Old Trafford welcomes Ruben Amorim for his first home game on Thursday evening, but don’t expect Manchester United’s new head coach to be carried away by a wave of emotions.
“Everyone told me it would be a special time, I just want to win the match,” he admitted ahead of the Europa League match against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.
‘It will be a new sensation before the match, but after the whistle it is still one match and we want to win it.’
Amorim is a man in a hurry. He has inherited an underperforming team a third of the way into the season, with United twelfth in the Premier League after drawing their opening game at Ipswich on Sunday, and three places lower than Thursday night’s Europa League opponents finished fifteenth place.
The 39-year-old has started implementing his own playing style at United immediately, rather than waiting until the summer, and warned his players will ‘suffer for a long period’ as they get to grips with the new system.
As Amorim prepares for his Old Trafford bow, Mail Sport looks at the issues that will be on his mind.
Ruben Amorim prepares for his first European match as Man United boss against Bodo/Glimt
The 39-year-old’s first appearance in the dugout came in the 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town last weekend
Rashford’s self-help secret
Marcus Rashford provided a perfect start to the Amorim era when he scored after 80 seconds at Portman Road but then disappeared from the match.
A number of United managers know what that feels like and Amorim was asked at Carrington on Wednesday if he can help Rashford return to the form that saw him score 30 goals in Erik ten Hag’s first season at the club and earn a new £300,000. -a weekly contract.
The former Sporting Lisbon boss cleverly put the emphasis on Rashford, without calling the player out directly, saying that any revival must start with the player himself.
“I’ll try to help him,” Amorim said. ‘We will try to find the right solution for him, just like for the other players.
But he has to be Marcus first and foremost, to try to get back to that moment and then he will get all the help from the staff, the club and the fans, because he is a Manchester United boy. But he has to be the first to want it.’
Have the attackers fire again
It’s not just Rashford who failed United’s attack. Last season’s negative goal difference in the Premier League was a damning indictment of United’s failures in attack, and thirteen goals in twelve games this season is little improvement.
Amorim vowed he will ‘try to help’ Marcus Rashford return to the form he showed in 2022-2023
Rashford scored the first goal of the Amorim era at Manchester United after 80 seconds
After such a good start at Ipswich, United were rarely in danger and that is something Amorim urgently wants to change.
“Of course that is a concern, but I think we have to improve as a team because we have quality players who can score so many goals,” he said. ‘But you felt it in the second half (in Ipswich). We controlled the ball, but were not dangerous.
“We will try to improve as a team and Rasmus (Hojlund) and Josh (Zirkzee) and Rash will score more goals, even Bruno (Fernandes) needs to score more goals. Amad (Diallo) has to be better around goal. All these guys can score so many goals.”
Hojlund and Zirkzee, who signed for a combined £106million over the past two summers, have scored a total of three goals in a total of 31 appearances this season.
It’s no surprise that United’s No. 1 priority in the next two transfer windows will be a striker, with Amorim heavily linked with his old Sporting Lisbon frontman Viktor Gyokeres, who has already endeared himself to United fans with a Champions League hat-trick against rivals City. .
Get the team up to speed
Much of United’s progress under Amorim this season will depend on how quickly he can get them to buy into his philosophy.
It will be easier said than done judging by the performance at Ipswich, where he admitted he picked certain players because they could have worked longer with Carrington and adapted to his ideas during the second week of the international break.
Joshua Zirkzee (pictured) and Rasmus Hojlund signed for a combined £106m but have just three goals this season
United’s success this season will depend on how quickly they can come to terms with his philosophy
But with two games a week until the new year and limited training time, Amorim admitted he will have to rotate his squad to expose as many players as possible to his 3-4-3 formation and style.
“We have to do it,” he added. ‘They have to feel like they belong to the team. We have to try to win every game, have a clear idea of how to play and everyone has to be on the same page.
“Some guys will play and in the next game we will change positions. Some guys who don’t play train the next day. They get the opportunity for real training.’
When asked how long he thinks it will take to get his message across, Amorim said: “It’s hard to compare things. It will be tough, but it will be even tougher for them, they are on the pitch. They will suffer.’
Let the players press
One area where United will certainly suffer is Amorim’s pressing play, which demands maximum effort from his players. Despite a higher octane approach at Ipswich, his team ran a combined distance of 63.4 miles, the second lowest of the season.
Those stats need to improve and United will need more energy against a hard-working Bodo/Glimt team who have already beaten FC Porto and Braga in the Europa League this season.
Amorim can make use of the younger legs of Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo on Thursday evening after he started with the older tandem of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen against Ipswich.
Amorim admitted he will rely on playing time to expose his players to his 3-4-3 system
He may look at the younger legs of Kobbie Mainoo (middle) and Manuel Ugarte on Thursday
“I expect a very good team,” Amorim said. “They’re running a lot and that’s really good for us at the moment. We have to improve that.
‘We know we have to run a lot in this match. I expect a very intense match. I hope to see different things and improve on some of the things we didn’t do so well last game.”
Attach at the back
United had to rely on some fine saves from goalkeeper Andre Onana to grab a point at Ipswich, where Amorim switched to a back three, with Noussair Mazraoui and Jonny Evans playing either side of Matthijs de Ligt.
It is expected that he will drive with the same formation tonight, although Lisandro Martinez returned to training yesterday and could replace Evans.
Harry Maguire was also back, but Amorim is unlikely to threaten the England defender or long-term absentee Leny Yoro, who took part in an individual session. “He’s a young guy, this is a huge club and the first image is very important,” he said of the 18-year-old, a £52million summer signing from Lille.
Either way, the new head coach will be looking forward to a more solid defensive performance against Bodo Glimt.