this cannot continue like this. And I think again today, especially the first half, we showed how many chances we can create, but it's not for the first time this season that we don't score them." 

Slot's resolve being tested

After the Forest defeat, Slot said he felt his side were not far away from getting back to winning ways. That view may have been tested on Wednesday as he saw his side capitulate again. Naturally, he said his emotions were "very negative and disappointing" after the game.

When asked how does he get Liverpool back to how they were playing at the start of this season and all of last term, he replied: "No, I think what has happened mainly with all the losses we had is that so many times if we have a good spell, we concede. And that moment changes the momentum. I think the thing we have to start doing is making sure that if we are in a better phase and we do create a chance, that we then also score the goals. That the scoreline is also positive. I think the mentality is great from these players as well. Apart from the quality, the mentality is also great. Otherwise, you can't go after three minutes, after losing on Saturday, three minutes down, 1-0 down, and then have a performance as we had the first half. That can only be possible. But their mentality, as they also reacted well after 2-1 down, because I think then we had our chances as well. So yeah, I don't think we are that far off, which sounds weird because the results tell us something different. But the games, the performances give me a different opinion about how we play than the scoreline does."

He added to TNT Sports: "The emotions are very negative and disappointing. The way we conceded the 1-0. I want to be positive about the reaction of the players when we went 1-0 down. We came back into the game and had chances to go 2-1 up. I don't think anyone thought we would lose 4-1."

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Getty Images SportLight at the end of the tunnel for Liverpool?

After the match, Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones could not hold back his fury. 

He told RTE: "I don't have the answers, honestly, I don't. It's just unacceptable. I'm past being angry inside. I'm at the point now where I just don't have the words."

But Liverpool don't have long to find the answer as they are away to lowly West Ham on Sunday in the Premier League. Previously, that would have seemed like a banker three points but now, anything could happen.

Sam Fanning and debutant Teague Wyllie both made half-centuries but the home side chases the target with room to spare

AAP20-Oct-2025Tasmania’s perfect start to the One-Day Cup continued with stalwart Jordan Silk top-scored in a four-wicket win against Western Australia.In a Bellerive Oval fixture restricted by rain to a maximum of 44 overs each, WA posted 248 for 9 with Sam Fanning top-scoring with 66 from 91 balls.Tasmania, set 252 runs to win under the DLS system, lost six wickets and reached their target from 38 overs to win with 36 balls to spare.Silk dominated with 81 from 75 deliveries, scoring his 2000th domestic one-day run in the process of Tasmania banking a fourth win from as many outings.Silk, who struck nine fours and a six, and a batch of experienced team-mates were untroubled in the run chase. He combined with fellow veteran Matthew Wade (46 not out from 43 balls) in a defining 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket.Opener Caleb Jewell set the Tasmanian tone with an aggressive 48 from 37 balls featuring seven fours, and evergreen Ben McDermott made 42 from 49 deliveries.The quartet overpowered WA’s bowling attack with paceman Mahli Beardman the sole multiple wicket-taker.Earlier, WA opener Fanning’s composed knock and an aggressive 56 from 51 balls from one-day debutant Teague Wyllie underpinned the visitor’s total.Fanning and fellow opener Joel Curtis put on 50 runs in eight overs amid early rain interruptions. Curtis, Cameron Bancroft and Sam Whiteman all failed to capitalise on promising starts and when Fanning fell in the 29th over, the visitors were 147 for 4.Allrounders Hilton Cartwright and Ashton Agar were both dismissed in the following 10 overs as Wylie launched at Tasmania’s bowlers.The 21-year-old struck four fours and a six before edging to wicketkeeper McDermott from the bowling of Brad Hope, who impressed with 3 for 40 from seven overs.

It may not have seemed that way when Pakistan were 146 for one, but by stumps, South Africa had clawed back enough into the Test for Keshav Maharaj to call it an even day. The left-arm spinner – who did not play the first Test owing to a groin injury – began South Africa’s comeback when he dismissed crowd favourite Babar Azam early on in his innings. In the final session, Maharaj struck once more when he drew Shan Masood into a sweep, which he could only drag to Marco Jansen at square leg. By the end, there was time for Kagiso Rabada to snag a fifth wicket, forcing Pakistan to see off the final half hour cautiously. They finished on 259 for five.”I think it was an even day,” he said. “We managed to control their run rate. When the ball gets softer – which happens quite quickly because the wicket’s quite hard, we managed to just go to old-fashioned Test cricket… I felt if we got one more wicket at night, we’d probably have had a little bit of an upper hand.”Related

