Ruben Amorim, the manager of Manchester United, finds himself under scrutiny following a season marked by defensive frailties and inconsistency. The prior season, his best roster offered the worst luck. They fought hard to keep clean sheets but equally showed themselves capable of scoring some beautiful, inventive, attacking football. The recent game vs Bournemouth was the perfect example of these issues. United lost four goals overall, but they returned to the pitch with a quicker, sharper style in the second half.
Amorim’s record reveals that he has the seventh-worst clean sheet ratio among Premier League managers who have overseen at least 40 games. This statistic is alarming when it comes to the defensive prowess of Reid’s unit. In a league that rewards defensive solidity heavily, not getting shutouts means dropping points you can’t afford to lose. This issue is compounded when a team isn’t getting goals at the other end of the field.
Tactical Adjustments and Formation Changes
In the important draw against Bournemouth, Amorim made some key tactical changes. In part, that was due to his team putting forth a much more disciplined showing. He set up with a simple four-man back line, using Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot as wing backs to start the second half. This alteration prompted positive remarks from analysts, including Gary Neville, who noted that Amorim finally got his system “spot on.”
Jamie Carragher was in agreement with Neville, claiming that Manchester United were looking better and better in their offensive game. He praised the team’s first-half performance, highlighting that it was one of the best attacking displays he had witnessed from Amorim’s side in 59 games. Carragher remarked, “It was almost a throwback to Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson,” emphasizing the energetic and positive nature of their play.
“The players you want on the pitch are there. Amad on the right, Mbeumo and Sesko up front, Cunha to the left, Mainoo and Fernandes as the midfield pair and then the back four.” – Jamie Carragher
Despite the tactical change, Carragher made it clear that Amorim’s squad continued to be plagued by massive issues with clean sheets. The young back line proved inexperienced and unprotective, allowing Bournemouth to take advantage of openings and secure an ultimately crushing result for Manchester United.
Defensive Struggles and Youthful Errors
Ruben Amorim’s team continues to grapple with defensive woes, and analysts have noted that the reliance on young defenders has not paid off. As Jamie Carragher noted on broadcast, you can get a young player who makes a mistake and the result is a crucial goal scored against you. He added, “They had a bunch of rookie defenders tonight that didn’t do them any favors. Believe me, I’ve been there too. Knock on wood, but as a young defender, when you make a mistake, they usually result in a goal scored against you.
As Gary Neville pointed out on Sky Sports, the defense is almost 100% organized as a back four. As he explained, it occasionally goes to a back five. This lack of continuity creates difficulties for referees trying to keep matches organized.
“The Manchester United defense is performing like a back four but there are times when it slips into a five.” – Gary Neville
Amorim understood the difficulties the new team was facing. What really got him was when they failed to win due to failures in tactical execution. He remarked, “We are not winning games sometimes in the details because it’s a back four, back three, back five. It’s the details that we need to work on, understand the momentum of the game.”
The Path Forward for Amorim’s Side
While Manchester United’s recent performances reveal areas for improvement, there are signs of potential growth under Ruben Amorim’s management. The attacking control and penetration on display against Bournemouth indicates that when they’re more assured and ruthless, they’re able to capitalize on their chances in spades.
Specifically, Amorim argued that his players need to be more clinical in front of goal. He stated, “You need to be more clinical because today against a very good team we created so many chances to win the game.” This phrase perfectly encapsulates Manchester United’s plight at the moment. Their expected goals number is fourth in the league—they create a lot of math chances, but doing math goals is hard.
Leave a Reply