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As the new season progresses, it seems that Manchester United are still unable to build consistent form.
After a dismal 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season, Man United fans were hoping that this season would see a dramatic improvement, especially given the club’s promising performances in pre-season.
Unfortunately, the team has already encountered several stumbling blocks, which have all but overshadowed impressive performances such as the 2-1 win over Chelsea.
Of course, many fans have directly blamed manager Ruben Amorim for the team’s problems, especially since he has the worst winning percentage in the league since before World War II.
But despite this frustration in the stands, INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe appear to be backing Amorim, with Ratcliffe himself claiming the Portuguese manager will have to prove himself at United over the next three years.
While many fans may feel hopeless after hearing that Amorim will be here to stay, the 40-year-old could be a huge success at Old Trafford if he follows three simple rules.
Stop being stubborn
Sometimes, as a match progresses, United seem to get stuck. Too often the team has started a match promisingly, such as against Fulham and Chelsea.
During the meeting with Fulham, United dominated for the first twenty minutes. Unable to find the back of the net, they quickly ran out of steam, with their opponents eventually taking the lead as Amorim’s men unraveled.
A similar problem occurred in the match against Chelsea. The difference here was that United were able to build a two-goal lead, while Chelsea were unable to score more than once. Yet United were largely ineffective in the second half and were virtually unable to threaten Chelsea’s defense.
At the heart of United’s declining performance over the course of the match is an air of predictability. As well as being determined to implement his 3-4-2-1 system, Amorim appears unwilling to change his team’s playing style, making his players predictable as their opponents discover them as the match progresses.
In turn, Amorim’s system may not be well suited to every United opponent. After all, during United’s crushing 3-1 defeat to Brentford, all the opponents’ goals came from speedy strikers beating United’s high line. Clearly, Amorim’s defense was all too predictable.
If Amorim hopes to improve his team’s fortunes, he will have to adapt his team’s playing style, not only based on the opponents they face, but also as the match progresses and fatigue begins to set in.
Choose a consistent starting point 11
While any new manager is understandably entitled to experiment with his squad to see how each player fits into the team, there will come a time when a regular starting line-up will need to be selected.
After all, having a regular lineup will help players work on team chemistry and ensure they are well-adapted to whatever league they play in.
With a season and a half at United under his belt, Amorim is no longer a new manager who should still struggle to identify his best starting XI.
And yet he seems to be constantly juggling his team, unsure of his winning combination.
A clear example of his indecision is his back three. Harry Maguire played in six of the seven league games and started two games. Leny Yoro also played in six games, while starting four. It seems the only consistent starters at the back are Matthijs de Ligt, who has played every minute of the Premier League season, and Luke Shaw, who is not a natural centre-back but rather a converted left-back.
Amorim also doesn’t seem to have decided who his full-backs should be. While Patrick Dorgu and Amad Diallo have been given ample time at LWB and RWB respectively, Diogo Dalot has rotated between the two positions, playing three league games on the right and two on the left.
Despite all these experiments, it seems that Amorim is still unsure who his ideal starting XI is and where each player should ideally be positioned.
When he finally solidifies each player’s role, consistency can begin to build.
Timing is essential
Amorim seems to be in favor of substitutions, especially when he sees that it doesn’t work.
While this is a positive trait, many of his substitutions seem to be made extremely late in the match, after the 80th minute.
While there are situations where this might be appropriate, it seems unreasonable to expect a substitute to put in an impressive performance with just five or ten minutes on the pitch.
Sometimes he should really consider using substitutes earlier in the second half so that they can at least adapt to the circumstances of the match and have all the knowledge at their disposal to maximize their impact.
Should Amorim implement these principles, he could still become the successful manager United have been looking for for more than a decade.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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