• South Africa are selecting based on character rather than just stats now

• First day in Pindi = first day in Lahore

• South Africa, Pakistan share opening-day honours after Masood 87

The first two sessions were shaping up to tell a different story, using the same, frustrating script for the visitors. Having lost the toss and being inserted to field once more, they were sloppy, putting down five catches – just as they had on the first day in Lahore. Abdullah Shafique was the primary beneficiary, with South Africa spurning three opportunities to dismiss him. Earlier, Marco Jansen had nipped one in that Shafique left. The ball had kissed the off stump, only for the bails to be left undisturbed.”As a collective we know how important catches are, not just in the subcontinent. No one means to drop catches; it was nice to see the guys bounce back and take the catches that they did. Bit frustrating but no one means to drop chances.”Simon Harmer bowled 23 overs of spin to complement Maharaj•AFP/Getty Images

The fielding tide for South Africa began to turn when Tony de Zorzi took an excellent catch, which sent Babar on his way. South Africa have placed a lot of faith in their leading offspinner; he bowled 31 overs – the most for any bowler on a day this series. Harmer bowled 23 further overs of spin, but Senuran Muthuswamy, the leading wicket-taker in Lahore, sent down just four.Maharaj, who said he regretted being unable to play in Lahore, called the decision to use Muthuswamy more sparingly “tactical”. “We saw that the wicket didn’t play like Lahore and we felt like we just wanted to try and restrict the Pakistani batters. I don’t think there was an issue. Sen came back nicely with the second spell that he bowled.”In the end, Pakistan scored 54 fewer runs than they did on day one in Lahore, with South Africa drying up the runs, giving the final session a slightly different tinge to the first day they had during the first Test. They will be further encouraged by the knowledge that Pakistan have a collapse in them, something Masood highlighted following the first Test. In the first Test, Pakistan lost their last five for 16 in the first innings, and their last six for 17 in the two innings. One more wicket, and South Africa will know there are opportunities to run through the lower order.”Tomorrow’s an important day,” Maharaj said. The first sessions in the series so far have been quite action-packed. “Hopefully, we can make inroads tomorrow morning. The main thing is to try bowling as many dot balls as we can. We saw for a period of time when we did do it, that it brought us a little bit of reward, and we created opportunities. I think it’s important we start really well tomorrow. Hopefully we can get Saud and Agha early in the morning and open up an end with the lower-order batters. But it’s about just trying to bowl our best balls for long periods of time.”

The 2025 World Series between the Dodgers and the Blue Jays is about to get underway. What type of show will fans be treated to this year? Will it be a quick domination from one team over the other? Or will the series be drawn out to seven games?

We saw the polar opposites happen in the two league championship series leading up to the World Series. On one hand, the Dodgers swept the Brewers 4-0 to advance, while the Blue Jays played Game 7 against the Mariners in order to earn their World Series bid.

In some of the games themselves there's been clear domination of one team over another. For instance, in Game 3 of the ALCS, the Blue Jays won 13-4 over the Mariners.

Keeping these possibilities in mind, let's take a look at the biggest blowouts in World Series history, whether from singular games or the series in general.

Biggest single game blowouts in World Series history

Year

Matchup

Game

Score

1936

Yankees vs. Giants

2

18-4

2001

Diamondbacks vs. Yankees

6

15-2

1960

Yankees vs. Pirates

2

16-3

2007

Red Sox vs. Rockies

1

13-1

2002

Giants vs. Angels

5

16-4

1982

Cardinals vs. Brewers

6

13-1

1968

Tigers vs. Cardinals

6

13-1

1960

Yankees vs. Pirates

6

12-0

The biggest single game blowout in World Series history happened nearly 100 years ago in the 1936 series between the Yankees and the Giants. Led by legends such as Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio, the Yankees put up a dominant 18-4 win over the Giants, who were located in New York as well at the time. The Yankees did their greatest damage in the third inning, when they scored seven runs thanks to a grand slam by Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri. The Yankees went on to win the series in six games.

The most recent sizeable blowout in a World Series game occurred in Game 1 of the 2007 World Series between the Red Sox and the Rockies. Boston won 13-1, and dominated the entire series to win 4-0.

Biggest series blowouts in World Series history

The biggest blowouts in World Series history series-wise, of course, must be 4-0 sweeps. There's been 19 sweeps in World Series history, take a look at all of those occurrences.

