MU opened the new Premier League season with a disappointing defeat at Old Trafford before Arsenal. After the summer of more than 200 million pounds, many people expect the Reds to transform under Ruben Amorim. But in fact 90 minutes ago the Gunners showed that this team still had big holes that need to be overcome.
1. The wooden frame is not assured
The most mentioned name after MU's 0-1 defeat against Arsenal is goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. Because Andrre Onana was injured and missed the entire season, coach Ruben Amorim was forced to trust in the Turkish goalkeeper. But he made a critical mistake, when he handled fumbling in a fixed ball, leaving William Saliba pressure and the ball turned out to the Riccardo Calafiori head, leading to the only goal of the match.
Bayindir is no stranger to making mistakes in fixed situations. It was the “disease” that had been revealed from the previous season and continued recurring on the day of the launch. With a team aims to compete for the championship, owning a defective goalkeeper in decisive moments is too big risk.
It is no coincidence that in recent weeks, MU has been contacted with Gianluigi Donnarumma and David de Gea. Amorim and Sports Manager Jason Wilcox only have two weeks to find solutions to the goalkeeper problem. If not supplemented, their season may continue to be damaged by the mistakes from the position of the goal.
2. The attack is “stubborn” again
Last season, MU only scored 44 goals in the Premier League, too modest with a Big Six club. The idea after spending 200 million pounds for the attack with contracts such as Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and especially the Benjamin Sesko striker, the situation will be different. But before Arsenal, the familiar script repeated: the Red Devils could not score any goals.
What makes fans pressing is how Amorim uses Sesko. He is considered to be the number 9 striker that MU expects to carry the attack for many years to come, but it has only been launched from the 65th minute. Before that, the Red Devils had a few dangerous balls into the penalty area but no one took advantage of it. When Sesko came on, Old Trafford exploded, because fans understood him as the key to the deadlock.
Despite missing a few opportunities, Sesko left a mark with the presence that put pressure on the Arsenal defense. Obviously, if given the opportunity earlier, the script may be different. The decision to let the striker worth £ 74 million on the bench for too long will definitely cause Amorim to suffer many criticisms.
3. The old weakness in the middle line has not been overcome
If the goalkeeper is a immediate problem, the midfield is a systematic worry. MU abandoned the Carlos BaleBa deal because the price that Brighton offered was too high. They are interested in Morten Hjulmand (Sporting) and Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), but the ability to sign with a midfielder this summer is not really clear.
Casemiro last season plays outstanding in the European Cup but in the Premier League Britain is clearly decided, no longer retains the usual certainty. Meanwhile, Manuel Ugarte has not shown all what fans expect. The middle line of MU is therefore lacking strength and lack of creativity. This is what makes the team easy to be inferior when confronting strong opponents.
The most worrying thing is the fragility in the ability to control the game. Before Arsenal, the Red Devils had booming moments but did not maintain the pressure long enough. They promise to play a liberal football, more attractive than the previous season, but the “heart” in the middle line is not tough enough to cope with the fierce battles of the Premier League.
A promising mu but there are many things to do
Ruben Amorim clearly blows into the new mUO. The rookie MBeumo and Cunha showed energy, ready to bring mutations. Fans also have the right to expect Sesko, a striker can become the true “number 9” that the club has been looking for so long. However, the old issues are still repeated: the goalkeeper is unsure, the attack lacks sharpness at the right time, and the middle line has no necessary balance.
The Premier League in the 2025/26 season has just started, but the defeat against Arsenal is a strict warning for MU. They can spend hundreds of millions of pounds to bring bright faces, but if they cannot handle the “acupuncture points” in key positions, the Red Devils will still be just an outsider in the championship race.
