- Ruben Amorim has lost five of his first 10 matches since taking charge at United
- Yesterday’s 2-0 defeat at Wolves leaves the Red Devils languishing in 14th place
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Opta’s supercomputer has predicted a damning final finishing position for Manchester United in the Premier League after Ruben Amorim’s horror start.
United’s dismal 2-0 defeat at struggling Wolves on Boxing Day left them 14th in the top-flight table and inflicted Amorim’s fifth loss in his first 10 games in charge.
Matheus Cunha scored directly from a corner, the second time the Red Devils conceded an ‘Olimpico’ in the space of a week, before Hwang Hee-chan tapped home in stoppage time to pile the misery on United’s beleaguered head coach.
Post-match, Amorim insisted that his side must adopt survival mode in the hope of grinding out results, with the relegation zone just seven points below them.
It is no surprise, then, that Opta have tipped them to finish in the bottom half.
Indeed, the supercomputer, which estimates the probability of teams finishing in each position by simulating their remaining matches thousands of times, believes a lowly 12th place is United’s most likely destination with a 13.7 per cent chance.
Opta’s supercomputer has tipped Manchester United to finish in the bottom half
United slumped to a dismal 2-0 defeat at Wolves on Boxing Day and are now 14th
Matheus Cunha scored directly from a corner to pile the misery on Ruben Amorim
Damningly, their second most credible spot is 13th on 13.3 per cent, a shade above the 13.1 per cent which tips them to end up 11th.
The software believes there is just an 11.2 per cent chance United finish 10th – and in the top half – while ninth place holds just a 9.6 per cent probability.
Based on current predictions, Opta have declared there is a 0.5 per cent likelihood that United finish fourth, a near-impossible feat that would secure them Champions League qualification for next season against all the odds.
The model does not believe United will be relegated, with a 0.1 per cent chance given to an 18th-placed finish and a zero per cent probability for 19th and 20th.
Asked yesterday whether United now need to be concerned by teams below them, Amorim said: ‘Yeah. In this moment we just have to survive and to win sometimes.’
He also added that United must forget about qualifying for European football.
‘No, no, no, no,’ he replied when questioned whether they could think of Europe. ‘We have to work on a lot of things in our club both inside and outside the pitch.’
Amorim insisted that he has ‘no idea’ how long it will take for his side to improve.
United have lost five of Amorim’s first 10 matches since he took charge at Old Trafford
Bruno Fernandes was dismissed at Molineux and snubbed by his seething manager
‘I have no idea. No idea,’ said Amorim.
‘Instead of me trying to understand how much time it will take – just day by day it’s about improving, trying to see videos and using every minute of training and try to win some points because it’s really important in this moment.
‘The idea needs time. This will be a tough moment, we are far from the end of this moment and that’s it – we have to continue and focus on the next game.’
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