Ruben Amorim has opened up on Manchester United’s lacklustre performance on Saturday afternoon against Brentford.
Manchester United fell to another defeat in the Premier League this weekend away at Brentford and pressure is building on Ruben Amorim.
United began the game in the worst way possible, falling 2-0 behind within 20 minutes courtesy of two goals from Brentford striker Igor Thiago.
At that point, many United fans would’ve been having flashbacks to the 4-0 battering United suffered at the Gtech Community Stadium in 2022 under Erik ten Hag.
Luckily, it didn’t get as bad as that. Benjamin Šeško netted his first United goal, but Amorim’s men failed to build on that. A stoppage-time strike from Matias Jensen concluded proceedings in West London as Brentford emerged 3-1 winners.
Amorim on United’s lack of control
In a post-match interview, Amorim suggested that United lacked control throughout the game. “We didn’t play our game. We only had control for some moments,” the Portuguese manager said following the 3-1 defeat.
“But it was more or less all the same. We need to play our games, not the opponents, but they were stronger on that.
The United boss also hit back at critics of his system. “It’s always the same. When we win, it’s not the system, and when we lose, it’s the system. I understand that.”
The pressure on Amorim is at its highest point yet. Many fans feel that a change of head coach is now necessary, with the Reds seemingly heading nowhere under their current head coach.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the United hierarchy are seemingly still behind the former Sporting manager, despite links to potential replacements such as Oliver Glasner, Adoni Iraola and others.
Why do United struggle to control games?
Amorim being seemingly surprised that United only controlled the game in certain moments vs Brentford is very surprising, as Amorim’s game model at United has placed minimal emphasis on control.
When Amorim initially took over, he placed a strong emphasis on retaining possession and dominating the ball. At some point along the way, though, that all went out the window.
United now rarely even attempt to play out from the back and the current set-up simply isn’t conducive to that.
Altay Bayindir is not comfortable at all with the ball at his feet when put under pressure, and that’s a key reason why United always go long when he’s in goal.
Asking either Matthijs de Ligt or Harry Maguire to take up the role of a midfielder in the initial phase of build-up also makes central progression very difficult and often forces United long.
Those two players are not comfortable receiving the ball with their backs to the goal in that area of the pitch. When you constantly go long, you make it a game of 50/50s and forfeit any control.
A midfield pivot of Bruno Fernandes and either Casemiro or Manuel Ugarte also makes controlling games very difficult. Fernandes and Casemiro are both very progressive, yet direct in their approach. They both lose the ball frequently and aren’t players who can control the tempo of games.
Manuel Ugarte offers next to nothing on the ball. An argument could be made that he is potentially even less comfortable receiving the ball with his back to goal in midfield than Maguire and De Ligt.
Every time he receives the ball with his back to goal, opposition teams trigger their press because they know he is vulnerable.
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The solution to a lack of control is sitting on Amorim’s bench, right behind him. Kobbie Mainoo would bring a calm presence to the middle of the park for United. He would improve United’s build-up tenfold due to his exceptional ability to carry the ball forward and escape under pressure.
In settled possession, Mainoo is capable of controlling the tempo and would help United keep the ball for more extended periods.
Ruben Amorim may not think Mainoo suits his system, but he is the solution to many of United’s on-ball problems. One way or another, Amorim must find a place in his starting XI for the Carrington graduate.
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