Year

Winner

Opponent

1914

Boston Braves

Philadelphia Athletics

1927

Yankees

Pirates

1928

Yankees

Cardinals

1932

Yankees

Cubs

1938

Yankees

Cubs

1939

Yankees

Reds

1950

Yankees

Phillies

1954

New York Giants

Cleveland

1963

Dodgers

Yankees

1966

Orioles

Dodgers

1976

Reds

Yankees

1989

Oakland Athletics

San Francisco Giants

1990

Reds

Athletics

1998

Yankees

Padres

1999

Yankees

Atlanta Braves

2004

Red Sox

Cardinals

2005

White Sox

Astros

2007

Red Sox

Rockies

2012

Giants

Tigers

Nine different MLB franchises have completed sweeps in the World Series, with the Yankees leading the charge there, having done so eight times. The Yankees hold the MLB record with 27 World Series titles, and nearly a third of them were sweeps.

The Yankees have gotten a taste of their own medicine twice, first in 1963 when the Dodgers swept them and then in '76 when the Reds did the same.

There's only been four sweeps in the World Series this century, with the most recent occurrence happening in 2012 when the Giants swept the Tigers. The longest streak without a sweep in MLB history is 13 years, so does that mean this year could signal another one?

واصل بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي تصريحاته بعد الفوز أمام سندرلاند بثلاثية نظيفة على ملعب الاتحاد مساء السبت في الدوري الانجليزي الممتاز.

وشارك النجم المصري عمر مرموش في الدقيقة 69 ليحل محل المهاجم النرويجي إيرلينج هالاند، وحاول المصري كثيراً التسجيل لكن لم يحالفه الحظ.

وقال جوارديولا في تصريحات نشرتها “سيتي إكسترا” عن مرموش: “كنا بحاجة لعمر مرموش ليدخل بديلاً ضد سندرلاند”.

وأضاف عن النجم المصري: “عمر بالنسبة لي من أفضل المهاجمين، أعرف أنني أراه مهاجماً، وهناك كذلك المهاجم الأساسي لدينا هالاند، أحياناً يحصل مرموش على دقائق لعب أقل مما يستحق لكنه قام بأربع أو خمس تحركات مذهلة بشكل لا يصدق، ولهذا السبب مرر نيكو هاتين الكرتين له، لكن سنرى إذا كان سيبدأ ضد ريال مدريد”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. جوارديولا يشيد بلاعب مانشستر سيتي بعد الفوز على سندرلاند: لم أر ميسي يفعل ذلك

وواصل بيب إذا كان سيحتاج لإجراء تغييرات ضد ريال مدريد: “لا، أنتم الصحفيون دمرتوني بعد مباراة ليفركوزن لذلك قلت أنني لا أريد أن تدمروني مرة أخرى بسبب التبديلات، أريد أن أكون لطيفاً معكم”.

وواصل عن اللعب في ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو: “البرنابيو ليس ملعب سهل أبداً، أضعنا فرصة الاقتراب من التأهل لدور ال16 من دوري الأبطال ضد باير ليفركوزن لكننا سنقدم أداءً جيداً، لدينا ثلاث فرص لتحقيق النقاط التي نحتاجها، نأمل أن نؤدي نفس الأداء”.

وواصل جوارديولا ثنائه على نجمه المتألق هذا الموسم فيل فودين: “لاعب مذهل، يسجل الكثير من الأهداف، اعترف لي بعد لقاء سندرلاند أنه لم يشعر بأنه في حالة جيدة وانظروا ما حدث، كيف يركض خلف المدافعين ويستعيد الكرة، عندما يكون في هذه الحالة المزاجية وهذا الزخم، يكون بمثابة هدية جوهرة ثمينة، إنه الأفضل”.

واختتم بيب جوارديولا مؤكداً إصابة جون ستونز مدافع مانشستر سيتي: “بصراحة، لا أعرف مدة غيابه”.

Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia's infant daughter Sterling died during the World Series, he announced in a Friday afternoon Instagram post.

"Our beautiful daughter went to heaven Sunday, October 26th. There are no words to describe the pain we’re going through but we hold her in our hearts and cherish every second we had with her," Vesia wrote.

Vesia, 29, missed the World Series after pitching twice in the National League Championship Series due to what Los Angeles described at the time as a personal family matter. During the Series, both the Dodgers and Blue Jays expressed support for the pitcher.

