Ruben Amorim wasn't the only Manchester United coach to experience a baptism of fire after arriving at Old Trafford in November. The head coach has been front and centre of the early difficulties of his reign at Old Trafford, but his assistant soon realised how harsh the spotlight was at the club as well.
Amorim handed Carlos Fernandes responsibilities for set-pieces, a long-running practice since they started working together at Casa Pia. However, when [United](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/all-about/manchester-united-fc) started shipping goals from corners and free-kicks, Fernandes was criticised, especially as he had taken over these duties from set-piece specialist Andreas Georgson.
[Amorim](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/all-about/ruben-amorim) had to come out to bat for his 30-year-old assistant after a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford in December, when the opposition again exploited a weakness at set-pieces.
“The responsibility of everything is me, is not Carlos, it’s on me,” Amorim said. “We are a team, we are a team in good moments and bad moments.
“We have a way of doing things, we are working on that and we are going to improve on that also but we didn’t lose because of set pieces."
At that point, the heat was on Fernandes. Every time United had an attacking or defensive set piece, he would swap places with Amorim and stand in the technical area, making sure the structure was in place and people knew their jobs.
But just as Amorim has found the pressure easing in recent weeks, so has Fernandes. United have tightened up from set-pieces and started to threaten at the other end. The Old Trafford win against Ipswich was decided entirely by set-pieces, and the winner against Leicester City in the FA Cup also came from a free-kick.
That has allowed Fernandes to start expanding United's repertoire. Although free-kick and corner routines remain relatively simple, it has become clear that throw-ins are becoming a focus at Carrington. Fernandes has stepped forward into the technical area for the last couple of months when the team have had attacking throw-ins.
It isn't yet utilised from every throw-in, but United have worked on developing a threat from long throws. When the signal comes, Diogo Dalot gets the ball and lines up a long throw, with the central defenders going forward to form the attacking threat.
It is a common sense tactic when fielding three central defenders, especially when that group includes such threats in the air as Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro. It has yet to pay off in the form of a goal, but it is clear that United are ready to use what is often seen as a relatively direct tactic.
It's not something you often see 'big six' clubs using, and it shows Amorim's ability to think outside the box. The most technical teams usually want to get the ball back in play and back on the floor again. When Liverpool used Thomas Gronnemark as a throw-in coach, the focus was often on rotations to create space or allow for a switch of play.
But Fernandes seems keen for United to offer a more direct threat. One obvious area for improvement is the quality of the delivery. Dalot is starting to find more distance, but long throws are a new skill for him. United lack someone who can propel the ball deep into the six-yard box, which is when long throws become a real threat.
It will be interesting to see whether a long throw becomes an attribute United might be attracted to in the summer transfer market. They won't be signing anyone purely for their ability to throw the ball, but with Amorim likely to be in the market for another wing-back, it might be a bonus if a player they target has experience of long throws.
If they do, don't be surprised to see United looking to add that to their attacking menu for the 2025/26 season.