Manchester United continued their miserable start to the season after losing 3-0 against bitter rivals Manchester City on Sunday, piling more pressure on Ruben Amorim.
United were blown away at the Etihad after Phil Foden capitalised on slack defending to head home the opening goal in 18 minutes, before Erling Haaland bagged himself a second-half brace.
Ruben Amorim himself has admitted he must pick up results quickly after leading his side to a 15th-placed finish last year, but he has frustrated supporters by defiantly sticking to his 3-4-2-1 system.
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Micah Richards, however, believes the derby defeat proves the Manchester United boss must be more flexible in one particular area to reverse his team’s nightmare form in the Premier League.
Ruben Amorim reacts during Manchester City vs Manchester United
Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images
Micah Richards says Manchester United ‘need more’ in midfield
Once again, Manchester United’s midfield pairing of Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes, the latter deployed in a less effective deeper role, was overrun and outnumbered by their opponents.
That allowed City to seize control of the game, and Richards is convinced United’s issues were self-inflicted, especially with Amorim refusing to budge on his tactical set-up.
Richards told The Rest Is Football podcast: “I actually thought in aspects of the game today, Man United did good things. But what is crystal clear in the middle of the park, they need more legs. I can see that.
“All the fans can see that. But the manager is sticking to his guns. And I just don’t understand it. Every manager should be able to adapt.”
The pundit, who played for City between 2005 and 2015 and won one Premier League title there, also fired a warning to Amorim ahead of a tricky run of fixtures.
Richards added: “They need to sort it out ASAP because if they carry on playing that way, they’re just not going to get any better.”
With Roy Keane and Wayne Rooney also critical of Man United, it’s clear just how quickly the results need to turn around at Old Trafford.
Manchester City v Manchester United - Premier League
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Ruben Amorim must change for the next Man United matches
While Amorim appears to retain the support of Man United’s hierarchy, there is no doubt that he has to start earning wins, and soon.
But that might prove easier said than done, with his side taking on some of the top-flight’s toughest tests over the coming weeks.
Indeed, United are next in action against Chelsea at Old Trafford next weekend, in what is rapidly resembling a must-win game against a team with top-four ambitions.
They then travel to Brentford on September 27, who were tipped to be in a relegation scrap this season, but a victory could drag Man United into an uncomfortable position.
They will then welcome newly-promoted Sunderland, another team expected to be fighting around the bottom, before making a gruelling trip to reigning champions Liverpool after the next international break.
The question now is whether Amorim will still be in charge then.
By taking Richards’ advice on board and finally agreeing to switch up his formation, perhaps back to the 4-2-3-1 often used to good effect by his predecessors, not only will he likely improve performances, but the confidence of his players will also be given a timely boost.
The tussle will always surround whether it’s a sign of weakness that he changes his ideas, or if it’s a move towards setting his team up to get results quickly.