There is a major change at Manchester United that must be made if Rúben Amorim is to succeed at Old Trafford this season.
Manchester United endured their third defeat of the season as Manchester City overpowered Rúben Amorim’s side with a 3-0 Premier League victory at the Etihad Stadium.
The match opened with early attempts from Benjamin Šeško and Erling Haaland, though both teams looked unsteady in possession. City found the breakthrough when Phil Foden struck just before the 20th minute to give the hosts the lead.
United tried to respond but couldn’t level before half-time. After the break, Amorim’s men showed promise, but Haaland soon doubled City’s advantage before adding a second goal of his own to make it three.
Bryan Mbeumo and Casemiro both had chances to reduce the deficit, but neither could convert, as the derby ended in a comfortable City win under the wet Manchester skies.
Amorim takes blame for City loss
While United started the first half well against City, once Foden headed in the opening goal, the trajectory of the two sides took opposite turns. Why Pep Guardiola’s men dominated, United shrank.
Speaking with Sky Sports after the tie, Amorim explained that he felt all three goals conceded were avoidable, with small margins and a lack of aggression being the difference makers on Sunday afternoon.
“We had a big team in the certain moments. If you look at the three goals, we can avoid the three goals. We can be more aggressive,” Amorim said.
“In these kind of games, with top teams the small margins will make the difference. The performance is not good, in certain moments they were better than us and in the end you don’t have a good feeling.”
Further, Amorim admitted that he feels the loss against City was his fault rather than the players, as he felt every player on the pitch gave their maximum, but that they were outplayed.
“We play against one coach that won seven Premier League titles and we are building things, trying to fight against these teams,” he continued. “I am not going to defend myself, it’s always the same question, trying to protect myself. We need to do better.
“If I look to the game, last year we draw and won against City and today we were a little bit better but in the small details it was clearly not good enough. We are building things, but of course, we need to win.
“I’m not happier. I didn’t see one player in my team not giving the maximum. The rest is with me. The disappointment sometimes I feel we could run more, but I didn’t have that feeling today. It’s my fault, not their fault and I am fine with that.
“I know it’s hard on our fans, but again, I cannot point to one player [about the lack of] effort. With game intelligence, we can improve, but that is my fault, and we can improve.”
Amorim must make major changes to keep his job
The message from Amorim is clear – he acknowledges that the problems United has faced against City, and more so across his tenure, lie with him rather than the players, but he appears to be doing little to change his fortunes.
If the problems on the field are his fault, then it is down to him to identify the structural flaws and issues with the instructions he is giving to his players, rather than continuing with the same set-up that has yet to provide results.
A major change is needed, and the only conclusion that can be reached is a change in formation. Amorim is persistent with his 3-4-2-1, but it is becoming overwhelmingly clear that the structure of his set-up cannot cope with the physical intensity of the Premier League, as there are too many gaps for his players to cover.
If a back-four formation or change in midfield numbers can be made, then it’s a move the United head coach must look to make as soon as possible. If he doesn’t, he may find himself ejected from Old Trafford much sooner than he anticipates.
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