Can we just dispel the myth that Ruben Amorim doesn’t change his tactics. Not only is it obviously wrong, it also paints a narrative that if we get the players to stand in different positions then Manchester United start to win all our games. That’s just plainly untrue and a massive oversimplification. He doesn’t move away from the basic 343 shape, this is true. But a formation is not a tactic, it’s merely a tool to help support the actual tactics.
We have seen many different teams line up with a 343 type formation and all of them play in a different way. It’s like saying every team that plays 433 or 4321, or 442 play exactly the same way. Why is it that we can understand that other formations can be played differently but not 343? It’s just nonsensical. Amorim has clearly played his formation in different ways and with various tactics within that.
He has a clear vision, he wants his team to press high and control the game in the opposition half. He wants his players to play with intensity but also with intelligence. He has said on several occasions that the players need to learn when to attack and when to take an extra touch, or make an extra pass. He prefers his teams to pass out from the back with the defenders being the playmakers, and his midfielders to provide energy and defensive coverage. He wants his team to build up using triangles created in the half spaces by the wide CB, the wingback, the midfielder and the inside forward down that side of the pitch.
That is how he wants them to play. However, he has shown on many occasions that he can mix up his tactics. This is most obviously seen in the players he picks or the subs he makes. He doesn’t ask Zirkzee to play CF in the same way he asked Højlund or he asks Sesko, he has played all of Bruno, Cunha, Mbeumo, Mount and even Mainoo as a false striker. He has played different midfield pairings to facilitate different tactics, he doesn’t swap Bruno of Ugarte or Mainoo for Casemiro and expect them to play the same way. He’s making a tweak, a change to his tactics.
Sometimes he’s asked the central CB to step into midfield to form a three, sometimes he’s asked them to step up to release a midfielder to move up higher, sometimes he’s picked Amad at RWB and asked him to play high and wide, other times he’s played Dalot or Mazraoui and asked them to stay deeper and tuck into midfield with his right sided inside forward staying wider to provide width and a central midfielder to push up into the inside right channel.
He has done lots of different tactics while trying to maintain a simple structure for the players so as to not overload them with complex ever changing instructions; and while trying to maintain a clear progressive, front foot style of play.
A formation isn’t a tactic, and him sticking to it doesn’t mean he isn’t changing his tactics. While it’s only a small sample size, the statistics this season show that we are performing amongst the top teams in the league in certain key metrics.
The problem? Players are not taking their chances and are giving away silly goals at the other end. That is down to the players and probably a lack of confidence they have currently. The formation is to blame for keepers making mistakes, or for forwards missing good opportunities.
However, all that said unfortunately all the good work Amorim has done won’t matter if we don’t start seeing an improvement in results. Good stats are great, but the only one that ultimately decides a managers fate is goals scored and conceded. Hopefully we can do well and get a result against a good but probably overrated Chelsea side today.
Then if we can follow that up with a couple of wins against Brentford and Sunderland and the feeling around the he club will be very different heading into the next international break. Then a tricky couple of games against Liverpool and Brighton followed by a much kinder run of fixtures where hopefully we can start to build up some momentum.
If we want to see change at our club then we need to change ourselves. We cannot keep being the same fans that contributed to the mess we have seen over the past decade. We need to show faith and support the team, the players and the manager, let’s be the 12th man that carries our team across the line for the next few games and give them a chance to build up some confidence.
Otherwise we are the definition of madness, doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.