- Ruben Amorim will have to adapt his style to his Manchester United players
- The 39-year-old heir is a team that does not fit his favorite football philosophy
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I’m sure Ruben Amorim is intelligent enough to realize that he can’t just copy and paste what he did at Sporting Lisbon and create instant success at Manchester United.
Asking a side lacking in athleticism and confidence to repeat its favored 3-4-3 with high energy and flying wing-backs carries major risks in the Premier League.
The best managers adapt to the workforce. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City adjusted things when Erling Haaland arrived. Jurgen Klopp only opted for three runners in midfield after Philippe Coutinho had left.
If Amorim required this group of United players to be progressive with the press and play at a higher level, it would initially cause problems. The centre-backs don’t have the pace to compensate for the lack of numbers in midfield, especially when Leny Yoro is injured.
In Portugal, Sporting have the best players, so it makes sense to be braver with philosophy and formation. United is a different case. They lack legs at this level against better teams.
Ruben Amorim must be flexible based on the squad he inherits at Manchester United
The 39-year-old has found great success playing fast-paced football with a 3-4-3 in Portugal
But United don’t currently have the players to make that work against the best teams
It will be interesting to see if Amorim plays with three players at the back in a year’s time. Very few top teams do that. Chelsea were the last team to win the title in this way, under Antonio Conte in 2017.
If United lose control of midfield against top teams like Liverpool or City by playing with two there, they will be dominated, so there is a big responsibility on the full-backs to help out without possession.
With Luke Shaw out, they don’t have a left-footer on that side, which leaves them unbalanced.
I have read that there is interest in Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, but he is world class and would certainly expect Champions League football.
Some managers start playing three center halves but move away from that. There’s a reason why Mikel Arteta doesn’t play that way despite winning the FA Cup with full-backs. Crystal Palace were great in a 3-4-3 last season, but opponents are starting to discover Oliver Glasner’s side.
Let’s assume Amorim starts with a variation on the 3-4-3, because this is what he knows. He will need to find the right midfield, as athletic as he can find in United’s current ranks.
Captain Bruno Fernandes will need to be slotted into the front three to make room for an athletic midfield duo
Considering he has previously worked successfully with Manuel Ugarte, the Uruguayan would probably take one of the spots, but I don’t think it would suit Bruno Fernandes to be next to him. His creative powers would be better appreciated in the front three.
Perhaps Kobbie Mainoo would be the best match of those available. Like Michael Carrick, he reads the game so well that he doesn’t always have to bang into people to break up the game.