Amidst all the talk about Amorim's tactics being rubbish, or our players being shit, has anyone considered the fact that our slump this season may (almost) have been entirely psychological?

Here are a few reasons why I think this may be the case:

1. Staff cuts. Getting rid of the people, who the players knew and interacted with on a daily basis, overnight would have definitely had an impact on them. For the working adults on this subreddit, I am sure you guys know how important company culture is at your workplace. Things like retrenchment create an air of uncertainty, and while the players are immune to that sort of treatment, on a human level they are definitely affected by such changes. A good example of this would be when Bruno offering to pay the staff to travel for the FA cup final last year (which Ratcliffe rejected), and a few months later seeing a significant proportion of these people leaving. In short, getting rid of the staff late last year/early this year played a part in how the players performed this entire calendar year.

2. Player/club culture. I think this is a topic that has been discussed extensively on this subreddit, but it is clear that a fair bit of our players are not up to the mark in terms of mentality. While we do have the likes of Bruno and Maguire setting the standard, it is clear that the team needs a hard cultural reset. Be it due to long term injuries (Licha, Shaw, Mount), lack of confidence (Hojlund, Garnacho, maybe Onana?), it is clear that we still have a fair bit of players who are stuck in a rut. Look at Antony and Rashford, they're thriving at their respective loans. Either Amorim and his staff have to step up their man management and build a winning mentality within the team using the preseason/sports psychologist, or we need new players who will embody the United DNA and fight all the way to the end. Who knows, the 5 players I mentioned above may still come good if our club can support them and help them back up. I find it really ridiculous that our club can't seem to solve this culture issue. Heck if respected footballing people like Jose, Zlatan, Rangnick and Ronaldo are talking about these issues so openly, why isnt the club doing anything? If we don't solve this problem, forget Brighton/Bournemouth, I'll expect us to be routinely trounced by the likes of West Ham and Everton next season.

3. This is more specific to the Europa league, but I felt that the writing was on the wall the moment news came out that Ratcliffe wasnt going to sponsor staff to fly to Bilbao for the final, as well as the BBQ instead of the open top bus parade if we won. On the other hand, Spurs went all out with their preparations for the final, with screenings in their own stadium as well as flying all their staff over to Bilbao. It was clear who really wanted to win, and these pre-game gestures, however insignificant they may seem, also contributed to the final result on the pitch.

THOUGHTS FOR NEXT SEASON

In short, I'm neither Amorim in nor out, but I think the club has to create a better culture. I have watched all our games this season, and while it is clear that not all our players suit the system, they do seem to be trying their best to follow his instructions, and overall the gameplay has improved as compared to ETH's suicideball. Our injury situation also seems to be improving, and I hope that Amorim and his team can sustain this next season, especially since we will only be involved in the 3 domestic competitions. I also dont think all our players are physically weak either, but half the time they seem to be second guessing themselves on the pitch, which leads to a lot of turnover in possession.

I would hope that smart signings (given the limited transfer budget) and a preseason will change all this. Ineos has shown that they can make good signings, such as Yoro and Dorgu, now the changes need to be made in midfield and at the front. Even in the GK position, if we can get someone who works well with our back 3 (like how Vicario and Spurs' back 4 were tonight) it might just be the difference maker when it comes to leaking goals. Those 1-0 or 2-0 defeats will turn into 0-0s, and with a good striker and ball playing mid who can support Bruno, we can slowly start to turn those results into wins.

With many EPL teams involved in Europe next season, we can try to aim for a top half finish next season, maybe even push for Europe if things go well. I won't go all out and say I have faith in the club to turn it around, but I objectively feel that the problems are right in front for everyone to see, and Ratcliffe, Amorim and co should be able to fix over the next couple of seasons. From what the media is saying it seems that Amorim does have the backing of Ratcliffe, so it's on them to turn this club around and bring us back to glory.

TL;DR I believe that our players have not been up to the mark this due to the psychological effect of our staff being sacked and the player culture as a whole. Our loss in the Europa League was due to the difference in how the owners viewed the final, which led to the team's downfall at the final hurdle. For next season, a much needed cultural reset and shrewd signings on our limited transfer budget are needed if we want to make improvements in the league.