ARSENAL 2-0 MANCHESTER UNITED: Ruben Amorim succumbed to his first defeat as Red Devils boss in north London on Wednesday night as second-half goals from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba helped the Gunners close the gap at the top of the Premier League to seven points
Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim blasted both Amad and Bruno Fernandes from the touchline in the second half of Man Utd's 2-0 defeat to Arsenal
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Ruben Amorim’s first defeat as Manchester United boss - his first league loss since 2023 - is unlikely to live long in the memory.
But strip back Arsenal’s set-piece dominance and scratch beneath the service, you were still able to witness first hand the small cultural differences he is striving to implement on the field.
After introducing Amad as a makeshift wing-back at the half-time interval, Amorim verbally exploded on the touchline when the Ivorian failed to satisfy his demands.
Amad had been helping United defend an Arsenal attack when the visitors quickly progressed the ball in transition in a bid to manifacture a chance of their own up the other end.
However, the red-hot winger, who is being shoehorned in on the right side of Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, was unable to keep the pace with United’s counter.
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As he lagged behind play on the near touchline, Amorim began shouting venomously towards his player, waving his arms towards Arsenal’s box.
Amorim was so passionate and animated, he even leaned towards Amad, who was only a few metres from his clutches, to shout his instructions - it was as if to say, next time, you will make the final third and not be languishing so far behind play.
In defence of Amad, even Kylian Mbappe at full flight would have struggled to keep up with the ball due to the speed of United’s breakaway.
The move eventually broke down but it certainly boosted the forward’s adrenaline and concentration levels as this is a tactician that will not settle for anything less than perfection.
It already feels like the refreshing, infectious energy of Amorim is precisely what United have been missing, particularly some of these players, for so long. This is an authoritative figure that has a firm grasp of standards and principles and will not settle for anything less.
That’s exactly how it should be and even captain Bruno Fernandes is not exempt from criticism.
Amad received a touchline hairdryer from Ruben Amorim
Because at one point in the second half when Fernandes sloppily misplaced a curling, lofted pass, Amorim threw his arms up and turned away in frustration.
Giving the ball away cheaply formed part of United’s questionable identity under Erik ten Hag when standards slipped to, at times, the depths of despair.
While United are evidently a work in progress under Amorim, nobody can dispute that there is a clear style of play and you can at least recognise what the Portuguese boss is trying to implement.
Despite delivering two trophies, Ten Hag frequently went through the motions, displaying tactical flaws that were never addressed and created an environment where mistakes were not the be all and end all.
Under Amorim, it’s emphatically clear he will try to squeeze the maximum from every player at his disposal. Those that aren’t good enough, simply won’t make the grade long-term at Old Trafford.
For a club with the rich history and status of United, this should be a requirement but certainly in recent times, just has not been the case. This talented squad, which has been left deeply frustrated by the team’s failure to compete with rivals in the Premier League, has finally met its match. Now it’s time to deliver.
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