Rúben Amorim watched one of his biggest continual Manchester United mistakes unfold in front of him as Manchester United fell to a 3-1 defeat against Brentford.
Manchester United slipped to a third Premier League defeat in six matches as Rúben Amorim’s team lost 3-1 away to Brentford on Saturday.
Although United looked to seize control early on, it was the hosts who struck first. Igor Thiago beat the offside line to fire past Altay Bayındır inside nine minutes before adding a second just ten minutes later.
Benjamin Šeško halved the deficit with a scrappy finish, but Amorim’s side couldn’t level the score before the interval.
The second half offered little incident until Amorim turned to Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro from the bench. Soon after, United earned a penalty, but Bruno Fernandes saw his effort saved following a long delay.
Despite throwing on further attacking options late in the game, United were unable to break through, and Brentford sealed the points in stoppage time as Mathias Jensen powered home their third.
Amorim watched his biggest mistake unfold vs Brentford
For six games in a row, Amorim has opted against starting Mainoo as part of the midfield two, much to the bafflement of fans.
The head coach continuously fields questions about why, and he has pointed to defensive stability against sides such as Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City as key concerns.
However, against Brentford, a side United should be looking to dominate, there was no excuse not to play Mainoo. With Casemiro suspended, it was Manuel Ugarte who started in his place, and although the Uruguayan international was not too poor, there was no reason for him to start.
Once Mainoo was finally introduced with 60 minutes to play, United immediately looked the better side, much more dominant on the ball, and the 20-year-old himself showed himself to be proficient at progressing play as well as defensively holding his own, too.
Amorim needs to take a risk to succeed
Amorim has found himself in a bit of a catch-22 situation regarding his midfielders. It’s clear that he feels Mainoo cannot play in the midfield two until they become a more dominant team, but by playing Casemiro and Ugarte, he hinders his side’s chances of achieving this.
It says everything about the current situation at United that as soon as Mainoo replaced Ugarte in the side, United played much more to Amorim’s liking against Brentford, despite the head coach’s insistence on benching the latter.
Aside from Fernandes, Mainoo is United’s best midfielder with the ball at his feet, and is arguably the most intelligent central player at the club. If Amorim wants to keep his job intact, the coach must take the risk and play him.
Mainoo has consistently demonstrated that his defensive abilities are underrated, and with his on-the-ball presence a level above both Casemiro and Ugarte, there are becoming fewer and fewer excuses for why the talented player isn’t starting fixtures.
United fans are becoming increasingly frustrated that they continue to see Amorim make what is undoubtedly his biggest mistake of the season so far, and are losing patience with the head coach.
It’s not quite a Hail Mary to play Mainoo from the start as he is clearly a very talented and gifted fotoballer, but Amorim must look to take that leap of faith and accelerate how dominant his team can be, or he risks losing his job within a year of being hired.
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