Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has made it clear he will not be parting from his desired 3-4-3 formation.
Amorim took charge at Old Trafford last November and swiftly introduced the 3-4-3 system which delivered tremendous success during his time with Sporting CP. United players are either struggling to adapt to his requirements or are simply not capable of fulfilling them.
After his side's 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the derby, Amorim, who was linked to Chelsea before he became United boss, suggested the club may have to sack him if they want to change. After the match, he said: "I understand and accept it is not a record you should have in Manchester United.
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"There are a lot of things. You have no idea what happened during these months but I am not going to change. When I want to change my philosophy, I will change. If not, you have to change the man."
If anybody was to support Amorim, it would be Antonio Conte, the ex-Chelsea manager who is the only boss to win the Premier League while playing with the 3-4-3 formation. Conte appeared on the ropes within the first few weeks of his move to Chelsea, after he was comfortably beaten by Arsenal and Liverpool in his opening matches at the club.
He ditched the 4-2-3-1 formation Chelsea were used to under Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink and moved to the 3-4-3. Not only did it work better, the Blues went on what was a Premier League record breaking 13-match winning streak which inspired them to the title.
When asked about his 3-4-3 formation, Conte said they had "improved a lot in terms of our identity and confidence," as a result of moving to the set-up. Amorim may also be tempted to quote Conte's words at the time, where the Italian said: "When you change your system, you lose your identity and it makes it easier for other teams to beat you."
Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea holds the trophy following the Premier League match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on May 21, 2017 in London, England
Conte executed the 3-4-3 formation flawlessly while he was managing Chelsea (Image: Getty Images)
However, there are many differences to the way Conte deployed his players compared to United. Firstly, he dropped Cesc Fabregas out of the team and deployed two defensively minded players in N'Golo Kante, who dominated the midfield and looked to win the ball back up high, and Nemanja Matic, who filled the spaces vacated by Kante to ensure the back three were not exposed.
Amorim has so far used Bruno Fernandes as one of the two defensive midfielders and switched between Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro, defensively minded players but with completely different strengths.
As a means of trying to protect his back three more, Amorim may eventually be forced to either move Fernandes into the forward positions and use two defensively minded midfielders, or maybe even drop him completely.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim looks on
Ruben Amorim has continued to insist that Man United would have to sack him if they want their style to change (Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
It would be a huge decision, but if it brings more solidity to midfield, in the way it did for Conte when he dropped Fabregas, then it would be justified. Either way, he will persist with the 3-4-3 formation unless he has a huge change of heart, which seems unlikely.
Conte's brilliance at Stamford Bridge is evidence a club can achieve success with the set-up, even if his demands were different. When asked if the formation was becoming a hinderance, Amorim defended his approach saying: "It's the way you want to see the games.
"I saw a lot of teams playing here (at the Etihad Stadium) with five midfielders just blocking and they suffer more than us. I see a lot of games from Manchester United playing here with a lot of midfielders."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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