Amorim’s Anxious Attackers and Goalless Gurus…
Manchester United’s unbeaten European streak remained as thrilling as watching an egg-and-spoon race, drawing 1-1 with Real Sociedad, to leave everyone wondering why they didn’t just go for a game of chess instead. Joshua Zirkzee’s goal was the kind of thing you’d expect from someone who accidentally kicked the ball into the net during practice. Meanwhile, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal took a textbook penalty that left United questioning their own plotline in this European drama.
Our protagonist, manager Ruben Amorim, was busy muttering about his team’s anxieties, as if they were prepping for a ballroom dance competition instead of a football match. And indeed, both sides were plagued by injuries, selection snafus, and a serious case of the “I-could-have-scored-that” blues. Real Sociedad seemed more interested in writing a play than in playing it, missing opportunities and generally flopping like a fish on dry land.
The Manchester Evening News and other outlets pointed out that United’s strategy seemed akin to tossing postcards into the wind, hoping one would eventually land in the right mailbox. The fans at Old Trafford ought to prepare for a nail-biting (or maybe just reluctantly amusing) second leg as United attempt to step up from cautious kick-about to full-blown samba showdown.
