It seems as if things have gone from bad to worse for Manchester United under Jose Mourinho, after a week that saw them held at home to Wolves in the Premier League and then dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Derby, the focus then shifted to a trip to East London.
One that saw them take on a resurgent West Ham side, a point made further evident come full time as Manuel Pellegrini’s side ended up outclassing their opponents and cruising to a comfortable 3-1 win at the London Stadium.
It was that win that has only applied further pressure on the Manchester United manager with the club now finding themselves 10th in the Premier League table. This weekend they go up against a Newcastle side who are still looking for their first win of the season.
The Magpies have picked up just two points from a possible 21 this season and although the fixture computer has been somewhat unkind to them due to the teams they have faced so far, although that said they fared no better against so called lesser opposition last weekend.
That statement perhaps does Leicester something of a disservice as they currently find themselves in the top half of the table, thanks to a 2-0 win at St James’ Park. So, it seems as if it doesn’t matter who Newcastle go up against, the outcome is likely to be the same.
Something that will at least give Manchester United a cause for optimism as they go into this clash looking for a first Premier League win in three outings, if they have been down on their luck then at least Newcastle have been even worse off.
It may only be the eighth fixture of this season but at the same time it is fair to say that this is a must win tie for both sides. For the hosts it is the need to bounce back after not only a poor week but a poor start to the season.
Their hopes of winning the title this season are all but over and if they are not careful there hopes of getting into the Champions League will further diminish, especially as they already find themselves five points behind both Tottenham and Arsenal.
At the same time, Newcastle desperately need a win to kickstart their campaign. They are one of three outfits who are languishing on just two points after seven games and the longer they fail to win the tougher it will be on Rafa Benitez.
The former Real Madrid and Liverpool manager has often bemoaned the lack of investment in the squad and it is something that has reared its ugly head as they lack any real quality in all corners of the pitch.
It seems as if they are in the midst of a real relegation battle and if results continue to go against them the owner Mike Ashley will have to decide whether he is brave enough to change Newcastle’s manager.
The same statement could also apply for Manchester United and Jose Mourinho, however they should have enough in the tank to get the better off their opponents this Saturday and at least bring some calm to what has been a pretty rough ride for them as of late.