Rúben Amorim admits Manchester United “must work” on tactical flaw exposed vs FC Plzen

Rúben Amorim has admitted that his Manchester United side must work on a tactical flaw that was exposed against FC Plzen ahead of the Manchester derby.

Rúben Amorim is preparing Manchester United for a high-stakes Premier League clash against Manchester City, a critical test in his early reign as head coach.

United approach the match with renewed confidence after a 2-1 comeback win over FC Viktoria Plzeň in the Europa League, where substitute Rasmus Højlund scored twice to secure the victory. Focus now shifts to the domestic stage during the demanding festive schedule.

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Manchester City, meanwhile, are navigating a rough patch, with just one victory in their last ten outings across all competitions. Earlier in the season, Pep Guardiola’s team suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at the hands of Amorim’s Sporting, further exposing their vulnerabilities.

With City’s pursuit of a fifth consecutive Premier League title slipping away, United have the chance to capitalise on their struggles and climb from 13th in the table as they face off at the Etihad Stadium.

Amorim’s tactical flaw

Although United came away from the Czech Republic with three Europa League points, a glaring issue from the tie was a mistake by André Onana that allowed the home side an initial lead.

Early in the second half, the Cameroon international attempted a pass to defender Matthijs de Ligt, but a communication breakdown saw Plzen capitalise, with Matej Vydra finishing into an open net.

The tie showed that, if this tether between De Ligt and Onana is interrupted, it’s a flaw in the system that leaves United exposed at the back.

“Yeah we have to take it like it is,” Amorim said when asked if he has any concerns about Onana ahead of the Sunday afternoon derby.

“He had already, in the past, a situation like that. So we have to work on this. If you see the play, we are trying to build up a lot with the goalkeeper making the balls with Matta [Matthijs de Ligt] a lot of times.

“This time, we have a disconnect a little bit during the play and, when we try this, we suffered a goal, a difficult goal for us in the start of the second half. But we managed today, not like against Nottingham [Forest]. We managed to help Onana, like he did in the past for us.”

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