Ruben Amorim was asked about his formation ahead of Manchester United’s clash against Newcastle on Boxing Day at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim has turned his attention to Manchester United’s penultimate fixture of the calendar year, with Newcastle United visiting Old Trafford on Friday night.
Premier League scheduling ensures the match stands alone on Boxing Day this season, and the evening kick-off is expected to generate a heated atmosphere beneath the floodlights.
Both sides have struggled to maintain consistency throughout the campaign, offering plenty of attacking threat but often leaving gaps at the back; a combination that suggests an open, high-scoring contest.
United currently sit seventh in the table, but a Boxing Day win could lift Amorim’s men into joint fourth place, with Liverpool and Chelsea not playing until later in the weekend.
Amorim praises one Man Utd star ahead of Newcastle clash
United have many players out of action due to injuries or the fact they are at AFCON, and it means that Amorim has to experiment with his selections.
Reports suggested that the Portuguese boss would look at changing to a four-at-the-back but the recent injuries to Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo have impacted that possibility.
It looks like Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro are playing as the midfield in Amorim’s natural 3-4-3 but Lisandro Martínez is also in the team and showed that he could operate in midfield last time out.
Speaking on the formation ahead of the club, Amorim said that it would be ‘really clear’ whether or not he is playing with a four or three at the back.
“You will have to wait for that, you will see, I think it will be really clear but sometimes you build-up with three, sometimes you build up with four, I think it’s a normal thing in football nowadays,” he told club media.
“He [Martinez] spent a year recovering from his injury but during that time he was always there, always in the meetings, always helping the players, always pushing.
“He’s an example in every training session so I think he deserves to be a captain at Old Trafford in this kind of game and also he has the characteristics that we need for a game like this.”
United need to improve defensively
Many people want to see United playing with three in the middle of the park but not many would have imaged the players being Martínez, Casemiro and Ugarte.
The Argentine did showcase some excellent ability in the middle at Villa Park last week but that was without much pressure. Newcastle aren’t going to offer that luxury.
No matter how United set up, they need to figure out how to improve out of possession as they have been giving up too many goals in recent weeks.
Ayden Heaven starts for the fifth time in a row and he will be hoping to provide a solid display against a tough Newcastle team.
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