- Ruben Amorim will need to adapt his style to suit his Manchester United players
- The 39-year-old is inheriting squad ill-suited to his preferred football philosophy
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
I’m sure Ruben Amorim is intelligent enough to realise he can’t just copy and paste what he did at Sporting Lisbon in order to create immediate success at Manchester United.
To ask a squad which lacks athleticism and confidence to replicate his preferred 3-4-3 with high energy and flying wing backs carries big risks in the Premier League.
The best managers adapt to personnel. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City tweaked things when Erling Haaland arrived. Jurgen Klopp opted for three midfield runners only after Philippe Coutinho had left.
Initially, if Amorim demands this set of United players be progressive with the press and play a higher line, it would invite trouble. The central defenders don’t have the pace to compensate for a lack of numbers in midfield, particularly when Leny Yoro is injured.
In Portugal, Sporting have the best players so it makes sense to be braver with philosophy and formation. United are a different case. Against better teams, they lack legs at this level.
It’ll be interesting to see if Amorim is playing three at the back in a year’s time. Few top teams do. Chelsea were the last side to win the title that way, under Antonio Conte in 2017.
If United lose control in midfield against top teams like Liverpool or City by playing two there, they will get dominated, so a lot of onus is on the wing backs to help without possession.
With Luke Shaw out, they don’t have a left-footer on that side, which makes them unbalanced.
I have read about interest in Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies but he’s world class and would surely expect Champions League football.
Some managers begin playing three centre halves but move on from it. There is a reason Mikel Arteta doesn’t play that way despite winning the FA Cup with wing backs. Crystal Palace were great in a 3-4-3 last season but opponents have started to figure out Oliver Glasner’s side.
Let’s assume Amorim starts with some variation on the 3-4-3 because it’s what he knows. He’ll have to find the right midfield pair, as athletic as he can find in United’s current ranks.
Given that he has worked successfully with Manuel Ugarte before, the Uruguayan would probably take one of the spots but I don’t think it would suit Bruno Fernandes to be alongside him. His creative strengths would be better served in the front three.
Maybe Kobbie Mainoo would be the best fit of those available. Like Michael Carrick, he reads the game so well he doesn’t always need to rattle into people to break up play.
