In the days building up to Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea, one star reportedly sent a clear message to the side about the club’s struggles under Amorim.
Manchester United claimed their second Premier League win of the season with a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea at Old Trafford, courtesy of strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro.
The hosts started brightly and were handed a major advantage just five minutes in, when Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was sent off for fouling Bryan Mbeumo on the edge of the box.
Fernandes opened the scoring soon after, netting his 100th goal for the club, before Casemiro doubled United’s lead with a towering header. But the midfielder’s night quickly turned sour as he was dismissed before half-time, leaving both sides with ten men.
Benjamin Šeško was withdrawn for Manuel Ugarte as United reshaped for the 10 v 10 battle, but Chelsea’s breakthrough only came in the final minutes when Trevoh Chalobah headed in from Reece James’ cross. Despite late pressure, United’s defence held firm and secured all three points on a rainy Manchester evening.
Maguire’s role appreciated within the squad
In the days leading up to the game, Harry Maguire – among other senior players – made it clear that as a squad, they were underperforming. Speaking on his YouTube channel, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano hinted at the internal response to this, and how the 32-year-old centre-back is viewed within the club.
“Very honest quotes by Harry Maguire on the situation of Rúben Amorim, even before the Chelsea game, he said it’s about the players, it’s not about the system, it’s not about the tactical point of view, it’s about the players, and so this is going to be the point.
“Maguire is still seen internally after 250 appearances with Man United is still seen as a leader of the dressing room, as a very important player. This is why his future will be a point of discussion very soon, as I told you.
“Rúben Amorim really appreciates the mentality of Harry Maguire. People at the club really respect what Maguire is trying to do, also for the young players arriving at the club now. And so, for sure, the future of Maguire will be a topic.
“But Harry Maguire still has a lot of respect internally and a very good relationship with the coach, a very good relationship with Amorim, because to see a player like Harry Maguire going public before the Chelsea game, with a lot of pressure if United lost that game.
“Well, Maguire saying it’s about the players, it’s not about the system, it’s not about the tactical approach, it’s about us, it’s about the players’ attitude. Well, that was a big quote. This also shows the integrity of Harry Maguire.”
Amorim has to take some blame as well
While it certainly is true that there have been several avoidable errors that can’t be blamed on the manager or tactics that have cost United points so far this season, Amorim has to shoulder some blame.
He needs to get his best players performing to the best of their abilities, something that club captain Fernandes is not currently doing in the two-man midfield setup that the Portuguese coach is determined to use.
Fernandes’ fantastic ability is being hampered by having to play deeper in the midfield pivot, rather than further up the field, where he is evidently at his best, as seen by his stats from the past five seasons at the club.
While Amorim could also potentially improve on his substitution choices and his stubbornness when it comes to not changing his playing style, even when it’s clearly not working, getting the best out of your standout players has to be a priority.
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