Moyes’ Side Take on On-Form United at Old Trafford

Everton travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Monday night, and with Ruben Amorim’s side currently transitioning as a side and gathering decent form simultaneously, this will be a huge test of professionalism for the Toffees.

It is certainly safe to say Amorim’s career at United has not been smooth sailing – with a win rate of 38.89%, significantly less than the likes of Erik ten Hag, Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal, who were all sacked due to poor performances. The question is why Amorim has not been shown the door by the Glazer Family and INEOS.

Perhaps the state the squad was in prior to the Portuguese manager’s appointment was a key factor to permit a long-term project for Manchester United, including new stadium plans as well. Amorim’s instant installation of a tactical system that is extremely rare in modern football, a 3-4-2-1 formation, would soon prove difficult to exploit on the pitch, as it seemed the players were lacking in adaptability. Just 11 days after his appointment, Amorim made it vividly clear to everyone that this arrangement on the pitch would stick: “I choose always 100 per cent our way. Since the first day, I believe so much in our way of playing there’s no second doubts, no second way. It’s one way and we are going to do it.”

Over the course of the calendar year Amorim has been in charge, the process of clearing out any ‘deadwood’ has occurred. From the get-go, the 40-year-old seemed to be highly critical of individuals that have turned out to be surplus to requirements laid out by the manager. The blame was heavily pointed to Harry Maguire, Casemiro and Eriksen, with Amorim admitting the personal style of play and various levels of ability within different aspects of the game would not be up to scratch under his management. Despite the independent criticism, Amorim has always promoted the idea of a close-knit culture in the changing room, consistently explaining that “the team is the most important thing for me. Character, the way we fight, the way we play, we must have an identity.”

The arrivals of Patrick Dorgu, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo would permit Amorim to have players better fit for his style of play. Through Dorgu, who was brought in from Lecce for £30m, is used as an attacking, dynamic fullback. With plenty of stamina to support the two in midfield, as well as the two centre backs more importantly, Dorgu would be a perfect addition to the Red Devils. A huge problem for Amorim was scoring goals, especially early on in the Portuguese manager's United reign. Prior to the arrivals of Mbuemo and Cunha, similar to the Toffees this season, Man United were not converting enough goals. Although creating an average xG of 1.83 per game, they only scored 44 goals that season, despite the expected approximation of 70 based off the xG stat. The jump in non-penalty xG now and the performances both Cunha and Mbuemo are showcasing show the project underway at Manchester United.

It is still very early days in this 2025/26 Premier League season, and with only 3 points separating 11th and 4th, anything could happen (perhaps why we are seeing the likes of Sunderland and Crystal Palace flying!), with United in the thick of it too. A win for the Red Devils would take them 4th, with other fixtures being played prior to Monday night that will affect their final position at the end of the gameweek.

For Moyes’ side, the Toffees just sit below the tight bunch, in 13th. The climb into the concise pack of clubs is necessary; otherwise, it will turn out to be a difficult task to gather a higher place in the table, especially after Christmas. The lack of goals for Everton has been the issue of why the Blues aren’t within that group. Patrick Boyland wrote a masterpiece of an article within The Athletic this week, including an interview with Thierno Barry. There is no doubt the new signing from Villarreal has struggled to hit the ground running, with the 23-year-old yet to score a Premier League goal. However, the French striker received a standing ovation during Everton’s convincing 2-0 win over Fulham. Within the interview, Barry spoke about his childhood/upbringing in football and the process of adapting to a Premier League style.

Some key quotes from the interview included the idea that Premier League football is “very different to football in Spain, here it can be a bit crazy. It’s a lot more intense and high‑tempo.” Barry stated that “lots of players have been supportive. Seamus has been great. He’ll send me a message before and after every match. Idrissa helps me every day. There have been times where I’ve felt a bit down … They have been keeping me going,” adding that “the goals will come … Not everyone gets a reception like that.” The young striker also explained the “Me against Me” tattoo he got when at Basil, a consistent reminder of his roots and end goal.

Moyes will more than likely give Barry the nod as striker on Monday, another chance for the Frenchman to impress. However, in Moyes’ pre-match press conference, the Scottish manager confirmed Merlin Rohl, brought in from SC Freiburg in the summer, is expected to be out for a “few weeks” following a hernia surgery. As well, Jarrad Branthwaite and Nathan Patterson remain sidelined, although Seamus Coleman will be fit to make a difference if necessary, with the club captain getting plenty of minutes over the international break with the Republic of Ireland, helping the nation reach the 2026 World Cup play-off draw following a 2-0 win over Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo being sent off after Troy Parrott’s double, as well as the AZ Alkmaar striker’s hat trick, including a 96th-minute winner over Hungary to confirm their spot in the hat!

For United, Ruben Amorim has confirmed that the Red Devils will be without Benjamin Sesko, who was brought in from RB Leipzig for £73.7m in the summer, for a few weeks after being subbed late during the 2-2 draw against Spurs. As well, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez will be out for the clash, but Kobbie Mainoo could be back in time to feature at Old Trafford on Monday night.

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Premier League Matchweek 12:

Saturday 22nd November

Burnley 0-2 Chelsea

Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham

Brighton 2-1 Brentford

Fulham 1-0 Sunderland

Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest

Wolves 0-2 Crystal Palace

Newcastle 2-1 Man City

Sunday 23rd November:

Leeds 14:00 Aston Villa

Arsenal 16:30 Spurs

Monday 24th November:

Man United 20:00 Everton

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Thank you for reading my pre-match article!