In his post, Vesia went out of his way to thank both teams for their support—as well as baseball fans around the world.

"Thank you Dodger Nation, Blue Jays organization and all baseball fans for your love and support. We have seen ALL your messages, comments and posts. It’s brought us so much comfort.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Diferentemente do que fez o Santos nos últimos três anos, a diretoria do Corinthians trabalha nos bastidores para se reaproximar de alguns empresários e não ter problemas nas próximas janelas de transferências.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansSite vaza suposta terceira camisa do Corinthians para 2024; vejaCorinthians26/05/2024Fora de Campo‘Nenhum clube fez nada. Cadê o Flamengo, Corinthians, Vasco, Palmeiras?’, Pilhado cobra atitude de times brasileiros durante paralisaçãoFora de Campo26/05/2024CorinthiansEm busca de novas lideranças, Corinthians pode perder último ‘medalhão’Corinthians26/05/2024

➡️ Vai dar Brasil? Aposte no Lance! Betting e fature com a Copa América

O presidente Augusto Melo tem conduzido essas reaproximações, começando com uma reunião com Paulo Pitombeira, que aconteceu nos últimos dias.

Paulo é o responsável pela carreira de Erick Pulga, meia do Ceará que interessa ao Timão. O agente tinha entrado em rota de colisão com a diretoria corintiana no início do ano, que também marcou o começo da gestão atual, após a saída do zagueiro Lucas Veríssimo, que é seu cliente, para o Al-Duhail, do Qatar.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Corinthians no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Timão

Na época, a diretoria corintiana não gostou da forma como a situação foi conduzida e até mesmo alegou má fé, o que irritou Pitombeira, fazendo com que ele decidisse acionar uma dívida que o clube do Parque São Jorge tem com ele. A decisão foi revogada após o recente papo com Augusto Melo.

Nos primeiros dias de 2024, alguns empresários cobraram dívidas do Corinthians que vinham desde gestões passadas, gerando um mal estar com a diretoria atual. Parte desses representantes eram próximos dos últimos dois presidentes corintianos Duílio Monteiro Alves e Andrés Sanchez.

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Mesmo assim, Augusto Melo pretende conversar e se alinhar com esses profissionais para não ter problemas na hora de buscar atletas no mercado.

COMO ERRO DO SANTOS PODE AJUDAR O TIMÃO?

Quando assumiu o Peixe, em 2021, o ex-presidente santista Andres Rueda optou por cortar pagamentos de comissões a empresários. Com o tempo, o clube foi tento problemas no mercado para buscar reforços.

Nos últimos meses da antiga gestão santista, a direção admitiu internamente que a postura inicial com os empresários afastou esses profissionais da Vila Belmiro.

Um exemplo que ficou forte no time praiano foi com o próprio Lucas Veríssimo. O Santos tentou repatriar o atleta, que é um Menino da Vila, mas sentiu que Paulo Pitombeira “jogou contra” a situação, apresentando valores mais altos do que o Peixe poderia arcar e demonstrando , mas mostrando “boa vontade” nas tratativas com o Corinthians, onde tinha melhor trânsito, tendo feito alguns negócios importantes antes, como a ida do atacante Róger Guedes.

➡️ Veja tabela com datas e horários de todos os jogos do Brasileirão

Sem conseguir montar um bom elenco, o Santos foi rebaixado para a segunda divisão do Campeonato Brasileiro no fim do ano passado, após “bater na trave” nas temporadas anteriores, até mesmo no Estadual.

Augusto Melo não quer repetir a “cartilha”. Por isso faz um movimento contrário ao do Peixe e deseja subir o nível do elenco corintiano a partir do segundo semestre.

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansSantos

Newcastle United have now joined several top clubs in the race to sign a teenage star who’s the same “talent level” as Erling Haaland, according to reports.

Alan Shearer praises "excellent" Guimaraes despite Tottenham draw

Although Newcastle have the chance to redeem themselves against Burnley this weekend, they’ll look back on their 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur as a chance wasted. The Magpies largely dominated, but came unstuck by a shock Cristian Romero brace which included a late overhead kick.

Eddie Howe still has plenty of reason to be optimistic, though, and one of those reasons is the performance of Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian emerged from the bench before finding the back of the net and receiving high praise from Tyneside legend Alan Shearer.

