Is the sleeping giant awakening?

Under the new tactical requirements, veteran Casemiro has been reborn, but some chronic diseases are still difficult to cure. With an unbeaten record of three wins and two draws in the league, a quiet revival is permeating Old Trafford. Although there is still a long way to go before competing for the Premier League championship, the most gratifying thing is that this team is finally on an upward trajectory.

In the post-Ten Hag era, people could not see worse possibilities, but this judgment obviously underestimated the situation. Last season's dismal performance of only 15th place under the leadership of Amorim, coupled with the sluggish start of the new season, even the elimination of the League Cup by Grimsby seemed destined to be inevitable. Only recently have the sleeping giants shown real signs of awakening.

The joke about "five consecutive wins in exchange for fans getting haircuts" is still circulating. Although the current unbeaten record has not yet reached the standard, it is not easy for Manchester United to remain unbeaten for five consecutive games. They are tied for fifth in the standings by virtue of their goal difference, and according to the Premier League's current European competition quota allocation rules, fifth place is likely to go directly to the Champions League.

After the eleventh round of the league, the initial results of this summer's signings have already appeared. There are still doubts about Sheshko - he not only missed many good opportunities in the last round but also suffered an injury; while Mbemo has become a bright spot on the offensive end. Behind the data of 5 goals and 1 assist, the expected assist value of 2.5 is the highest in the team. The offensive core leads the lineup in the number of touches in the opponent's penalty area. Not only does he have the most shots, his 53.8% shot-on-target rate is even more efficient.

The introduction of goalkeeper Ramens is a wonderful move. After comparing Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez, Manchester United finally chose the younger Belgium international. He used his performance to prove that this trust is worthy - according to the expected goals conceded model (PSxG), he actually conceded 1.5 goals less than the theoretical value. His control of the penalty area solved the team's long-term problems.

In the stoppage time against Tottenham in the last round, it was Lamence who participated in the corner kick attack to contain Brennan Johnson, which allowed the unmarked De Ligt to equalize with a header. Such dramatic scenes are the epitome of the team's resilience.

Not only are the new players shining, the 33-year-old Casemiro is also ushering in the second spring of his career. The Brazilian, whose contract expired at the end of the season, was once destined to leave the team, but now calls for renewal are growing. Coach Amorim's evaluation was particularly vivid: "At first he couldn't even compete with Toby Collier, but his continued efforts allowed him to return to the national team. Now Casemiro is good at running for the ball and quickly returns to defense after pressing high. He is an example for the whole team to learn from - how fast the football world can change."

Exactly On the anniversary of Amorim's coaching, "The Athletic" revealed in depth the coaching methods of this iron coach: He is good at reshaping the team's mentality, dares to directly address player problems in front of all members (this spring he told Ganaccio in public that "you need a powerful summer agent"), and insists on using training performance rather than private communication to decide the starting lineup. Its training sessions always assume the existence of invisible opponents, observe the players' movements in the 3-4-2-1 system through precise passing, and even fine-tune the players' positions by one or two meters. The tactical details that were difficult to implement last season due to the intensive schedule have now been fully polished.

The schedule also shows goodwill: Manchester United has played against all traditional strong teams such as Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham, and will have good opportunities to score points in the next two months. If we can seize this schedule to consolidate our spot in the European competition, it will be an important milestone towards recovery for the team that experienced the collapse of last season.