Pep Guardiola’s reaction to one Manchester United star once he came on shows the huge mistake that Ruben Amorim is making.
Manchester United slipped to their third defeat of the campaign as Manchester City cruised to a commanding 3-0 derby win at the Etihad.
Rúben Amorim handed Benjamin Šeško his first United start in the high-pressure clash, but it was City who landed the early blow when Phil Foden struck just before the 20-minute mark. United responded by pushing forward and forcing openings before half-time, though without finding a breakthrough.
The second half began with renewed intent from Amorim’s men, yet City quickly shut the door. Erling Haaland doubled the advantage with a ruthless finish, then struck again minutes later to put the contest beyond reach with more than 20 minutes left.
Bryan Mbeumo and Casemiro each squandered opportunities to narrow the deficit, but under relentless Manchester rain, Guardiola’s side managed the closing stages with composure and authority, securing a dominant derby triumph and leaving United searching for answers.
Kobbie Mainoo caused problems when he came on
Amorim opted to start Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes in the midfield pivot, despite Fernandes being able to play further forward owing to Matheus Cunha’s injury.
Throughout the game, United’s midfield was overrun, but when Mainoo came on in the 62nd minute, the 20-year-old was United’s best player by far, recording a 100 per cent pass success rate from 17 attempts, and also winning all three of his duels.
Pep Guardiola’s reaction to Mainoo when he came on says it all, with the Spaniard manager putting his hands on his head as Mainoo drove with the ball into City’s half after skipping past two players.
Many thought before the game that Mainoo was almost nailed on to start, and judging by his 30-minute cameo, perhaps Amorim made a mistake in not including him in the midfield pivot from the start and play Fernandes further up the field where he has thrived in the past.
Mainoo has to start in future fixtures
Once again, Amorim decided to omit Mainoo from the team, opting instead for Ugarte, who underperformed last season, which has also carried on into this campaign.
In the four Premier League games so far, Mainoo has yet to start a game, and with the 20-year-old pushing for a loan move towards the end of the summer window, there is concern within the fanbase over the way that Amorim is handling Mainoo’s situation.
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Mainoo’s on-the-ball ability is something that United are crying out for in the midfield, despite Amorim claiming that he thinks there are players in the team who can set the tempo.
With Amorim only utilising two players in the midfield while in possession, Mainoo is critical in there, as Fernandes should not be having to play so deep and try and make something from nothing.
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