Sport
If Ruben Amorim wasn’t aware of the mess he has inherited as Manchester United’s new manager, he surely is now. All of United’s deep-rooted problems were on display as they drew 1-1 away to Ipswich Town on Sunday. While Amorim’s side started well, scoring after only 80 seconds, their performance as a whole was underwhelming.
In central midfield, Manchester United lacked guile. Their new-look back three allowed the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Jonny Evans to find passing angles into the middle of the pitch, but Casemiro and Christian Eriksen struggled to get turned. This made it difficult for United to play through Ipswich.
Indeed, 69% of United’s completed passes were made in their own half, the highest percentage for a Premier League match involving the Old Trafford side on record. Amorim must find a way to address the culture of caution that was allowed to fester under Erik ten Hag. Manchester United have to take more risks to get the best out of their players in the final third.
In attack, United were similarly a long way from perfect. Rashford found the back of the net within the first two minutes of the match at Portman Road, but was largely ineffective. The 27-year-old was deployed as a centre forward and struggled to hold up the ball and bring others into the game as Amorim’s attacking focal point. He was anonymous for large periods.
United’s attacking game plan focused on playing direct and early to release Alejandro Garnacho and Rashford into open space. However, this often saw Bruno Fernandes bypassed when the Portuguese international is someone Amorim must harness to get the best out of his team. Fernandes is the only true creator United currently have.
“It’s hard to expect anything now,” Amorim said after the 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town. “It’s not a surprise but you have to see it in-game. That’s why I was a little bit anxious because you cannot understand what will happen in the game. I felt that. They are thinking too much because things are so different.
“It’s hard for the players in three days to cope with everything but we [must not] forget about the new idea. That’s why I was brought here and we try to cope with the things they are used to doing. Next year, in the same stage, we will be here with the same problems or we start now… we risk a little bit, we suffer a little bit and in the next year we will be better.”
Amorim’s revolution will take a number of years to happen. This isn’t a comment on the coaching ability of the Portuguese manager, but on the mess Manchester United currently find themselves in. Under ten Hag, United lacked any sort of footballing identity and that is reflected in the signings they have made in recent times.
Manchester United have wasted so much money that it’s been reported that Amorim won’t have any sort of budget to sign new players in the January transfer window. This means the new United manager will likely have to work with the same squad until the end of the season. Until then, progress could be incremental.
11 years have passed since Manchester United last won the Premier League title and so their impatience to return to the top of English football is understandable. However, Amorim needs time to instil his ideas and point the Old Trafford outfit in the right direction after years of drifting. The draw against Ipswich underlined just how long a process that might be.