It was a standout display from a Newcastle fan favourite, but that may not stop the Magpies from welcoming another midfield addition in the January transfer window.

£65m Newcastle duo should be fuming with Howe's team selection vs Spurs

Two Newcastle players, in particular, are unlikely to be too happy right now.

ByMatt Dawson Dec 3, 2025

Those at St James’ Park have already been linked with the likes of Scott McTominay on that front and could welcome the Scotland international, before turning their focus towards the in-demand Yan Diomande.

Newcastle join Yan Diomande race

Newcastle have now joined the race to sign Diomande, according to TeamTalk, and are among the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool all competing to land the winger’s signature.

One RB Leipzig source even went as far as to tell TeamTalk that the winger is the same “talent level” as Manchester City star Haaland, who also came through the Red Bull ranks at Salzburg a number of years ago.

Newcastle have reportedly sent their scouts to watch the 19-year-old in action, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll be able to position themselves to secure his arrival.

What’s more, Leipzig themselves are not ready to let their young star leave and his reported €100m (£87m) release clause should help fend off at least some of the interest.

Given how Anthony Elanga has struggled this season, Diomande is someone that the Magpies should be all in on if they want to complete their frontline alongside record signing Nick Woltemade.

Shades of Woltemade: Newcastle holding internal talks to sign £21m "magician"

After a dismal defeat against ten men last Monday, Manchester United bounced back with a 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils were behind at half-time after a Jean-Philippe Mateta penalty, but two goals from set pieces were enough to ensure they would take all three points back to Manchester.

Both goals were impressive finishes from United. First, the lesser-spotted Joshua Zirkzee got himself on the scoresheet with a fantastic finish.

He controlled a Bruno Fernandes free-kick on his chest before superbly volleying low and hard into the back of the net.

That was the strike which drew United level, and the goal which won them the game, from Mason Mount, was just as good. The Red Devils’ number 7 walked onto a Fernandes layoff from yet another free-kick, driving his effort through the Palace wall and into Dean Henderson’s goal.

Despite the result and an energetic second half showing, it was far from a perfect afternoon for United. Ruben Amorim’s side could only muster an expected goals tally of 1.25 xG, and just 0.26 xG in the second half. It was an important win, but there is still a lot to improve on.

Indeed, it was a tough day at the office for some United players, including young defender Leny Yoro.

Leny Yoro's day to forget vs Palace

Young French defender Yoro did not have the best outing at Selhurst Park on Sunday lunchtime. It was his foul on Mateta, a challenge late from behind his countryman, which led to Palace’s penalty and Oliver Glasner’s side taking the lead.

Indeed, there were bright moments against the South Londoners for the former Lille star, who has struggled to find his best form for the majority of this season. He made a crucial block in the first half to prevent Palace from scoring, an important moment in the game.

Yet, it was still not the day Yoro would have hoped for. His foul on Mateta, which was ultimately quite a clumsy challenge, and the fact that he won just three duels from the six he contested, meant Amorim took him off for Noussair Mazraoui after Zirkzee’s goal.

Despite what is a tough moment for Yoro, the United squad is rallying around him. Mount was one of the players quick to support his teammate at full-time, something that football presenter Dylan Penketh said he was “glad to see” after the final whistle.

It was a disappointing day for Yoro, but he was not the only United player who struggled.

Not just Yoro: Man Utd star struggles vs Palace

Coming up against Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada was always going to be tough for United’s pivot at Selhurst Park, and Casemiro was a player who felt the brunt of that.

The Brazilian was said to be “haunted by Adam Wharton” according to journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

Indeed, it was not an easy day against the Eagles’ energetic midfield pivot, especially in the first half. The Brazilian had 65 touches in total across the game, losing the ball 11 times and creating one chance. He also won just seven of his 15 duels.

Touches

65

Pass accuracy

80%

Number of times ball lost

11

Ground duels won

5/9

Aerial duels won

2/6

Fouls

4

Chances created

0

The United number 18 received a 5/10 rating from the Manchester Evening News journalist Steven Railston. He said Casemiro did improve throughout the game, although he described his start to the game at Selhurst Park as “shaky.”

After a tougher game for Casemiro, and the fact that he is one yellow card away from suspension, it will be interesting to see if he keeps his place in the side ahead of United’s next game. Next up, they have a clash with West Ham United on Thursday at Old Trafford.

It is also a game where United are likely to have the lion’s share of possession. Perhaps Amoirm opts to bring Kobbie Mainoo into their midfield, a man who is better on the ball and more capable of retaining possession and sustaining attacks.

