The Old Trafford Paralysis: Why is Amorim Safe While Maresca Walks?
Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026
Another weekend, another grim milestone for Manchester United.
As the full-time whistle blew at Elland Road this afternoon, confirming a 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Leeds United, the away end was less toxic than tired. There were no boos, just the silent resignation of a fanbase stuck in a groundhog day of mediocrity.
The draw itself wasn’t the headline—it was the statistic that accompanied it. United have now gone 15 consecutive away games without a clean sheet, a new club record in the Premier League era. It is a defensive fragility that has become the hallmark of Ruben Amorim’s tenure, a reign that feels increasingly like a zombie government: technically in power, but functionally dead.
The Tale of Two Managers
The frustration for the United faithful is compounded when they look south to London. Just days ago, on New Year’s Day, Chelsea ruthlessly sacked Enzo Maresca.
The contrast is blinding. Maresca had delivered a trophy-winning season and secured Champions League football, yet the Chelsea board pulled the trigger the moment standards dipped slightly below “elite.” It was harsh, yes, but it was decisive. It showed a club obsessed with winning.
At Old Trafford, the obsession seems to be with “patience”—a word that has lost all meaning. Amorim has been afforded time that Maresca was denied, despite delivering significantly less.
The “Process” Has Stalled
“We controlled the transitions,” Amorim told the press after the Leeds draw today, a phrase he has used on repeat for 14 months. But the eye test tells a different story. Against a Leeds side fighting for survival, United looked porous.
The back three system, Amorim’s non-negotiable trademark, continues to expose United’s wide areas. The clean sheet record is not bad luck; it is a structural defect.
While Maresca is now a free agent with his reputation largely intact (and likely enhanced by the shock of his dismissal), Amorim remains in the dugout, shielded by a contract that runs until 2028 and a board apparently terrified of admitting another mistake.
Where Do They Go From Here?
If a 1-1 draw at Leeds and a historic defensive failure isn’t the breaking point, what is?
The INEOS era was supposed to bring ruthlessness to Manchester. instead, it has brought a strange paralysis. As Maresca clears his desk at Cobham, perhaps wondering what more he could have done, Ruben Amorim prepares for another week at Carrington, seemingly immune to the consequences of stagnation.
For United fans, the scariest part isn’t the 15 games without a clean sheet. It’s the fear that there might be 15 more.
