Micah Richards has slammed two Manchester United stars for their “shambolic” defending against Brentford, but admits that Rúben Amorim may be to blame.
Manchester United slipped to their third Premier League defeat in six games as Rúben Amorim’s side were beaten 3-1 by Brentford on Saturday.
The visitors began brightly but fell behind when Igor Thiago broke clear to score in the ninth minute before striking again ten minutes later. Benjamin Šeško responded with a scrappy finish to halve the deficit, yet United went into the break still trailing.
After a subdued spell following half-time, Amorim turned to Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro from the bench. United were then given a golden opportunity when Brentford conceded a penalty, but Bruno Fernandes saw his effort saved after a lengthy delay.
Despite further attacking changes, United couldn’t break Brentford down, and the hosts wrapped up the win deep into stoppage time through Mathias Jensen’s emphatic strike.
Richards blames Amorim for defensive errors
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards is well-versed on what it takes to be a Premier League defender, with the centre-back playing 203 times in the competition.
In reaction to United’s first-half defending during their Brentford defeat, Richards labelled Maguire and De Ligt’s defending as “shambolic” but also admits that the way Amorim is setting up his players is a hindrance to their abilities.
“Shambolic! I still think the system is hampering them,” Richards told BBC Sport.
“They’re not sure where they’re meant to be. In terms of the goals though, there were individual errors. Harry Maguire trying to play offside for the first one – there’s no point gambling there.
“Then, for the second goal, de Ligt doesn’t know where’s he’s going and then Maguire isn’t sure where to position himself. It’s 100% confusion caused by playing that system – it doesn’t suit the players there.”
Amorim must reinstate Yoro to the starting line-up
In the last two games, Amorim has opted for Maguire over Yoro in the starting team, shifting De Ligt out to the right while Luke Shaw remains on the left. However, he must look to change this.
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Yoro looks to be United’s quickest and most athletic centre-back this season, so in intense ties with a lot of swinging momentum, such as against Brentford and the upcoming game against Sunderland, the Frenchman must be starting.
At the same time, accommodating Maguire from the start by shoehorning De Ligt out to the right flank hinders the Dutchman’s abilities, which are so clearly best suited to playing in the middle of the back three.
There are questions over whether Shaw should still be starting, given his inconsistencies so far this season, and 19-year-old Ayden Heaven waiting in the wings. Still, there should be little debate that only one of Maguire or De Ligt should be starting through the middle, with Yoro on the right.
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