On top of that, the Brazilian played 90 minutes at Selhurst Park. With the game as soon as Thursday and a hectic December coming up, it would not be a surprise to see him rotated out of the side to help aid his recovery.

Haaland 2.0: Man Utd can sign "one of the best STs in Europe" for £44m

Manchester United could be about to sign a new talisman like Erling Haaland in January.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 29, 2025

Manchester United’s squad at present is full of top-level talent in numerous areas of the pitch, but Ruben Amorim has so far struggled to make use of the players at his disposal.

The hierarchy have constantly splashed the cash in recent years, with over £200m being spent on new attacking talents during the recent summer transfer window.

The likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha all made the move to Old Trafford, but they have only posted a total of eight Premier League goals combined in 2025/26.

Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system has seen Mbeumo operate in a somewhat unnatural central attacking midfield role, no doubt taking away his best asset – cutting inside off the right-hand side – away from him.

As a result, one player has indirectly suffered this campaign, with the manager recently coming under fire for his lack of faith shown in the player over recent months.

The latest on Kobbie Mainoo’s Man Utd future

Just a couple of years ago, Kobbie Mainoo was a key member of the United first-team squad, with the midfielder often starting at the heart of Erik ten Hag’s side.

He emerged out of the club’s academy setup, often popping up with key moments, as seen by his incredible achievements during the 2023/24 campaign.

The 20-year-old scored a late winner in the clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers, whilst also netting in the FA Cup final against Manchester City – resulting in a place in the England squad for Euro 2024.

However, his career has taken a nosedive over the last 12 months, with Amorim evidently not seeing the academy graduate as part of his long-term plans at Old Trafford.

Mainoo has featured in nine league matches to date, none of which have come from a starting role, leading to one journalist questioning the manager over the midfielder after yesterday’s draw.

The 40-year-old simply laughed when asked about bringing the youngster on to try and win the game at the Theatre of Dreams, which sums up the faith he currently has in him at present.

However, an escape route could well be on the cards for Mainoo ahead of the January transfer window, with Napoli constantly tracking the Englishman over a potential transfer.

The Man Utd player that Amorim is misusing in 2025/26

The reluctance to utilise Mainoo in 2025/26 is just one of Amorim’s biggest failures to date, with the youngster massively deserving the chance to thrive under his guidance.

However, his recent spell on the substitutes bench highlights the lack of faith shown in him by the manager, with a solution desperately needed in the coming months.

The same could also be said about numerous other players, as seen by the struggles endured within the final third of the pitch over the last couple of matches in the Premier League.

Mbeumo has now failed to find the back of the net in each of his last three outings, but the forward is set to go to AFCON throughout January, which could leave a huge hole in the Red Devils’ attack.

His month-long spell away from Manchester could open up the door for Bruno Fernandes to once again feature in the number ten position – a role that is no doubt his best.

The Portuguese international operated in an attacking midfield role during 2024/25, resulting in the 31-year-old registering 37 combined goals and assists across all competitions.

However, the £200m spending spree in attacking areas has resulted in the United captain dropping into a deep-lying number eight position, which has taken away his creative nature in recent months.

He still currently has a total of five assists in his 14 appearances this campaign, but there’s little denying he’s endured a drop-off from his form last season.

Bruno, who’s been dubbed United’s “best player post Fergie” by writer Kaustubh Pandey, has now had to contribute more defensively, as seen by his increased tally of tackles won per 90 compared to last season.

However, whilst he’s still managed to play a part in winning the ball back for his side, it’s come with an adverse effect – subsequently resulting in a lack of creativity in attacking areas.

He’s only scored twice in the Premier League to date, one of which was a penalty, highlighting his lack of impact in terms of goal contributions in 2025/26.

Games played

14

Goals scored

2

Pass accuracy

83%

Shots on target

0.7

Chances created

1.8

Tackles won

1.8

Duels won

4.6

Interceptions made

0.6

It’s clear to everyone but Amorim that the Portuguese star is better in an attacking role, which means one of the £200m additions may need to be sacrificed.

Such a move could open up a free role at the heart of the Red Devils side, which could allow Mainoo to have the run of games he needs to save his United career

However, if Amorim is unable to make such changes in the near future, it could result in the 40-year-old losing his job at Old Trafford in the near future – with such a decision an easy one for him to make.

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