Manchester United Displays Resilience in Draw Against Nottingham Forest
If you can't win, don't lose - so the old saying goes.
Before their match against Nottingham Forest, Manchester United had managed to secure only eight points from losing positions under manager Ruben Amorim. They had not gained any points from their last six matches when trailing, with their last comeback being a draw against Bournemouth last April, thanks to Rasmus Hojlund’s last-minute goal.
Trailing at the City Ground after conceding two quick goals, United faced a challenging situation as Forest overturned a controversial first-half opener.
The question posed to Amorim after his team managed to draw was straightforward: “If that game had happened last season, do you feel you would have lost it?”
The response was equally clear. “Yes, and by more goals, that is my feeling,” he stated.
While we may never know the full extent of the past, what is evident is that Amad Diallo justified his selection as a wing-back by scoring a stunning first-time volley from just outside the penalty area, nine minutes from time, to secure a point for his team.
It has been clear since the start of the season that United is performing better this year, and their results have also improved since early October.
The determination, desire, and refusal to give in are qualities that cannot be quantified.
In this match, Amorim felt his players demonstrated improvement in these aspects as well. “In the past, if we had this kind of bad five minutes and conceded two goals, we wouldn’t recover,” Amorim remarked. “Today is a different feeling. You can sense that while we may not win this game, we are not going to lose. That is a feeling a big team sometimes needs to have.”
Though Amorim didn’t explicitly mention it, the arrivals of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have likely contributed to this transformation.
Cunha, known for his resilience, faced jeers from home fans for what they perceived as gamesmanship during the first half but responded by pointing to the badge on his shorts.
Mbeumo is a dynamic player, known for his relentless energy, embodying the spirit of a player who will not allow opponents any respite.
When asked about the factors behind the team's mental improvement, Amorim acknowledged the boost in confidence from their recent three consecutive victories but did not elaborate further. “The confidence, of course, is completely different,” he noted. “We’ve come from three good games and we understand each other better. We communicate more about this.”
“We have proven this year that we can have tough moments, but suddenly, we can also have three good games. We just need to stay engaged until the final ten minutes. In the past, we could have lost everything the way we played. Today, that feeling was absent.”
Uncertainty Surrounds Futures of Zirkzee and Mainoo
While this match highlighted United’s resilience, it also cast doubt on the futures of Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo within Amorim's revamped Manchester United squad.
In his pre-match press conference, Amorim indicated that players concerned about missing the World Cup might request transfers during the January window, and it is reasonable to assume that Zirkzee and Mainoo fall into this category. Zirkzee has played only 82 minutes across four Premier League substitute appearances this season, while Mainoo has managed 138 minutes from seven appearances.
Neither player has started a Premier League match this season and both remained on the bench as United sought to recover from a deficit in the second half.
“We have a lot of quality on the bench, but sometimes I feel that if I stop the game too often, I might disrupt something,” Amorim explained. “We were improving during the second half, so my instinct was not to change anything with the players on the field.”
Mainoo had a transfer agreement in place to join Napoli late in the summer window, but United ultimately did not approve the move. Zirkzee, recovering from injury, is now open to the possibility of returning to Italy.
The situation is further complicated by the impending absence of Mbeumo and Amad for the Africa Cup of Nations in mid-December, which includes several midweek matches necessitating a level of rotation not previously required.
As the final is scheduled for January 18, both players should return well before the transfer window closes on February 2, potentially leading to a delayed resolution for any players seeking a move.
“It is the nature of the game,” Amorim said when specifically addressing Zirkzee and Mainoo. “They know it’s just a phase. It’s nothing related to quality – we have a lot of games ahead.”