Ruben Amorim’s style of play is slowly but surely being applied at Manchester United.
One of the toughest challenges facing Ruben Amorim at Manchester United is trying to implement his ‘spectacular’ 3-4-3 system midway through a season.
Amorim’s start as United head coach has had mixed results. Following the 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, the Red Devils have now won twice, drawn once and lost twice under the Portuguese.
After Saturday’s defeat, Amorim called for patience as he accepted that United will have to suffer in the short-term as they adapt to his style of play.
There have been promising signs that United are executing Amorim’s demands, but there are still plenty of issues for him and his staff to resolve.
Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of Manchester United, acknowledges the fans following the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Everton FC...
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
Man United are starting to take control under Ruben Amorim
Before even arriving in Manchester, Amorim insisted United must control matches and dominate teams – something he is still trying to get across to his players.
“I want a team who can control the ball, [and] play without fear,” Amorim said in the week leading up to his United arrival.
Controlling possession and dominating matches is something United have struggled with in recent years but one statistic suggests Amorim is starting to make progress.
MORE UNITED STORIES
According to the Premier League, Manchester United rank second in the top flight when it comes to passes completed.
The Red Devils have completed 7,792 passes in their 15 Premier League matches so far. Only Manchester City have completed more.
Man United’s passing issues under Ruben Amorim
While United are seeing more of the ball, completing more passes and dominating possession – it doesn’t necessarily mean it is effective.
The Red Devils had 72% possession against Forest on the weekend, but as pointed out by The Times, the passing was far from effective.
United completed 522 passes against Forest but 229 of those were completed by the three starting centre-backs, plus Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui.
Amorim’s instructions to control the ball were followed by his players, but they struggled to make use of it.
The report also points out that no players passed to each other more times than United’s centre-backs. In fact, the top four passing combinations in the starting XI were between the back three.
Passing combinations vs Forest Number of passes completed
Martinez to De Ligt 26
De Ligt to Martinez 24
De Ligt to Yoro 18
Yoro to De Ligt 15
Manchester United’s passing combinations in the 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Ultimately, United’s passing statistics will put a smile on Amorim’s face, but the next step is making sure the players can use it efficiently to worry their opponent. That may take some time.
Related Posts