Ruben Amorim joins Manchester United as one of the most sought-after coaches in world football. Liverpool were said to be interested last summer and he had been touted as a potential replacement for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Following a successful playing career with Benfica and Portugal, his dynamic managerial career has already seen him win two league titles with Sporting Lisbon, their first for 20 years. This has led Manchester United to bring him in as their first-choice replacement for Erik ten Hag.
Amorim’s success at Sporting has been built on a 3-4-3 formation, placing an emphasis on defensive solidity. United’s new-look defence will likely feature new signing Leny Yoro on the right side of the three. It is expected that Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo will be the first choices for central midfield positions.
The key selection decisions within this new formation will be as to who plays on the left and right of the four – the so-called wing-backs. Will they be selected from United’s wingers or from the full backs? Given the requirement of wing-backs to provide width in both attack and defence, Marcus Rashford could be the biggest high-profile casualty of this new system.
‘While fans cannot expect an immediate, mid-season, transition into fluid attacking football under Amorim, they should be able to expect a clear identity’
BBC Sport
Up-front, the two tucked-in front players just behind the striker should suit the hard-running athletic Rasmus Hojlund. It should create more chances for him.
Despite the two cup wins, lack of progress in the Premier League and a lack of playing-style identity ultimately cost ten Hag his job. While fans cannot expect an immediate, mid-season, transition into fluid attacking football under Amorim, they should be able to expect a clear identity. However, it remains an open question as to whether his 3-4-3 system will work with the current Manchester United squad.
It has been reported that Amorim will have to work with a restricted transfer budget, which may make it harder for him to imprint his own vision. It is therefore imperative that he maximises the squad’s potential. If he succeeds in this, the question will then be: are the players good enough?
There are reasons for Manchester United fans to be cautiously optimistic. Despite sitting 13th in the Premier League after 11 games, they are only four points off Chelsea in 3rd. This is a gap which, with a more solid defensive structure, and a more fluid attack, can easily be closed. In the short term, there could be an upturn in form, with United favourites on paper in every game until the New Year except for their trips to Arsenal on December 4th and Manchester City on December 15th respectively.
