Belief was one of Ruben Amorim’s go-to words in his first press conference at Manchester United. Physicality has been a repeated theme in subsequent conversations with the new head coach. Amorim has asked fans and media to avoid getting too preoccupied with his 3-4-3 system and instead focus on the new “idea” he is trying to bring to his squad. Early goals against Ipswich Town and Bodo/Glimt have made things clear. For things to work at their best under Amorim, United players must be willing to run. And run and run. And then run some more.
It took a touch over 40 seconds for Alejandro Garnacho to open the scoring at Old Trafford on Thursday, tapping the ball home after Rasmus Hojlund gave chase to a slack backpass to Glimt goalkeeper Nikita Haikin. Visiting manager Kjetil Knutsen had made five changes to his starting XI with one eye on the Norwegian side’s title decider against Lillestrom on Sunday. Although United had spells of dominating possession, there were notable periods where they took their foot off the gas.
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard, and Amorim’s challenge between now and the end of the season will be to ensure his team do the required grafting to keep their noses in front from minute one to minute 90 of a game. Glimt’s goals in the first half came from their ability to play on the break. A clever one-two from Sondre Fet and Hakon Evjen saw the latter score the equaliser in the 19th minute. Philip Zinckernagel burned Tyrell Malacia for pace down the wing to put the Norwegian side ahead four minutes later.
“They knew each other very well,” said Amorim after the game. “If you see the goals, it was one-touch. They have the time that we don’t have working together. They have a lot of speed and power. In the transitions, you can feel they have a lot of power and it was a tough game in that aspect.
“But we controlled the tempo of the ball very well, and kept the ball so long that we were able to manage that.
Amorim’s attention appears focused on improving how his team responds when faced with physical opponents. The change in formation has caused some consternation, but what is more important to the new head coach is United’s willingness to push through moments of adversity.
United’s equaliser came about through two moments of counter-pressing. First, it was Manuel Ugarte snapping into tackles and charging down the right half-space before his low cross was cut out. Where previously shoulders would slump and United would find themselves vulnerable to a counter-attack, here the home side maintained their pressure. Glimt’s clearance was seized back by Noussair Mazraoui, who beat two markers before whipping in a cross for Hojlund. The striker collected the cross with his left foot before finishing with his right.
Amorim has spoken about working on the finer details of his since arriving in England, and he is playing more towards Hojlund’s strengths, asking his array of attackers to get the ball to Denmark international in the channels he can nudge ahead of defenders and find extra space. The second half saw further tweaks as Amorim’s men defended in a more conventional 4-4-2 to better close off Glimt’s counter-attacks. Yet they maintained their aggression when in possession.
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Mason Mount – a chameleon of a midfielder who has little issue switching between multiple formations – provided the X Factor for United’s third. A clever team move saw Mazraoui pass to the 25-year-old, who flicked the ball into the path of Ugarte. The Uruguayan’s low cross was converted by Hojlund again. While the team needed multiple interventions from Andre Onana to maintain their lead, they were good value for their victory. Amorim believed his team had improved some aspects of their play since drawing at Ipswich on Sunday, but there was still a way to go.
“We should kill the game before the end,” said the head coach in his post-match press conference, “We suffer two transitions, I think we need to improve on that because it was runs… physical things. One against one, we have to improve on that. But I like some things the team did today.”
This United squad is not blessed with athletes on the level of those at Sporting CP, but Amorim is working to accentuate what he has available to him. Expect running to be a constant theme throughout multiple interviews and press conferences in the coming weeks and months. When Amorim talks of wanting to improve United’s physicality, he is referring to more than a player’s aerobic capacity. He is looking for their willingness to work hard to win the ball back when it is lost, but also to work intelligently when they successfully regain it. It is to understand where they need to be positioned in relation to their teammates, both when defending and when attacking. and how to quickly shift from one mode to another.
The success of his 3-4-3 will depend on the player’s willingness – as a collective – to be aggressive when defending, and courageous when attacking. Positive results are needed, but this team will likely remain a work in progress until the start of next season as everyone gets used to a new set of tactical demands. What is encouraging is how the 39-year-old speaks about his players. There is a clear intent to improve their weaknesses, as well as maximise their strengths. Hojlund’s brace helped take his side to 12th in the League Phase of this European competition, but his coach already has ideas as to how he can further add to his goal tally.
“I think he improved the Connection (link up play),” said Amorim of his striker. “I think he has to improve more because sometimes he gives too many touches when he holds the ball.”
“But he’s really important for us because when we are in the low block he is the guy to hold the ball, to connect for transitions, he did that very well. He has that characteristic, he was aggressive in the goals, he was aggressive in the box and he is a quality player.”
This is a squad of varying physical and technical qualities, and so Amorim’s attempted workaround is to establish a consistent level of application throughout the team. Time will tell whether this is merely a honeymoon period before players revert to type, but there are promising signs for a group who have been low in confidence and coherency for the majority of the season.
(Top photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
