Rúben Amorim has admitted that one of Leeds’ attributes will cause problems for Manchester United ahead of their clash on Sunday afternoon.
Manchester United will be keen to move on from 2025 as Rúben Amorim prepares for his first match of the new year, travelling to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Sunday afternoon.
United struggled for consistency over the past year, falling short in decisive moments as they were beaten by Tottenham in the Europa League final and finished 15th in the 2024/25 Premier League.
There is greater optimism this time around. Amorim’s side reach the halfway point of the campaign in sixth place, level on points with Chelsea in fifth, while Leeds arrive buoyed by a strong run of results.
Daniel Farke’s side endured a difficult start and were drawn into a relegation fight, but they have since turned their season around and are now unbeaten in six matches.
That sequence features two draws against Liverpool and another against Sunderland, as well as home victories over Chelsea and Crystal Palace, giving Leeds growing confidence ahead of The Roses Derby.
Amorim wary of Leeds’ pace up front
Speaking ahead of the game on Friday aftenroon, Amorim was asked how difficuly he feels the Leeds test will be, considering their fantastic run of form.
“They have a lot of pace and, sometimes, we struggle with pace,” he replied.
“They are confident, but we have proved we can win any game in any situation, in every context. So we will try to do that again. We know that they change the system. They have different players in [the] front.
“They can as, the last game, they rotated two players that usually are the starters. So they have good players, good manager, great environment. It is going to be a tough game.”
Amorim must change formation to deal with pace
The game against Leeds will be a firey one right from the start, as Farke’s men will smell blood in the water ahead of the fixture and want to prove themselves once again as a team that can go toe to toe with the very best.
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In reply, the only way Amorim help navigate the fixture amid all the injury issues and absences for the Reds is by hitting the Elland Road side back, blow for blow.
United were too stand-offish against Wolves, and retreated a lot in the second half against Newcastle to hold their 1-0 lead, but the same will not work at Elland Road.
Amorim must change from his 3-4-2-1 he played against Wolves and return to his 4-3-3. What could work best with negating Leeds’ speed is playing Leny Yoro and Heaven as centre-backs, while Lisandro Martínez could provide much-needed aggression in midfield.
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