Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United on Thursday evening represents the biggest problem Rúben Amorim must overcome at Old Trafford.
After 14 Premier League matches, Manchester United sit just two points behind the top four, but a win against West Ham United could have seen them go level on points with Chelsea in fourth place.
United were looking to build on their positive momentum after the 2-1 win away at Selhurst Park last weekend, where goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount gave Rúben Amorim an important victory, following the 1-0 loss to Everton at Old Trafford.
Amid fitness concerns, Mount dropped out of the starting lineup against West Ham for the returning Matheus Cunha. Zirkzee kept his place as the centre-forward and struggled to affect the game as he did against Crystal Palace.
As they were against Everton, United were expected to beat West Ham with ease, but, as has been the case regularly for the Red Devils, they failed to live up to expectations and delivered an abysmal performance.
Diogo Dalot’s goal, which came from a corner, gave United the lead, but the Hammers struck back in the 83rd minute in a goalmouth scramble, despite Noussair Mazraoui’s best efforts to keep it out. Amorim will be massively disappointed with the result, and he now must finally face the biggest problem at Old Trafford, which has been ignored by several managers in the past.
Consistently inconsistent for United
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired from management, United have been a shadow of their former selves. But there have been regular glimpses of brilliance at Old Trafford under each manager since the treble winner. However, no matter how good United look, they always seem to come crashing down to the disappointing performances the fans are all too used to seeing.
Under the current manager, United have shown exciting football on the flanks, with Amad and Bryan Mbeumo forming a good partnership on one side, but that already seems to have vanished. Since the duo combined against Tottenham Hotspur, both have looked a level below the players that entered the season. And it’s not just them. Dalot and Patrick Dorgu have both been asked to play at left-wing-back this season, but neither has made the position their own. Fans are now calling for Luke Shaw to move up the pitch, amid Lisandro Martínez’s return to full fitness, but the England international has impressed as a central defender recently.
So what is the real issue? The first point of concern for Amorim is the inconsistency throughout games. Before the trip to Selhurst Park, United had scored the most first-half goals in the Premier League this season but conceded the most second-half goals. While the pattern flipped against Oliver Glasner’s side, it still shows that the Red Devils can’t maintain their best football for a full 90 minutes.
Perhaps this issue comes from Amorim’s high-energy system. With the ball, United’s wing-backs are told to stretch the pitch, leaving Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro to control the middle of the pitch, while Cunha and Mbeumo look for space in between the lines. Without possession, the wing-backs must quickly drop into the defensive line, while the outside central defenders can be asked to follow the opposition into midfield to support the double pivot.
Amorim is asking players who aren’t used to covering lots of ground – Amad, Dorgu, Shaw and Leny Yoro – to be among the hardest workers in the Premier League, rather than simply adapting the shape to suit the players at the club. This isn’t the only issue, though. United’s players also seem to lack the strong character needed to overcome adversity.
Despite having a man advantage for the majority of the game, United failed to come back from a one-goal deficit against David Moyes’ Everton. Against West Ham, Amorim’s side seemed to go into hiding after Ayden Heaven’s yellow card inside the opening 10 minutes. Rather than rallying around the youngster – in just his third Premier League start – United’s senior players dropped their heads and looked to give up.
Amorim must resolve the issue soon
Solving this problem won’t be easy for Amorim, as he will know from Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s time as United manager, but he must solve it soon if he wants to remain at Old Trafford going into next season.
While fixing the squad’s mentality is not a quick fix, signings could be made in the January transfer window. United should look to sign natural leaders who could help turn the club around, for example: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace’s captain), Nathan Collins (Brentford’s captain) and Danny Welbeck (who has worn the armband for Brighton and Hove Albion this season).
As for Amorim’s system, he could make a few simple tweaks to help manage the workload of some of his players.
Against Liverpool, United played a 4-4-2 shape without the ball, while keeping their regular formation in possession. Mason Mount – the left-sided attacking midfielder – dropped back to a left midfield position, while Dalot moved deeper to play as a natural left-back. Matthijs de Ligt pushed out to more of a right-back role, while Amad was given the freedom to stay higher in the midfield line, meaning he could be more of a threat on the counterattack.
If Amorim reverted to the 4-4-2 shape out of possession, Shaw and Yoro wouldn’t be forced into midfield positions, and many players could return to their natural roles. United would be able to perform at a higher level for longer, even if that isn’t the full 90 minutes just yet.
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