Ruben Amorim has an almighty job on his hands if he is to get Manchester United back to their former glory as he gets set to take the reins at Old Trafford.
Amorim’s start at Old Trafford has been temporarily delayed due to visa issues but will take over from interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy after the upcoming international break.
His first match will come on November 24 when United travel down to Suffolk to take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Premier League. On paper, it’s a very kind fixture for the 39-year-old to sink his teeth into.
With that said, many in the red half of Manchester will want Amorim to iron out the continued problems that have hindered United over the last few years.
Now his tenure at Sporting Lisbon has ended, what can be expected of Amorim? And what are his main priorities to turn one of football’s biggest clubs back into a team fighting on all fronts?
Ruben Amorim Must Put His Stamp On The Squad
A question which will have been on all Manchester United supporters minds is will Amorim implement his own style of play at Old Trafford?
A criticism levelled at Erik ten Hag was the team lacked any sort of identity when it came to how the team played – and it’s something Amorim must do if he is to have any hope of turning things around.
It is widely expected that Amorim will adopt his Sporting Lisbon blueprint at United. Something of which will surely excite everybody associated with the world famous club.
🔴❗️ Ruben Amorim when asked if he's gonna play with back three at Man United: "I have to start from something I know very well and then develop that with the players".
"We don’t have much time to train, there are many games, so I’ll start from a structure I know very well". pic.twitter.com/9MLFY8C0jM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 11, 2024
At Sporting, Amorim employed a 3-4-3 formation and encouraged a high-energy press. Something of which the 39-year-old will stay loyal to in his new role.
“I know how I am going to play in the beginning because you have to start with a structure that you know,” Amorim said after Sunday’s 4-2 farewell win over Braga.
Therefore, United supporters can wave goodbye to the 4-2-3-1 lineup that was used by ten Hag.
It may prove a bold decision for Amorim to stick to his principles in terms of style of play. Many of United’s current crop aren’t used to a back three. However, change is needed to bring back the glory days to M16.
Get Manchester United’s Forwards Firing Again
It’s far too soon to predict the outcome on whether Amorim can get the best out of Manchester United’s attack-minded players. But during his time at Sporting Lisbon, he oversaw a total of 515 goals in 231 matches.
Just for context, those figures are across all competitions in his four years with the Portuguese giants. Admittedly, opposition defenders will be tougher in the Premier League than what Amorim is typically used to.
Nonetheless, Amorim certainly has some talented forwards at his disposal. Youngsters Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund are yet to hit their stride in England but they can certainly be moulded into stars under an attack-minded coach.
His biggest task will be to get Marcus Rashford back on the scoresheet on a regular basis. The academy graduate has endured a rather torrid time in front of goal over the last two years.
Our no.🔟
❤️ @MarcusRashford #MUFC pic.twitter.com/hD8TCDrFB3
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 20, 2024
Amorim is expected to bring his Sporting backroom coaching staff with him to Old Trafford. Carlos Fernandes, Adélio Candido, Paulo Barreira, Emanuel Ferro, and Jorge Vital are those in question.
All will be vital to United’s efforts moving forward and between them, they must get everybody amongst the goals. That will also include Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo and even Antony.
Amorim will need to restore confidence and faith in all the aforementioned players. In particular Rashford. The England international is a confidence player and Amorim can likely provide the spark needed.
The same can be said of compatriot Bruno Fernandes. The attacking midfielder starred in the 3-0 win over Leicester City on gameweek 11 and will work closely with him to generate an impressive goal output.
Put The Plug In United’s Leaky Defence
Again, it is too soon to envisage if Amorim can make Manchester United the defensive force they were under club legend Sir Alex Ferguson.
United have been hugely unlucky with injuries in defence in recent seasons. Nonetheless, there are always question marks over those who are selected on matchdays.
Interestingly, the Red Devils have actually shipped less goals than rivals Chelsea and Manchester City this season. They have also kept five clean sheets in the Premier League.
With that in mind, it’s not all doom and gloom when analysing the defence. However, 3-0 defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham could and perhaps should have been bigger scorelines.
Harry Maguire in Amorim’s system can easily return to being one of the best CBs in the world. His ability is perfect in a back 3 pic.twitter.com/LjPxQfEr7s
— 7👤 (@Utddoja) November 5, 2024
That is where the major problem lies. United appear to fall to bits when playing sides they should regularly be competing with in the higher echelons of the table.
Even in the Europa League this season, the Red Devils have conceded in every game bar one. Amorim will know that this is something of which will need to be addressed immediately.
The Portuguese boss certainly has it in his repertoire to tighten the backline. At Sporting, he conceded less goals than matches played which will reignite faith amongst supporters.
All in all, Amorim’s style of play, his ability to get his strikers scoring and defenders shipping less goals will ultimately go a long way in proving whether he is successful at Old Trafford or not. And of course, his trophy haul.
