The vibes-o-meter has been neglected of late, and I apologize for that! Our last reading was following the Sunderland match which means I missed the long-awaited win at Liverpool (easily a 10 for the vibes),
the 4-2 win over Brighton (probably a 7 or 8, with a slight dock in points following Brighton’s late rally), and then the 2-2 draws at Forest and at Tottenham (likely both a 6 or 7).
To be honest, I’m still buzzing off that win at Anfield, and I won’t let that team’s dip in performance under their bald fraud manager ruin the importance of that win (even though winning against Liverpool seems to be quite easy this season!).
But, of course, Manchester United’s first run of good/decent form coincided with the final stretch of my wife and I’s wedding planning this fall, along with the actual wedding and brief honeymoon after.
But we’re back now and so is Manchester United after the fall international break!
The Premier League table is clogged up and United’s positioning has varied wildly as the team strung together three wins (moving as high as second place) before their two draws. Currently, United are in 10th, but can move up to fourth place with a win over Everton tomorrow. This is all obviously a far cry from when I said in a different vibes-o-meter post that Ruben Amorim should be sacked — again, happy to be continue being very wrong on that!
The positivity starts with Bryan Mbeumo who is starting to play even better than advertised over the summer. For as long as I’ve followed United (the summer of 2014) the right wing has been starved of talented contribution. Now, it’s the strongest part of United’s attack thanks to the connection built between Mbeumo and Amad. They are combining for important goals and they can be relied upon to bust a gut for the team.
Their influence on this team’s success will only be amplified in a few short weeks when they leave for the African Cup of Nations. Ultimately, it’s a small price to pay to have such talented footballers in the squad again who are in demand for their national teams.
Speaking of players busting a gut for the team, Matthjis de Ligt has consistently been one of the most relied upon players this season. He looks more confident, more in control, and did his best Harry Maguire impression with a result-saving, stoppage-time header against Tottenham. The 26-year-old has had a rollercoaster career both abroad and during his first season at United, but his talent was never deniable. Now, he seems like he’s starting to put it together, playing the most minutes of any United player which even includes iron man Bruno Fernandes. This team will likely be looking for its next captain sooner rather than later with Fernandes (and Maguire) in his 30s. The moment is coming for de Ligt to really assert himself to influence this team for years down the line.
The second Renaissance of Casemiro at United has also been a treat to watch. Like a cellphone or computer that you’ve had for more than two years, the output at 100 percent is exactly what you need but the battery doesn’t last as long as you remember it. Keeping him fit will be vital to this team’s success as it’s current engine room limps to the next summer transfer window.
Another thing helping the vibes the is utter lack of concern over what’s happening between the pipes right now. Senne Lammens so far has been really steady in goal, and, to my knowledge, there have not been a lot of complaints of his play since he took over the starting role.
However, now it’s time to discuss where the vibes-o-meter begins to shift negatively. United are the owners of one of the most frustrating stats in the Premier League:
It’s nice to see this team scoring goals at a decent clip — especially compared to last season — and they rank tied for fourth in the league which is a massive reason why this club’s prospects are not nearly as dire as they were last season or even a month and a half ago. But that stat regarding second-half goal concessions is more than a little problem and will take a lot of work to address. I mean, that guy on social media would have a buzzcut right now if United wasn’t prone to such costly lapses. There is a lot of factors that go into that like the quality of bench players, lineup consistency, in-game tactical adjustments, etc., and it’s hard to imagine that it will improve prior to the squad being full reunited after AFCON.
United like all other teams are also dealing with injuries which is further amplified in key areas like striker where the squad’s talent floor bottoms out when missing starters.
Benjamin Sesko who was starting to get his feet under him is now out with a knee injury. While it’s lucky that all reports indicate it’s relatively minor and he’ll be back soon, you compound that with no clear backup on the depth chart and the absence of emergency striker Harry Maguire, who is also out with an injury, and now you have the defining question of this stretch of the season: How does United line up without a dedicated No. 9?
Friend of the site, Carl Anka of The Athletic, wrote this week about the opportunity that Joshua Zirkzee has to help United maintain its course and also dramatically reshape his own career trajectory. By all accounts, Zirkzee seems like a good guy, and I hope for him personally that he is able to grab this opportunity with both hands which will in turn will likely mean positive results for the club.
Looking ahead to the team’s return to the pitch, Everton are headed to Old Trafford on less than stellar form but only three spots behind United in the table — a win for the Toffees would see them equal United’s points total.
The holiday period makes or breaks a team’s season, and United have a very favorable schedule on paper. By the time we celebrate the New Year, United will have played Wolves (who are basically already relegated) twice, 17th-place West Ham and 14th-place Newcastle United — and they have relegation-bound Leeds and Burnley waiting for them immediately on the other side of the ball drop. However, United must also overcome a resurgent fourth-place Aston Villa, fifth-place Crystal Palace, and eighth-place Bournemouth.
Frankly, if this team wants to play in Europe next season, they can’t play scared in those top-half of the table clashes, especially not when they’re the direct competition for those European places. Of course, it’ll be a taller order considering the fluctuation in squad availability.
Here’s to wishing the vibes-o-meter ratings continue its recent trajectory!
Pre-MD12 Vibes Reading
Now, the Manchester United 2025-26 Vibes-O-Meter is a very specific device developed with the most advanced science available to us: our gut.
The Vibes-O-Meter uses a scale of 1-10 based on the contemporary highs and lows of the Post-Fergie era; one being the feelings following the Brentford loss that precluded the current run of form, and 10 being the feelings felt when Harry Maguire and his big, beautiful forehead dunked on those smug Liverpool supporters in their own house.
7/10
Positive Influences
- Bryan Mbeumo * gestures at everything he does *
- Amad * gestures at everything he does *
- Casemiro when he goes Real Madrid mode
- Matthijs de Ligt stepping up in a way that makes me feel better about the eventual, inevitable Harry Maguire succession plan
Negative Influences
- Sesko out with injury (but hopefully not for too long!)
- Emergency striker Harry Maguire is also out with injury
- This team is unbeaten in five matches but not undefeated in five matches which means we’re still hearing about that haircut
