Ruben Amorim is facing criticism for his management of Manchester United’s defeat to Everton but former Red Devils striker Dimitar Berbatov sees it differently.
For the first time in Premier League history, Manchester United failed to beat 10 men at Old Trafford as they lost 1-0 to Everton.
It marked the one-year anniversary of Ruben Amorim’s first match as United head coach, and conversation ever since his appointment has been dominated by his tactical setup.
What is your message to Ruben Amorim after Manchester United’s defeat to Everton?
Ruben Amorim gestures
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Amorim has stubbornly stuck to his 3-4-2-1 formation, and even when United were chasing an equaliser, he stayed true to his philosophy.
Gary Neville was furious watching from the gantry as he urged one of United’s defenders to push forward from their rigid formation. However, Dimitar Berbatov believes there was a bigger issue in the performance.
Ruben Amorim crouched down
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Dimitar Berbatov reacts to Man Utd vs Everton
After the full-time whistle, Amorim accepted blame for the performance and claimed that he needs to improve as a coach.
But while much of the flak from the Everton defeat is heading in his direction, former United forward Berbatov decided to defend the Portuguese manager.
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Speaking on ESPN, Berbatov said: “Sometimes it comes down to the manager and we can criticise how he sticks to his system. At the same time, sometimes the characters on the pitch can decide the games.
“United have characters and big-name players like Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes as captain, but even that sometimes is not enough.
What did you think of Ruben Amorim’s post-game comments after the loss to Everton?
“I feel afraid of returning of this feeling of last season, that is my biggest concern. So we need to work together, we are going to work together.”
“When that culture of winning the Premier League is not there from not winning for so many years, it is difficult to get it back, and that is one of the problems.
“To be able to keep calm when the storm is going on around you, to find the right way against 10 men and to say ‘let’s not be in a hurry, we’ll find the right solution’.
“That was not the case [against Everton], even though there were chances to score. Pickford was probably the Man of the Match.”
Ruben Amorim coached a victory against Everton
All season, Amorim has suffered possession problems, with United struggling to get a result when they see more of the ball.
Unfortunately, that is a trend that has survived several managers. Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also failed to transition United from a counter-attacking side to a ball-dominating outfit.
As disappointing as the Everton performance was, United had more than enough chances to turn the game around, and there is nothing Amorim can do from the sidelines to improve the quality of finishing.
READ MORE: Gary Neville’s criticism of Ruben Amorim is complete opposite of what he told Erik ten Hag to do
Everton only managed one shot on target throughout the entire match, whereas United forced six saves from Jordan Pickford and attempted 23 shots in total.
Berbatov is right, the blame lies with the players as much as it does with Amorim.